Life & Work with Matthew Tarutis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Tarutis.

Hi Matthew, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was kicked out at 18. There wasn’t much hope so I joined the Navy where I tried to be a Navy SEAL. During that training pipeline, my lung collapsed and I was sent to work on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. I spent most my free time writing, so when I got out of the military in 2014, I decided to pursue writing in college. I got accepted into Loyola Marymount University and graduated in 2019. A week after graduation, I got a job working for Tyra Banks as an executive assistant. After a short five weeks, I was promoted to overseeing and developing the entire creative side to her ModelLand. In 2020, I also helped write and produce two television shows that were shown on the FYI network, “Hollywood Disclosure” and “Dream Life”. I continue to spend most of my time writing. I’m currently working on a five songs album in my free time.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Primarily financial. I never had any help or handouts since I was 18. I never had financial support. EVER. That’s primarily the root. Due to that, I had to join the military to pay for school. I had to work and intern full time while taking full-time classes. Also, I never really had a home, so I always had to depend on myself for housing and food, which at times wasn’t possible. Furthermore, I’m new to the industry, let lone LA, so I had to bust my ass and stand out before anyone to even be considered for everything. This industry is very much “who you know”, so I had to work around and through that.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I write. This ranges from film to television, blogs to press releases, music to poetry. I also help brands and individuals create content, ranging from photography to captions. I’ve probably done it all at this point. I specialize in helping others and myself get their stories out in organic and edible pieces. I’d say I’m known for writing and developing the majority of the story and script behind Tyra’s ModelLand. That’s also what I’m most proud of. What sets me apart is my range. I don’t pigeonhole myself into one genre or discipline. I look at writing from a holistic point of view and believe I can only get better if I do it all.

How do you think about luck?
I always thought I had bad luck because anything bad that could have happened to me happened to me. But now, I look at it all as blessings. Due to those experiences, I have so much more to pull from in developing stories and writing. I actually love strings of bad luck. It motivates me to bust my ass and not let the world win one on me.

Contact Info:

• Email: tarutis.management@gmail.com
• Website: www.matthewbtarutis.com
• Instagram: Instarutis