Part of his job is finding talent and production partners. “We want the most innovative and freshest directors, cinematographers and editors from all over the world.”
NAME: Matt Moore
COMPANY: Phoenix and Los Angeles’ Matter Films
and OH Partners
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR COMPANY?
Matter Films is a full-service production company that takes projects from script to screen — doing both pre-production and post in addition to producing content. We are joined by our sister company OH Partners, a full-service advertising agency.
WHAT’S YOUR JOB TITLE?
President of Matter Films and CCO of OH Partners,
WHAT DOES THAT ENTAIL?
I’m lucky to be the only person in the company who gets to serve on both sides of the fence. Knowing that, I think that working with Matter and OH gives me a unique insight into how to meet our clients’ needs best. My number one job is to push both teams to be as innovative and outside of the box as possible. A lot of people do what we do, so I work on our points of differentiation.
Gila River Hotels and Casinos – Sports Partnership
I spend a lot of time finding talent and production partners. We want the most innovative and freshest directors, cinematographers and editors from all over the world. That talent must push all of our work to be the best. We then pair that partner with the right project and the right client.
The other part of my job is figuring out where the production industry is headed. We launched Matter Films because we saw a change within the production world — many production companies weren’t able to respond quickly enough to the need for social and digital work, so we started a company able to address that need and then some.
My job is to always be selling ideas and proposing different avenues we could pursue with Matter and with OH. I instill trust in our clients by using our work as a proof point that the team we’ve assembled is the right choice to get the job done.
WHAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE THE MOST ABOUT WHAT FALLS UNDER THAT TITLE?
People assumed when we started Matter Films that we would keep everything in-house and have no outside partners, and that’s just not the case. Matter actually gives us even more resources to find those innovators from across the globe. It allows us to do more.
The variation in budget size that we accept at Matter Films would also surprise people. We’ll take on projects with anywhere from $1,000 to one million-plus budgets. We’ve staffed ourselves in such a way that even small projects can be profitable.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB?
It sounds so cliché, but I would have to say the people. I’m around people that I genuinely want to see every single day. I love when we all get together for our meetings, because while we do discuss upcoming projects, we also goof off and just hang out. These are the people I go into battle with every single day. I choose to go into the battle with people that I whole-heartedly care about and enjoy being with. It makes life better.
WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
What’s tough is how fast this business changes. Every day there’s a new conference or event, and just when you think an idea you’ve had is cutting edge and brand new, you realize you have to keep going and push to be more innovative. Just when you get caught up, you’re already behind. The big challenge is how you’re going to constantly step up your game.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRODUCTIVE TIME OF THE DAY?
I’m an early morning person. I can get more done if I start before everybody else.
IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE THIS JOB, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING INSTEAD?
I was actually pre-med for two years in college with the desire to be a surgeon. When I was an undergrad, I got an abysmal grade on one of our exams and the professor pulled me aside and told me that a score that low proved that I truly did not care about learning the material. He allowed me to withdraw from the class to find something I was more passionate about, and that was life changing.
HOW EARLY ON DID YOU KNOW THIS WOULD BE YOUR PATH?
I found out in college. I genuinely just loved making a product that either entertained or educated people. I started in the news business, so every night I would go home after work and people could tell me about the news of the day because of what I’d written, edited and put on TV.
People knew about what was going on because of the stories that we told. I have a great love for telling stories and having others engage with that story. If you’re good at the job, peoples’ lives will be different as a result of what you create.
Barbuda Ocean Club
CAN YOU NAME SOME RECENT PROJECTS YOU HAVE WORKED ON?
We just wrapped a large shoot in Maryland for Live Casino, and a different tourism project for a luxury property in Barbuda. We’re currently developing our work with Virgin, and we have a shoot for a technology company focused on developing autonomous driving and green energy upcoming as well. We’re all over the map with the range of work that we have in the pipeline.
WHAT IS THE PROJECT THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
One of my favorite projects actually took place before Matter Films was officially around, but we had a lot of the same team. We did an environmentally sensitive project for Sedona, Arizona, called Sedona Secret 7. Our campaign told the millions of tourists who arrive there how to find other equally beautiful destinations in and around Sedona instead of just the ones everyone already knew.
It was one of those times when advertising wasn’t about selling something, but about saving something.
NAME THREE PIECES OF TECHNOLOGY YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT.
My phone, a pair of AirPods and a laptop. The Matter Films team gave me AirPods for my birthday, so those are extra special!
WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS DO YOU FOLLOW?
My usage on Instagram is off the charts; it’s embarrassing. While I do look at everyone’s vacation photos or what workout they did that day, I also use Instagram as a talent sourcing tool for a lot of work purposes: I follow directors, animation studios and tons of artists that I either get inspiration from or want to work with.
A good percentage of people I follow are creatives that I want to work with at some point. I also reach out to people all the time for potential collaborations.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO DE-STRESS FROM IT ALL?
I love outdoor adventures. Some days I’ll go on a crazy hike here in Arizona or rent a four-wheeler and explore the desert or mountains. I also love just hanging out with my kids — they’re a great age.
