Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maty Young. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Maty thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Absolutely, without a doubt. When I look back, I can’t help but think I should have jumped into the creative world much sooner. The whole education landscape, especially when it comes to creativity, has undergone a complete revolution, all thanks to the internet and online learning.

Let me lay it out for you: you don’t need to take the traditional path of enrolling in a fancy film school to become a master of your craft. Sure, film schools can introduce you to some valuable connections, but here’s the twist – I took a different route and attended a music conservatory, which might sound a bit unconventional.

But let me tell you, my perspective is shaped by the school of hard knocks. I experienced a rapid growth spurt in the music scene, and I can’t help but wonder how much further I could have come if I had embraced my creative side earlier.

Let’s keep it real, though. Some of my musician buddies had incredible talent, on par with the jazz legends I idolized. For them, formal education wasn’t a make-or-break factor, but that conservatory experience did open doors and connect them with the right people, kickstarting their creative careers.

Now, the whole debate on this topic is a bit of a gray area. Some of the most captivating actors I’ve worked with didn’t have formal diplomas, while others combined their innate talent with ongoing lessons. But here’s the bottom line, whether you’re painting, acting, or making movies: it’s all about diving in, leveraging what you know, and staying committed. Progress is the name of the game, and it thrives on your dedication.

My journey to becoming a filmmaking aficionado? It’s all about the internet and the digital smorgasbord it offers. I’ve been leveling up by devouring new skills and putting them into action. Each project serves as a personal challenge, pushing me to take ownership of my growth.

Do-it-yourself online learning? That’s my secret sauce. As long as you take charge and actively apply what you’ve learned, you can make astounding progress, often leaving yourself pleasantly surprised. The big secret? Keep at it and stick to the “just make, just film” mantra.

The web is overflowing with tutorials, courses, and forums that are like treasure troves of knowledge, waiting for anyone with an internet connection. This accessibility democratizes education and creativity, making it accessible to practically everyone. Through these online platforms, I’ve mastered the intricacies of filmmaking, even conquering aspects that once seemed daunting.

But the real magic? It happens when you turn theory into practice. That’s when your knowledge solidifies. By consistently applying what you’ve learned in your own projects, you not only improve but also develop your unique creative style.

In a nutshell, the internet and online learning have flung open the doors to self-improvement. You don’t have to be tethered to formal institutions; the power lies squarely with you. Sure, conservatories and film schools can fast-track your journey, but the real secret sauce is your own hustle, relentless practice, and an unquenchable passion for creating. The creative world is always evolving, and your journey is uniquely yours. Success? That’s born from your own tenacity, unwavering dedication, and that burning desire to “just make, just film.” Looking back, I wish I had started my creative journey sooner, knowing that I could have learned it all online whenever I wanted.

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

So, let me give you the lowdown. Back in my early teens, I was juggling two passions: acting and music. Yeah, I was going for that triple threat vibe, although I missed out on dance classes, so maybe it’s more like a double threat?

I hail from Australia, and that’s where it all started. I headed to a local conservatory, which the cool cats call WAAPA (short for The West Australian Academy of Performing Arts), to dive into the world of music. I was all about jazz performance, and believe it or not, I was a jazz pianist at one point in my life. But here’s the kicker – I kept my acting mojo alive on the side, rubbing shoulders with some of the country’s finest young performers who were part of the acting program at the same conservatory.

I stuck to this career path as I got older, and I started gigging and performing pretty much full-time, both in the theater and the music scene. Then, I set up a nifty home studio, which gave me the means to record voice demos for both myself and my wife. After some brainstorming sessions, we figured we could offer this service to our fellow pros, and voila, Young One Studio was born.

But let’s rewind a bit. My journey in acting kicked off around age 14 when I hit the stage. Soon after, I got signed by an agent who kept me busy with commercial TV gigs. In my downtime, I dabbled in student short films, indie projects, and low or no-pay narrative productions to beef up my portfolio and get more screen time.

Most of those early projects were, well, just okay. They often lacked something – whether it was direction, cinematography, audio (always a biggie), or a snappy turnaround time. Then, one day, it hit me like a ton of bricks: why not buy my own entry-level camera and start making my own content? Mind you, that content shall forever remain hidden in the depths of my hard drive.

As I improved, I invested in better gear, and the business shifted from voice demos to acting demos. Oh, and I should mention that this company is a husband-and-wife operation. My awesome partner has been there every step of the way. She’s a creator, an incredible actor, and a motion capture whiz.

Now, having the chance to create entire scenes from scratch – from writing and directing to editing and sound design – I found this to be an incredibly fulfilling experience as a performer. It gave me much more creative freedom and expression throughout the entire process. I had complete control, and I was loving it. Around the same time, I was also working as a director for a Melbourne-based theater company while still acting. The timing couldn’t have been better. Writing, directing in theater, directing hundreds of actors through their voice demos, and now overseeing every aspect of individual scenes – it all naturally led to creating narrative film content.

Before I wrap up, I want to give a shoutout to everyone who has supported our business and helped us achieve several personal milestones. We’re talking multiple best actor awards, being the cinematographer for a feature film airing on HBO Max, and screening films and winning awards for best director and cinematographer at some pretty impressive festivals like the New York Film Festival, Paris Cinema Festival, and Outfest LA, to name a few.

So, let me break it down for you. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves, and we’re pretty darn good at them. First off, we started by cooking up some seriously affordable demo reel scenes for actors. We’re talking 100 scenes, from the writing stage to directing, filming, and editing – we’ve got it down pat. But that’s just the beginning of the story.

Then we dipped our toes into the world of music videos, and let me tell you, things really took off when we made the move to LA. With a treasure trove of standing sets to choose from and a burst of creativity, our production values skyrocketed overnight.

But we don’t stop there. We’re all about short films, in pretty much any genre, and we can usually work with most budgets. These little gems tend to grab awards left and right – from writing to directing, cinematography to original score. We even took a big leap in 2020 and filmed our first feature, written and directed by yours truly over in West Hollywood. And guess what? It sold to HBO – a wild ride, to say the least.

Now, we’ve got several films making the rounds at festivals, and one in particular, ‘The Outfit,’ is racking up over 30 awards and still going strong!

What’s our secret sauce? Well, besides our super affordable prices, it’s the fact that my wife and I run the show for the most part. Sure, we bring in the big guns when needed, but we’ve learned the ropes of almost every aspect of filmmaking between the two of us. It’s a bit stressful, I won’t lie, but it keeps the costs down and our clients grinning from ear to ear.

One thing that really sets us apart right now, apart from our wallet-friendly rates, is our lightning-fast turnaround. When folks ask us, “How long will it take to get this to me?” and we casually reply, “Within the week,” they often look like they’ve seen a unicorn. You see, my wife and I put in the late nights to get those edits done, and keeping everything in-house means we can move at warp speed.

As for our brand, well, the awards are doing the talking for us at the moment. It’s a bit of a game, you know? The more narrative projects we tackle, the more awards we want to see rolling in. It’s not all about the laurels, but they sure do catch the eye of potential clients. And with more awards come bigger budgets, top-notch actors, and crews itching to work with us because they know we deliver the goods.

Now, personally, I’ve got a soft spot for creating those demo reel scenes. I get to dabble in any genre, craft these little cinematic gems out of thin air, light ’em up, film ’em, edit ’em, and boom – we’ve got a finished product in a matter of days. It’s like a creative whirlwind, and I love it.

On a grander scale, we’re on the hunt for killer scripts. We’re all about the story, and sometimes we get caught up in filming anything that comes our way just for the paycheck. But we’re shifting gears, aiming to find scripts that truly blow us away. If we stumble upon one of those, the budget isn’t the be-all and end-all. We’re moving from “if it pays, we’ll film it” to “wow, this script is amazing, let’s make movie magic together.”

Right now, we’ve got a couple of films making the festival circuits and cleaning up with awards.

And here’s the cherry on top: we had a major win when we filmed the feature film “Single Mother by Choice” by Two Hands Productions. It’s now gracing the screens of HBO Max and even had its moment in the spotlight at Festival de Cannes. The second SAG feature we DP’d is landing in 2024.

Now, let’s talk challenges. Looking back, would I describe the journey as relatively smooth? Well, it was fairly smooth, but there were some hurdles along the way.

On a personal level, one of the biggest challenges, although it felt like a natural progression, was learning how to become a cinematographer without any formal training. I’m a tech enthusiast, so I embraced the world of codecs, lens lengths, framing, lighting, and more. My love for technology helped drive this, and the growing business was the payoff. These days, I’m diving into recommended texts on writing, cinematography, and directing, and it’s fascinating to see that I’ve naturally picked up a lot of what those books have to offer just by constantly doing it over the last few years. It’s all about gathering information in any way you can and applying it continuously.

The biggest business challenge was navigating a flooded market and finding our place within it. With digital technology and cameras becoming smaller and more affordable every day, it felt like everyone and their dog could create stunning media with their new mirrorless camera or smartphone. My advice? Know your gear inside out, stay on top of new technology, and always strive to offer a better product than your competitors within your price range. You can’t compete with someone down the street rocking a million dollars’ worth of equipment and a $70,000 camera rig. Work with peers at your own level of expertise, and you’ll gradually work your way up. There will always be people around you who are better, so if you’re lucky enough to have them on one of your projects, soak up their knowledge like a sponge. And get used to sleepless nights – no kidding.

Building a strong network when the business was just starting was incredibly helpful. My wife and I were constantly collaborating with performers and actors who needed new media, starting with voice demo reels. This later evolved into demo scenes, creating a steady rotation of clients that allowed the business to grow.

When we shifted to demo reels and narrative work, there were numerous small wins along the way that boosted our confidence and made us think, “Hey, this might actually work.” We picked up awards here and there, received plenty of positive reviews, and developed a solid word-of-mouth reputation. Coming from a performance background, my ability to direct and connect with actors as “one of them” gave us an edge over the competition. That, and my incredibly supportive wife, who’s just as skilled across the board as I am – although I do have the upper hand when it comes to lugging around heavy cinema cameras all day.

Another challenge worth mentioning is keeping up with tech. The pace of technological advancement in the cinema world is mind-boggling. While people talk about smartphone cameras getting better each year, cinema camera sensors and lenses improve every six months, audio tech every four months, lighting tech every two months, and post-production software every month. Staying on top of it all is a constant challenge. You have to make it fun, or at least find someone who enjoys it and can help you out. In our fast-paced digital movie world, knowing your tech is vital. As a filmmaker or content creator, acting classes – even if you’re not an actor – are a must. Then, research, research, research. Use YouTube, explore forums, read books – it doesn’t matter how you gather information, just keep learning. Finally, get out there and put your knowledge into action. These days, every filmmaker I meet can seamlessly switch between

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Not a big fan and think they’re a scam. You’ve probably heard that they’re the future of everything, from art to gaming. NFTs were in a bubble that’s already burst. One of the big gripes with NFTs is that they lack the good old intrinsic value. Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum that have some digital heft, NFTs are like fancy digital certificates saying, “Hey, you own this digital or physical thing.” But here’s the kicker – owning an NFT doesn’t mean you can actually do anything with the thing you supposedly own. It’s like having a certificate saying you own a piece of the moon – cool, but can you build a moon base? Nope. It’s like owning a piece of stock footage that has absolutely no narrative value ina single project you make. Speculation Frenzy

NFTs have whipped up a frenzy, rivaling the dot-com bubble and the housing market craze. Prices for these digital tokens have shot through the roof, with some pieces of digital art selling for jaw-dropping amounts. It’s like a digital gold rush, where folks are buying NFTs not because they love the art or the collectibles, but because they’re hoping to flip them for a quick buck. Such wild speculation often leads to epic market crashes and for me it’s akin to gambling, something I’m a very big advocate against.

The NFT world is like the Wild West, with little to no regulation. That’s a magnet for shady characters looking to scam unsuspecting investors. Fake NFT projects, stolen art, and deceptive marketing tactics are all too common. When you get scammed in the NFT world, there’s often no one to turn to for help, thanks to the lack of regulatory oversight. It’s a breeding ground for scams, and it’s hard to trust what you see.

NFTs have an environmental footprint, and it’s not a small one. Most NFTs are built on blockchains like Ethereum, which use energy-hungry proof-of-work systems. Mining for these blockchains gobbles up electricity like there’s no tomorrow, contributing to carbon emissions and climate change. As the NFT market grows, so does its carbon footprint, raising serious ethical and environmental questions. Young One Studio tries to be as neutral and green as physically possible by using only the crew and equipment needed for the exact project given.

Many NFTs don’t do much beyond looking pretty or bragging rights. Sure, some say NFTs can grant you access to exclusive content or experiences, but in reality, most NFTs end up gathering dust in digital wallets. They’re more like digital trophies than useful assets, leaving us wondering if they’re worth the hype.

The legal side of NFTs is still a shit show. Copyright, intellectual property, and ownership disputes are a dime a dozen in the NFT world. Until clear legal rules are set, owning NFTs can be a bit like tiptoeing through a legal minefield. It’s not something we want to invite into our lives and tie into the Studio.

NFTs might have sparked a frenzy and been hailed as the digital ownership saviors, but that’s not a kool-aid we want to drink. The lack of real value, speculation, regulation issues, environmental concerns, limited utility, and legal uncertainties all cast a gambling, illegal, shady environment shadow that we dont want any part of. If you’re thinking about diving into the NFT pool, just don’t. Right now, the NFT scene is a high-risk, high-reward game, where scams and uncertainties are waiting to get you.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Growing up in a family marked by erratic business ventures and emotional turbulence, I found solace and purpose in the world of creativity. My childhood was characterized by instability, but it was amidst the madness that I discovered my true calling. Through music and theater, I embarked on a lifelong journey of artistic expression, seeking answers to the questions that had always eluded my family—questions like “but why?”

At the age of five, I began private music lessons, opening the door to a world where emotions could flow freely, and creativity had no bounds. By the time I turned twelve, I was performing theatrically on stage, and it was in the spotlight that I realized the power of escapism, emotional honesty, and the lasting connection one can find through the arts.

Reflecting on my creative path as an adult, I recognize a fundamental difference between my career choices and those of my family. For me, the phrase “but why?” became a driving force. I wanted to understand the aggression, the reckless choices, and the emotional chaos that had surrounded me. While my family rarely asked questions or engaged in meaningful conversations, I saw the arts as a platform to explore these complexities.

Being the first creative in my family came with its challenges. There was little understanding or genuine interest in my career pursuits. However, it also meant that I was the first to attend college, the first to pursue a career in the arts, and the first to break free from the cycle of volatility and communication barriers that had plagued my family.

This realization serves as a constant reminder, propelling me deeper into the creative careers I love and the spaces where I truly belong and connect. It fuels my determination to create something meaningful and to provide a different narrative for future generations.

While pursuing my creative passions, I stumbled upon the opportunity to be my own boss. As my production business grew, I discovered that I could lead a sustainable life supported by the arts—a goal I had always aspired to but never had the support to realize.

At 36, I have accumulated a wealth of experience and accolades. With over 18 years of live theatrical performances, numerous acting credits, and roles as a co-writer and director in the Perth and Melbourne theater scenes, my journey has been shaped by live audiences and collaborations with inspiring performers.

I have a strong opinion about acting classes and courses, often viewing them as mechanisms that perpetuate self-doubt. While I believe that hands-on experience on stage is the best teacher, I have also worked with performers from prestigious institutions like WAAPA, NIDA, and VCA, acknowledging the value of formal training when combined with practical experience.

Today, I cherish the irony of running a business that is worlds apart from the turbulent past of my family. While I may be an entrepreneur like my relatives, the essence of my business is rooted in genuine expression, passion, and honesty. It allows me to ask the question “but why?” and create work that matters—a testament to the enduring power of creativity in the face of chaos.

My journey from chaos to clarity has been a testament to the transformative power of the arts. It is a reminder that creativity can heal, inspire, and provide answers to life’s most pressing questions. Through music, theater, and entrepreneurship, I have found my true purpose—a life driven by genuine expression and the unwavering belief that the arts can change lives and break cycles.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.youngonestudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/youngonestudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngonestudio/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/matyjyoung
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOSdiNo4ns5o09WacOwfPzg

Image Credits
All images are the exclusive property of Young One Studio and are protected by copyright law.