Meet Matt Struck | Late Night Host

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

Hi Matt, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am originally from Denver, Colorado. Ever since I was young I imagined myself making movies. Bowfinger was a big inspiration and when I saw those characters running around making a low budget film, I thought to myself, “I want that!” When I was 13 I was gifted my first video camera and on the weekends I would get my neighborhood friends together to make movies. 20 years later I am still doing the same thing. I wasn’t able to go to film school but all my friends were film students, so I was able to learn by proxy. I was in a lot of student films and worked in a lot of Art House movie theaters in my life. I dropped out of college to pursue a life of making art, I spent about 5 years in New York making music, films, and I did a lot of drinking. Alcoholism runs in my family so I am no stranger to it, during my 20’s I had found myself knee deep in an addiction that kept getting worse and worse. Around the same time I started hosting a late night style show out of a donut shop (after hours.) I would put on my suit and interview musicians and comedians twice a month in Brooklyn, NY. That lasted a bit until my drinking finally caught up with my and had to moved back home and confront my own alcoholism. Really Late Night with Matt Struck is a semi-biographical sketch show follows a character named after me. It deals with what it is like to be in comedy but also have a very difficult life behind the scenes. The first episode came out in 2017 and it is no mistake that same year I was able to stay sober. The show is a cathartic way for me to deal with my past and it’s also an amazing way to connect with other funny people. I make comedy for comedians, stories for people in recovery, and art for the under dog, people who against all odds still show up for the game.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Really Late Night with Matt Struck is a meta-story. So the fictional character is named after me. The things that happen to him are a mixture of past events, fictional events, and sketch comedy. Being that I have been producing the show for several years I have lots and lots of footage, so this fictional show is cut together more like a documentary than a narrative piece, often times the final scenes are mixtures of events that were never planned. It’s a very chaotic way to make films but it’s okay because I am kind of a chaotic person. I am probably the calmest chaotic person you will ever meet.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a friend visited me, I would first take them into the studio and interview them for a podcast episode. Then I think I would take them to the Denver Art Museum and then the MCA Denver. For the first time in my life I feel like I can actually take in and be moved by art, and I love sharing that experience with people.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Denver Open Media was key to the production of my show. I started off as an intern and through them I learned about equipment and how to edit on Premier Pro. Studio A provided me with the television studio I needed to properly tell my story. It also provided me with a place to meet other creatives who would help hold a camera, act in a scene, or tell me that my jokes were not funny. Ravi Zupa is a Denver based visual artist who gave me one of my first film jobs. Afterwards we would have long talks about religion, art, politics, films, and comedy. He is a hero of mine and to have a hero believe in you is something I think everyone deserves. Rachel Mclaughlin is a Houston based visual artist who I know from my time in New York. She and I would often have long discussions about family, art, and politics. She was a helping hand when it was time for me to confront my addiction to drinking and she was there to see the ‘fictional me’ and the ‘real me’ grow over time. Ever single Patreon Supporter! Past, Present, and Future. The Patreon Subscribers keep me on track and are a great group of people that cheer me on. For that I want to say thank you.

Website: https://www.mattstrucktures.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-struck-b03aab13/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reallylatenight

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReallyLateNight

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC847vIcnFTR51wPKz4GDh_Q