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

Matthew , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I would have to say when I was taking screenwriting classes in school back in 2012 was when I knew I wanted to pursue a career in filmmaking. However, I didn’t know how to go about it at first because this isn’t an industry that has a blueprint for success.

Matthew , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

So I started off by simply picking up a camera and a drone. I taught myself how to fly a drone and learning that specific skill helped me get hired to work on dozens of music videos, live performances, and studio sessions. I did video work in the music industry for years until I eventually transitioned into filmmaking. I worked so many jobs on set throughout the years and became friends with a lot of the cast and crew members that I worked with.

In 2018, I took a leap of faith and directed my first short film. It wasn’t that good but it was a start and I ended up doing a few more after that. Then, in 2022 I worked on another short film titled “You Promised.” This film did great in festivals and our leading man Justin Miles brought home wins for Best Actor at both Shockfest and Days of the Dead. “You Promised” even ended up getting picked up to be a part of a full length feature anthology. More news on that anthology coming soon!

I’m currently in the process of finishing up production on my latest film “If It Bleeds.” I’m excited to share more news for that project soon.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As an independent filmmaker, you have to pivot and problem solve on the go damn near every day. I think the craziest story of a pivot we had to conquer was during pre-production on “You Promised.” The day before the production, we ended up losing our location which was extremely stressful. I mean my DP and I already storyboarded everything to prep from the original location and I also had actors flying in from out of town so we had to shoot that weekend. We had no chance but to find another place last minute and figure it out on the go. It was a stressful few days but we were able to figure it out. I have to thank my amazing producer Allison Victoria-Wolfe for being able to secure such an amazing location last minute. This just goes to show you that especially in independent low-budget filmmaking; things don’t always go the way you expect. But you can’t ever quit. You have to perservere and figure it out and problem solve on the go.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think just the sacrifices creatives have to make. I feel like most people see your accomplishments but don’t realize how much work actually goes into a project. You can finish watching a short film in less than 20 minutes. But that film could have taken literally months, if not years to finish sometimes. It’s a tedious process and it can also get expensive very fast. There are a lot of factors but the most important thing I feel like for any filmmaker is to surround yourself with a strong cast and crew. It takes a village to complete a film.

Contact Info:

• Website: imdb.me/matthewhersh
• Instagram: matthewhershfilms@gmail.com
• Facebook: Facebook.com/matthewhershfilms
• Youtube: YouTube.com/matthewhershfilms

Image Credits
Rob Tirrell, Albert Ortega, Samuel Gonzalez Jr. & Doug Hawley