We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matt Hamilton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matt below.

Matt, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

That’s a tough question… now I’m a little anxious haha!

There’s been quite a few, but the one that stands out most is a project I shot in Sri Lanka years ago. We interviewed a number of very brave women who, each in their own way, were fighting for women’s rights in a predominantly patriarchal society.

The shoot was an incredible journey. It was fraught with many risks and moments of danger – but it also bequeathed some of the most beautiful and unforgettable moments I’ve ever experienced.

Despite feeling EXHAUSTED from jet lag, insomnia, a frantic schedule and profound physically demanding circumstances, I realized a few weeks into the shoot that my entire being was 1000000% engaged. At the time I think I was 32, and I can tell you with complete conviction that, hitherto, I had NEVER felt that way. Feeling completely connected to the world around me and my artistic mission was a very wonderful and special feeling that, to this day, seldom repeats.

It was that moment I realized what my calling was: to my abilities to elevate the stories of others.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been a storyteller since I was a child. I loved cartoons growing up. I would spend my spare time drawing characters from my favourite shows and into a fun little fictional universe where I could sketch their journeys together.

I spent a good chunk of my pubescent and adolescent years trying to figure out what “practical” job I would make a career out of. My biggest lesson of life grew out of these years: there’s no sense fighting what your heart wants.

So after getting into a big fight with my parents in my mid 20’s, they proposed I go back to school. Film school. Heck yeah, what a great idea!

And over a decade later, here I am. I make movies for a living. What a strange lifestyle!

So my goal with all my clients – whether they’re commercial, music video, or narrative – is to find the “story” they’re looking to tell. Whether you’re paving roads, selling software solutions, saving pigs from factory farming, escaping cyborgs from space or trying to satiate a malevolent husband with ham sandwiches – there’s always a “human” story that my clients are trying to tell. The goal is to show why that story is compelling.

That’s it. That’s what I do. Definitely not rocket science or silicon chip engineering. It’s kind of old-fashioned in a way.

And if anyone’s interested, you can find my work currently at firesightfilms.com (though this is getting a big facelift soon… stay tuned!)

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Marshall Rosenberg – “Nonviolent Communication”

If you want to conduct a good interview, read this book. It completely changed how I think about communication. It made me sensitive to things I didn’t previously know how to engage with or express.

It helped me simplify how I interpret others. Sometimes that’s necessary to RECEIVE someone on a deeper level and engage with them more effectively. It felt scary to do that, at first. I had this presumption that people didn’t WANT this kind of engagement. Especially men. But I soon discovered that the truth is soooooo much the opposite. People crave this kind of engagement. So it’s not difficult to get that from people. It just takes some initial bravery to break the ice and ensure people you are a safe space for them.

I swear by what Marshall was trying to do here.

And I encourage ANYONE to hit me up about this stuff. If there’s something I love talking about, it’s human communication.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Learning to not overthink my creative decisions to death.

It’s made me a much more assertive person in every aspect of my life. It’s improved my personal relationships handily, as well as my ability to navigate any given situation.

I come into almost every experience with much firmer footing. I doubt any job would’ve allowed me to develop this as much. Maybe I’m just not built to do much else… and to that end I’m very lucky.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://firesightfilms.com
• Instagram: @matt.firesight