Meet Matt Makens | Atmospheric Scientist & Communicator

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

Hi Matt, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
While working in broadcast television as a weather anchor for nearly 20 years, the accuracy and science of weather reporting became less important in my job descriptions over time. This is particularly true in the Denver market. Being entertaining is more valuable than being knowledgeable. As the marketplace has changed, we see that local news viewership has dropped significantly with a dilution of that product into social media and digital properties as well as an abundance of competitors. In most cases, the weather presenter isn’t airing or publishing actionable details to a viewer. It is this lack of empathy, if you will, for the public that began my exploration into my own business(es) that cater to a viewer/reader/follower’s needs and wants from weather forecasts that is actionable information based on science and knowledge. There are scores of industries, commodities, and businesses that must include weather information in their risk analysis and their own outlooks that weren’t using weather information appropriately or these entities were not getting the information to begin with. I see and now fill the void by giving them accurate and scientific weather forecasts to help mitigate property and monetary losses. As public-facing weather information has become less accurate or reliable over time, private weather information is a place to excel.

What should our readers know about your business?
For years I was criticized for not entertaining while giving weather information. When asked to tell about my personal life or to act silly I chose to stick to the science of what I was presenting. This is quite hard when viewers and managers alike would be highly critical of wanting a weather person for entertainment purposes over the seriousness of the content we should have been providing. After two businesses picked up steam, I was awarded an honor from a Denver publication for being the “Best Local Weathercaster” which cited the no-nonsense approach that set me apart from hype-driven presentations by my colleagues. Knowing local news media wasn’t about to change to my style, it was a no-brainer to leave the industry; not as if I failed but knowing I can’t change what works for them and I know what will work for me by leaving that career behind. I know that weather costs people money and property. I know there’s a need to provide that sensitive information in a timely and clear manner so that risks are mitigated and losses are minimized. I’m most excited to work for agricultural clients as they take weather and climate information as seriously as I do. Growing up in the ag community is likely what stirred this passion for me. I grew up with a variety of livestock and witnessed how much that weather is critical to the production of animal feed and for the animal welfare itself. In other areas, industries such as public works are heavily reliant on accurate forecasts so that roads can be as safe as possible during snowstorms, for example. In my experience, people love to talk about and understand the weather. I love to be able to communicate with them on their level. I am most excited to see this passion out there being fulfilled as I continue to sign on new clients in a variety of industries, their business needs are challenges that I am proud to support. I offer personal attention to clients that may otherwise feel a lack of empathy while dealing with larger service providers and I’m available 24/7 which is unique in a lot of cases – the weather doesn’t care about business hours so why would I not be available whenever needed…right? I’ve learned these things along the way that weather is my passion and I’ll not treat it like clickbait or entertainment. Too many folks are greatly hurt by the weather and that’s something I’m dedicated to protecting them against. To truly empathize with a business or individual brings a level of dedication to my own business which simply can’t be found on any app or television screen. Learning how to channel passion and knowledge into communication that is empathetic and actionable was the greatest thing that I’ve learned over the years.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For anyone visiting the city and Front Range, the views of the mountains are of course the most enjoyable thing about being here. I’d start the day with a breakfast burrito (with tots) and a cup of coffee from Sam’s No. 3 – any of the diner’s Denver locations. This gives us some good fuel to run to Red Rocks Amphitheater on the west side of the metro area. We’d then make our way up Mt Evans to check out the view over the city and the plains. The elevation and length of that drive probably have us hungry so then down to Idaho Springs for some beer at Tommyknockers and pizza at Beau Jo’s. Back into the city, we head straight to Union Station’s Terminal Bar for one of the better Old Fashions (using Breckenridge Bourbon) in the city. That’s a little extra fuel for our walk around Downtown Denver including a brewery tour at Great Divide. Before we know it, it’s time for dinner. I could take you to some fancy places – perhaps over in the Highlands – but A Wynkoop Brewery dinner, Lo Loma for a spicy marg and chile rellenos, or down to Blue Bonnet for chimichangas and margs sound good this time. Of course, we are headed to an Av’s game at the arena, so save some room for more Colorado microbrews. After a spectacular win at the hockey game, we head over for drinks at Elavated Rooftop Bar in Cherry Creek. That’s just day one – phew! Our great adventures will take us to Snooze, Zaidy’s, Lucille’s and Denver Biscuit Company for breakfasts. Brewery tour stops will include Odell’s, New Belgium, Breckenridge, Coors, 105West, and Avery. Distillery tours will include Stranahan’s and Breckenridge. We’ll need to hit some more food at The Sink, Coopersmith’s, Jax, Ocean Prime, Cherry Cricket, Cosmos, Rievers, Cholon, and Linger. Visits to the art museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Rocky Mountain National Park, Glenwood Hot Springs, and Strawberry Hot Springs. What a week! And, for the next visit… we have a whole lot more to do. We don’t get bored in Denver/Colorado.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Becoming an atmospheric scientist started at an early age with influences from teachers, namely Mr. McKinney who lent me weather textbooks to help encourage me to learn and stay interested in a science that was not overly taught in my Junior High. Several other teachers inspired my love of math and science, too. Once in college, Mr. Hall was my main instructor for studying the atmosphere and how to build reliable weather forecasts. He challenged me to remain true to the science and to never skimp on the study of the atmosphere that it would take to build and verify weather forecasts that are far more accurate than simply looking at model data and nowadays apps. Bruce Jones was an early mentor in broadcasting and meteorology; his love for science outweighed being a television personality. Bob Jordan was my boss for several years and he craved scientific information and details from his weather team that far exceeded the scientific understanding required from any boss prior to or since I worked for him. Finally, my wife has long stated that I need to start my own services that provide scientific communication of weather and give actionable items to industries – she was right all along!

Website: www.makensweather.com and www.weather5280.com

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Image Credits
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association