BIO

“His direction feels familiar in some ways, there’s a Spike Lee influence coming through… It’s a style that feels very easy-going, there’s a casual confidence to it that very subtly draws you into the story without really noticing, then as the first few minutes pass, you find yourself totally engrossed in it.” - FILM CARNAGE

Matt is a Filipino-American director & writer. He was born and raised in San Francisco and is a graduate of USC. Matt won Best Director & Best TV Comedy for Companion at the 2017 ITVFest, Catalyst Content Festival. Companion was nominated for Best Short Film of the Year at the 2018 Best of New Filmmakers LA Awards and an official selection of the television festival SeriesFest: Season 4, where he received the Caz Matthews Grant for emerging filmmakers. Companion’s festival success secured the project meetings with HBO, Showtime, Complex and GQ.

Matt directed the dark comedy Kensington, which won Best TV Pilot at the 2019 SOHO International Film Festival in New York and Best of Fest at the 2020 First Glance Film Festival. Film Threat Magazine called it “…a love letter to Philadelphia.” In 2022, he directed the project Anything For You, a script he adapted from the play written by Cate Allen. It was an official selection of four Academy qualifying festivals. Matt is currently a cohort in the prestigious Warner Brothers Discovery Access Television Directing Program.

Matt wrote & directed for two seasons on the Comedy Central animated sketch show Triptank, directing Amy Schumer, Keegan Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Nat Faxon, Andrew Dice Clay, Cheech Marin, Pete Holmes, among others. Matt was the co-creator of the comedy show Real Men, Real Issues on the Babelgum Network. As an actor, Matt has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, General Hospital, CSI: Miami, Haunted, Agents of Shield, Secrets & Lies and the film Wilde Salome directed by Al Pacino. Matt has been a guest speaker and panelist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Long Island University and the Hollywood Radio & TV Society.

AWARDS

Finalist, Writer - Dope Friend, 2023 Page International Screenwriting Awards
Finalist, Writer - Dope Friend, 2023 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition
Finalist, Writer - Dope Friend, 2023 WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab
Finalist, Writer - Dope Friend, 2022 Big Apple Screenplay Competition
Finalist, Writer - Dope Friend, 2022 Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition
Winner, Best Drama - Anything For You, 2022 First Glance Film Festival
Nominated, Best Director, Anything For You, 2022 First Glance Film Festival
Winner, Audience Award - Marry F*ck Kill, 2020 Golden State Film Festival
Winner, Best of Fest - Kensington, 2020 First Glance Film Festival
Winner, Audience Award - Kensington, 2020 First Glance Film Festival
Winner, Best Shot In Philly - Kensington, 2020 First Glance Film Festival
Winner, Best Director - Kensington, 2020 First Glance Film Festival
Winner, Best Ensemble - Kensington, 2020 First Glance Film Festival
Nominated, Best TV Comedy - Kensington, 2020 Austin Comedy Short Film Festival
Winner, Best TV Pilot - Kensington, 2019 SOHO International Film Festival
Nominated, Best Director - Kensignton, 2019 Collaborative Film Festival
Winner, Best Ensemble - Kensington, 2019 Collaborative Film Festival
Winner, Audience Award - Kensington, 2019 HollyShorts Screening Series
Nominated, Best Comedy Short of the Year - Companion, 2018 New Filmmakers LA
Winner, Best Director - Companion, 2017 Independent Television Festival
Winner, Best TV Comedy - Companion, 2017 Independent Television Festival