Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Solomon, Best-Selling Author, International Speaker, Integrated Leadership Consultant.
Hi Matthew, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised near West Hollywood and had the amazing experience of having grown up in what people have called the melting pot. This helped to shape my view of the world and recognize many of the inequities that exist based on race, religion, gender, class, and more.
I attended John Burroughs Junior High, Fairfax High, and then went on to the University of Southern California where I was a Studio/Jazz Guitar major. While there, I took a Sociology class that blew my mind. This was during the early 1990s and I was literally learning about institutional racism at the same time as the Rodney King Beating, LA Riots, and OJ Simpson trial. I left school to be a rock star, played all the big clubs in LA, found my way into writing and directing films, and merged my experiences of bringing people together for projects–along with my passion for developing relationship and mediation skills–and started a consulting business delivering programs on conflict resolution and partnership building. I had been traveling a lot up until March 2020 and then everything stopped. My mom passed away in March and my uncle (my dad’s brother) died from COVID five days later. I moved my kids and me in with my dad and then had to figure out what to do as everything shut down. Then George Floyd was killed and the protests followed. I decided to go back to school at that point and complete my bachelor’s degree.
Then, I went into a Master’s in Public Administration program so that I could better position myself to support positive social change. While at Claremont Lincoln University, I applied my coursework to the issues of policing, incarceration, and homelessness. My final project for my MPA program was a documentary film entitled “Reimagining Safety,” which not only addresses the problems with policing and incarceration but also illustrated practical and actionable solutions that would provide real safety for everyone. This film, which includes interviews with LA County District Attorney George Gascón, Black Lives Matter New York Co-Founder Hawk Newsome, and several academics, activists, and mental health professionals is already gaining support from various organizations and will be officially premiering at the San Pedro International Film Festival on February 3rd.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It is interesting contemplating the challenges given the last three years. As far as challenges with my work, I think that flexibility and adaptability are key. Being able to reinvent oneself is also an important ability to have moving forward. I have three teenagers and have many conversations with them about having goals while also being able to accept that certain things may not work out exactly how they would like them to–but that is ok and you just have to keep moving. Regarding the documentary, the biggest challenges have been time and the fact that I have been mostly a one-man-band when it came to making the film happen. I reached out for interviews, filmed the interviews, recorded sound, and then edited everything. The next challenge is getting the word out and making sure that this project is accessible so that changes can be made to ensure safety for everyone–especially those who have been most negatively impacted by the carceral system.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work includes several components. First and foremost, I am an artist. I have a talent for writing and telling stories and the ability to present those in written and visual (movie) form. I also have a talent for listening to people in ways that have them feel heard, understood, and valued. When people can connect at that level, much of our resistance falls away and love becomes present. “Love” meaning affinity, connection, and recognizing that we are all in this together. So when I look at my work, even though I facilitate conflict resolution and partnership building as a consultant and can make movies and write books and magazine articles, at the core of everything is a desire for people to connect at a deep, soul level—and to choose to take care of one another.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I like learning, I like connecting, and I really like Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, and A Tribe Called Quest. I also like eating good burgers–I am so glad Irv’s opened back up. I dislike rude and mean people and when they don’t give the “thank you” wave when you let them merge on the freeway.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MatthewSolomonConsulting.
com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattytheglue
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthewsolomonfilms
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachwithmatthewsolomon/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mattytheglue
- Other: https://www.ReimginingSafetyMovie.com
Image Credits
Personal photo credit is Jordan Ancel
