Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Torres.
Hi Matthew, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve loved Horror and Folktales ever since I was a kid. Jurassic Park was the first movie I ever saw in theaters, and I was hooked. At home, my mom and dad would tell me stories from their child hood (My mom is from Mexico, my dad is from Puerto Rico). They’d talk about all the monsters and folktales and I grew up loving that. I was also lucky enough to grow up in the Disney Golden Age of Aladdin, beauty and the Beast, and more- all based on folktales. Growing up I remember I telling my teacher, “I want to be a story teller”, having no idea how that could be a job, but knowing thats what I wanted to do. 30 years later, covid hits, I lose my job, and my wife says now is the time to go for it and chase my dreams. So I put in the effort, I made my videos, I researched and learned as much as I could, and now, four years later, I have half-a million followers across multiple social media platforms and its my full time job. Its led me to opportunities for great things like starring in a movie, writing a comic book AND a novel, as well as consulting and pitching movies to studios. I’m not exactly where I want to be just yet, but I do love where I am, and if little Matt could see me now, I’m sure he’d be happy I made telling stories a job.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d like to say the road is there-it’s long, but it’s there. And that road leads to a city of opportunities, but there’s going to be bumps in the road, and there’s going to be traffic and when you want to go, you can’t, and when you want to stop, you won’t be able to. Me? I took the scenic route- I took the route that let me be a present father and husband, and I drive the road that doesn’t ever make me feel like I’m composing my values. There’s a toll booth where the currency is morals and self-respect, and some people gladly give that away to get to where they want to go quicker. Me? I couldn’t if I wanted to, and I certainly don’t want to. In this business, you have to lie to your audience to stay on the good side of studios, and I can’t do that- won’t do that. To be in this business, you have to make friends with other influencers who are outright awful people- and once again, I refuse to do that. Would my career be bigger if I did? Absolutely. But I refuse to ever compromise my morals to be in this industry, and it’s not an easy road to take-its filled with pot holes and people shouting at you and you sometimes look outside across the road and see everyone having fun- and you just got stick to your path. If thats too metaphorical, I apologize, but explaining it any other way will end up with me standing up and shouting, “99% OF INFLUENCERS ARE AWFUL PEOPLE!”
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a content creator who specializes in telling educational history about Latin America, Latin American Folklore, Aztec Mythology, Horror movies/shows, and more. I am probably the biggest creator in the world who focuses on Aztec Mythology, and it’s something I’m very proud of. What sets me a part from others is A) you always see my face, B) I make sure to make you laugh, and C) No one knows half as much as I do about the stuff I love. It’s not me being cocky, it’s me being true. I am a huge nerd and I know a lot, and it’s because I read and read and read.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m an eclectic nerd. I love anime, NPR, musicals, heavy metal, country music, Star Wars, Stark trek, video games, historical documentaries, cheesy romance hallmark movies, photography, French New Wave, Film Noir Detective, Twilight Zone, Disney movies, random facts about 18th and 19th century authors, Shakespeare, and- pretty much everything. I’m the kind of guy who can to a Convention and name the source of every single person’s costume/cosplay.
Contact Info:
- Website: storytimeguybiz@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thestorytimeguy
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/thestorytimeguy
- Youtube: thestorytimeguy
