Meet Joshua Matthews | Writer, Director & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Matthews and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, why did you pursue a creative career?
I think every storyteller has a similar story. There’s a film or show, a book or comic that got them hooked at an early age. Mine was John Carpenter’s Halloween.

I was young — and like most kids from the 80s, probably too young — when my dad kept me up late one Halloween night, after filling my plastic pumpkin full of sugar and chocolate (all sans razor blades), and put in a VHS of Halloween. From that opening scene, I was hooked. I was also completely terrified.

I had the worst nightmares. Michael and Freddy were lurking in every corner of my bedroom after lights out. The Workman from “The Gate” was inside my wall. I could not sleep. It got old fast. So, my dad — the genius — showed me one more tape: the behind-the-scenes of one of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” films.

Something clicked. Watching the men and women bringing Freddy to life changed mine. I didn’t have any more nightmares. Instead, I had a dream (super cheesy, I know).

My dad just wanted to show me a movie that might scare me on Halloween. What he got in return was a son who wouldn’t stop talking about film and, much to his dismay, would not consider any other career besides one in film. He begged me to consider a backup career. I tried. I’ve worked in retail, the food industry, and textile and manufacturing plants. I even tried to pursue a career in education, getting a degree in English, but nothing stuck.

So, after graduating, I told my family I was going to film school. No matter what came out of it, I had to chase this dream. I had to know.

I was accepted into Savannah College of Art and Design’s MFA program in 2008, 20 years after watching that first “Halloween” film. Walking into that first class, I thought of that Halloween night I stayed up late to watch movies with my Dad. One year later, I had him come to set and watch me direct a short. I watched him take it all in. Watched him talking to the cast and crew, asking them all kinds of questions about what they were doing and why. He helped build a set with us. Just like the crew on the behind-the-scenes video he showed me as a kid. Watching him on set, I think he finally understood what that night meant to me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a screenwriter, director, and occasional producer.

Though my love of film and storytelling started in horror, I never directed a horror film until very recently. I spent most of my time at SCAD working on films that were vastly different from one another. I made comedies, suspense films, documentaries, and even an experimental film where a guy wakes up in a white void with only a typewriter to jog his memory as to why he’s there. Yeah, I made some weird art school stuff. But I wanted to taste the waters. I wanted to go bigger and better with each film. I never wanted to repeat myself.

When it was time to make my thesis film, I decided to make a western. Now, that’s about as far from a horror film as you can get, but I wanted to really test myself as a filmmaker, and I couldn’t think of a better way than to load up 20-something film students, drive out to Kentucky and have a guy shot off a horse. Making “Dawn” was one of the best experiences of my life. It was one of the biggest productions anyone on my team had been a part of at that time, and I learned a lot about directing, collaboration, and managing a large production. We ended up with a beautiful film, that I believe everyone was proud of.

It also led me to my next film. After graduating, one of my crew members, Crystal Ann Ghanem, reached out to me about a new project. She asked if I would be willing to make a documentary about her father, Elias Ghanem. Turns out, Elias was the “Doctor to the Stars” in Las Vegas — taking care of the likes of Elvis and Michael Jackson — and the Chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission who presided over the disciplinary hearing for Mike Tyson. I was shocked to be asked to tackle this project but jumped at the opportunity.

Thanks to Crystal, my documentary career got its start. I had a wonderful time making this film with my production partner, Kevin Ray, and friend Michael Lloyd, both of whom worked on “Dawn” with me as Editor and Cinematographer, respectively. We must have done a good enough job on the film because Crystal and her family’s foundation invested in our next film, “The Great Journey.”

Now “The Great Journey” taught me a great lesson: I can fail. This documentary was our first feature and I loved every second of putting it together. But, at the end of the day, no one else seemed to like it. Every festival rejected it. No one wanted to screen this film. I can blame another high-profile documentary that was released the same year with similar themes for stealing our thunder, or I can blame the lower-budget look and style of our film. But, I don’t. None of those things mattered. We made a film we loved, but it turned out no one else felt the same. Them’s the brakes. I’m proud of it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to make it. Grateful for the lessons it taught me.

I went on to make a few more short documentary films. The one I’m most proud of is “OP-ID” where I was granted access to follow a team of Forensic Anthropologists in Texas who try to identify and repatriate the remains of migrants who passed away while crossing the US-Mexico border. I’ve never been so moved by people’s work as I have been on this shoot. I’ve never been so grateful to tell a story before. This short didn’t do a lot for me professionally, but did a ton for me personally.

Then COVID hit, and like everyone else, I stayed home and wondered “What’s next?” I also played a lot of Red Dead. What can I say, I love a good western. During this time, I reconnected with some friends from the SCAD days (Brett Brooks and Jason Sheedy), and we started meeting weekly on Zoom to discuss what we were working on. We decided to use this time to hold each other accountable, and I began writing more than I had in years. I wrote numerous short scripts, two feature screenplays, and the three of us wrote an anthology feature together as well. By the time lockdown was over, I had a hunger for narrative film I had not had in years.

After lockdown, I moved, got married, and started working as a Video Producer at a university in Texas. I also started entering into a lot of screenplay competitions. Screenwriting was free and I could do it by myself (though I sometimes wrote with a friend). I wrote daily. Stories were flowing out of me in a way that hadn’t since before I went to SCAD. They weren’t all good, but some of them were. They started playing in competitions: Killer Shorts, Screencraft, FilmQuest, and HollyShorts to name a few. I started going back to festivals. Networking for the first time in years. I was taking “meetings” and had one of my feature scripts pitched to a well-known horror company (they passed). Things were looking up. But something was missing. I wanted to get back on set. I needed to get back on set.

Jason, a great filmmaker himself, told me a few of his friends and crew were going to make another short for the 48 Hour Film Festival and I should fly out to Atlanta and direct this one. I jumped at the chance, though I was nervous to do so. I hadn’t directed a narrative in over a decade at this point and was worried I’d mess it up for everyone. Making a movie is hard. Making a movie in 48 hours is insane. But as soon as we were ready to roll, it all came back.

A few months later, Jason and I decided to do it again. This time, we’d make two films in one weekend. I’d write and direct one, and he’d do the other. And, we did it. These films are currently wrapping up post-production and hopefully will premiere later this year, so please keep a look out for “Sketch” and “To Hell With You”.

My film career did not take the path I thought it would. But I’m where I’m supposed to be now. Tackling different genres, bouncing between documentary and narrative has helped me build a style that is my own. I look back at my past achievements and failures and am proud of each one. But I’m more excited about what’s next, for me and the team we’ve built.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m currently living in San Marcos, Texas. I’m just south of Austin, but I gotta say, I’d tell you to avoid the city. There are cooler and weirder places to visit in Texas.

If you like a cold beer and the best hamburger you’ve had in your life, you gotta go to Showdown in San Marcos. It’s a real locals place, but they are friendly and welcoming of all kinds. Just ask my Yankee wife.

But before you grab that burger, you’re going to want to get in the water. Texas is hot, y’all, so why not go tubing down the San Marcos River? It’s a perfect 72º year round, so it’ll cool you right off.

Like barbecue? Of course you do, you’re in Texas. Drive east to Lockhart and check out Smitty’s. Best brisket in Texas. Franklin’s who? I used to be vegetarian before I visited Smitty’s.

I’d tell you to go to The Gray Horse Saloon to have a drink, but sadly they just closed. I just wanted to shout out a great bar. RIP Gray Horse. So, maybe check out Riley’s Tavern in New Braunfels, the first bar to open in Texas after prohibition, or The Devil’s Backbone Tavern. Supposedly it’s haunted. Haunted or not, it’s a great dive.

If you’re down on a Wednesday night, you have to go to Cheatham Street Warehouse for Singer Songwriters Night. This is Kent Finley’s old bar where the likes of George Straight started their careers. Townes Van Zandt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guy Clark, and Willie Nelson are just a few of the greats who have played their stage. It’ll change your life, I promise ya.

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t direct you to some amazing breakfast tacos. So head on down to Casa de Don Lorenzo and get you a couple of tacos. The green sauce is spicy!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have already talked about my Dad, and how I would never even know filmmaking was a career option if not for him showing me horror films late at night. But he wasn’t the only one I owe credit to.

My mom sat me down when I told her I wanted to go to film school but was scared. I was scared because no one in my immediate family had ever done anything like this before. I didn’t know anyone who went to graduate school. I didn’t know anyone who moved away from their family. I’m from a small, small town in southeast Alabama, so I didn’t know anyone who went to school more than 30 minutes away. But she said one thing that made me decide to make the leap. She said, “YOLO.”

Just kidding, but pretty close. She told me that this was my life and that I should be able to decide what I wanted to do with it. It was the only life I would get, and I shouldn’t stay home just because others thought filmmaking was a long shot. I shouldn’t have any regrets. So, I left. And I left knowing it was the right thing to do because of her.

Besides dear ol’ Mom and Dad, I have one more person that I need to shout out.

After graduating from SCAD, I moved to Texas to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking with a fellow alum. I was married at this time but soon got a divorce. That divorce threw my whole life in a tailspin, and my film career took an immediate halt so I could get my bearings. I soon found a job producing marketing videos. A long way from the films I wanted to make, but hey, still in the ballpark, right?

Well, maybe not, but I’m not mad about this because I found the actual love of my life at this job. I married Caitlin three years ago, and there has not been a day where she hasn’t encouraged me to continue my film career. I would not be doing this interview if she didn’t support me. My mom and dad may have planted the seed of my filmmaking pursuits, but my wife has nourished them to a point where I can see no way to fail.

Damn, I am a sappy guy. But it’s the truth.

Website: https://www.joshdmatt.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshdmatt

Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3579899/?ref_=tt_ov_dr
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/joshdmatt