Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Matthew.
Hi Jacob, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
January, 1st 2021
Sitting on my parent’s couch, with stale Christmas cookie crumbles on the coffee table, I turn on the TV to see that Netflix has dropped its New Year’s Day documentary: Less Is Now … Produced by me.
I had dreamed of this moment for years: the moment when I would make a movie that millions of people actually saw. Coming up in the industry as a young 20s kid from south Philly, I would try to convince myself and others that this dream was possible. I shared my vision with fellow bartenders. I told my friends about my concepts. I spent hours convincing my parents that starting a film company was a decision I came to without the nudge of mind-altering drugs. And now, the moment I had worked my ass off for five years had come.
Why wasn’t I excited?
18 Months Earlier
We were so excited about our new website. For the first time, it felt like we weren’t two kids asking the industry “adults” for money. We were a real company.
Chris Newhard (now Executive Director of Booklight Film Co.) and I had just started working together. Chris was a seasoned DP in the Philadelphia area and I was an overconfident kid who convinced him I could build him a company while traveling the world in my 1969 Argosy Airstream Trailer.
Regardless, we had done enough to convince a few clients we could make them some great work, and we followed through on that promise. Soon, the bigger clients started to roll in and so did the required travel. In 2019, Chris and I flew all over the United States building our company and stretching our Philly roots as far as Sydney, Australia for a project. Our mission was simple: build a full-service production company that had the feel of a luxury car. Directors, clients, producers, and financiers could hop into the self-driving filmmaking machine we’d built and ride it to their destination–namely, a finished film that fulfilled their brief.
Our clients were getting where they wanted to go, and our work kept getting better with each project. The car was made for the roads we traveled and kept arriving at the desired destination. Essentially, the plan was working.
The Text That Got Us Netflix
Long before my time working with Chris, he partnered with filmmaker Matt D’Avella. For years, Matt and Chris were best buds, gallivanting around New Jersey and Philadelphia filming weddings and customer testimonials for tech companies.
After honing his craft, Matt D’Avella decided to leave the east coast and head to LA to become a Minimalist YouTuber. Long story short… it worked. As of this writing, Matt has over 3.2 million subscribers, two successful documentary films and the best biceps in the entire internet space.
On his rise to YouTube success, Matt became quick friends with The Minimalists: Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. They had already made one feature documentary film together called Minimalism. They made the film independently; later to be acquired by Netflix. A few short years down the road, Netflix realized they wanted more Minimalism content. This led Matt, Joshua, and Ryan to begin the ideation process for what would become Less Is Now. However, in order to up their game from an indie doc that went viral to a Netflix Original Documentary, they needed a trusted, full-service film company to get the job done.
Thank god we got that website made.
Joshua and Ryan liked our work, and Matt already trusted Chris. So, Matt texted Chris to see if we were up to the task of helping them produce a proper Netflix Documentary Film from Pre-Pro and Production all the way through Color Correction and Delivery.
Chris and I had never done anything of that scale before, nor did we know what went into delivering a film to any formal distributor, let alone Netflix. However, we both knew that this was one of those moments when someone opens a door and asks you to step through into the intimidating unknown.
With our text back to Matt, we took our first step: “No problem. When do you need us to start?”
Making The Film
Next thing I knew, Chris and I were on a plane to Los Angeles to begin filming Less Is Now. For six months we worked our asses off trying to make a piece of a documentary film that felt unique to the stories of Joshua and Ryan and separate from other films in the genre.
Myself and fellow Producer Tim Frazier, worked alongside each other to book locations, book crew, organize shot lists, and fit together every piece of the puzzle Matt wanted. Tim was an experienced commercial producer, and this was my first large-scale project. I remember on the flight to LA feeling intimidated by all of the veteran filmmakers I was heading out to work with. Who am I to call myself a producer? Will any of the crew respect my leadership? Do I deserve to be here?
At that moment, I realized that I had the opportunity, right there on the plane, to choose what kind of producer and leader I wanted to be. Because I had never done something of this scale before, I had the freeing ability to start fresh. I wanted to be confident and teachable. Confident because regardless of my experience I knew that the teams under me needed clear and decisive leadership. Teachable because it takes a great leader to accept feedback and adapt your practices when your team needs you to.
Our plane landed, we got in our Uber and headed to set. My nerves bubbled up as I waited to walk onto set, as a Producer, alongside a full crew of experienced Los Angeles filmmakers. However, the second we stepped out of that car and onto set my nerves subsided. Why? Because upon meeting every single crew member I had the same realization: they were just people. They were kind and hard-working individuals who all wanted the same thing: to make a great film.
A Worldwide Curveball and Not Giving A Sh*t
Six months of on-and-off shooting had passed and we were almost done filming. All we needed was a few final pick-up interviews and the documentary would be done. Unfortunately, that was right when we got the news that shook the whole world: COVID-19 was shutting down all travel and film sets.
What? Are you kidding me? Our one chance to make a film with Netflix, and all of our work halts due to something entirely outside of our control? Well, this is annoying, but to be honest, Chris, Matt and I are all from Philly and we don’t give a sh*t. We are gonna finish this movie.
So that’s what we did. We found innovative solutions for filming our interview subjects and accepted the limitations we had as creative choices to adapt to. Once the filming was done, we transparently asked Netflix’s post team to provide us with as many resources as they could to finish the film per their standards and practices.
Our team devoured the content, filled out every form Netflix required, asked questions when we were confused and worked our hardest to deliver a high-end product worthy of the Netflix brand.
During one meeting, a Netflix post-production executive told us we were one of the best companies he had ever worked with. In my shocked disbelief, I uttered: “That can’t be true. I know the companies you’ve worked with, and I know they are better, more experienced than we are…”
He responded, “Exactly. They think they know everything and you know that you don’t. That’s why it is so nice to work with you.”
Hmm… it’s almost like staying humble and hungry can help young filmmakers. Who would’ve thought?
Regardless, 18 months later… there I am. Sitting on my parent’s couch, stale Christmas cookies in hand, finally turning on the television to see the film we worked so hard on, live on Netflix.
Why Wasn’t I Excited?
Like so many other up-and-coming filmmakers, I’ve spent hours thinking about what it would be like to become a “real” filmmaker. I envisioned this invisible, philosophical line that I had to cross, this moment when all of the sudden I would look around and realize I had “made it.” Why then, while sitting with my family and friends, seeing my documentary trending on Netflix, did I still not feel that sensation I’d been chasing for so long?
Then it hit me… the moment I’m looking for already happened.
It happened when we put up our website. It happened when we got our first client. It happened when we got that text from Matt. It happened when we flew to LA to begin filming. It happened when I made the choice to be the leader I wanted to be. It happened when COVID struck and we had to figure out how to finish the film on budget. It happened when we taught ourselves how to deliver the IMF file to Netflix. It happened when we re-watched the film 10 times to make sure it didn’t have any mistakes. It happened every moment of every day for the past five years.
We all make the mistake of thinking that the term “filmmaker” is a noun, a title to be achieved. We are wrong. A filmmaker is a verb.
We film-make every day that we wake up and decide to do something that moves our film forward. We film-make every day we look in the mirror and tell ourselves we are on the right path. We film-make every time we encounter an obstacle in our way and choose to get creative.
I didn’t need to be excited to watch my film on Netflix because I lived the experience of filmmaking. I endured and enjoyed five years of filmmaking as a verb, all the while thinking I was chasing a noun, a title: filmmaker. I already lived out the film and battled my way through the most exciting thing I had ever done…all without realizing the entire process was exactly what I’d been chasing.
What now?
Today, I live in the Arts District of DTLA and spend my time making films with my friends. We are in the development of over seven different films, are working with major film executives, and are collaborating with the larger agencies (WME, AGI, etc.).
However, I no longer work towards the goal of any one destination. I simply wake up every day and focus on enjoying the process. My dream isn’t people knowing who I am or seeing my name on a screen. My dream is simply living my days out as a filmmaker who does what he loves with the people that he loves.
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?
Filmmaking is never a smooth road.
All filmmakers walk into the storm of creating long from film content with the same understanding: that making this movie is essentially impossible.
To make a film you have to do the following: Create an Unbelievable script and deck, get great talent interested and attached to the project, and attach an excellent director, all in the hopes that you can get a financier, studio or streamer to buy the project. If you get through these small steps (no big deal), then you have to make the film… and it better be mother f*cking amazing. From Pre-Pro, through Production, all the way to Post and Delivery, making a film is a battle to the end.
Now, imaging doing all of that while being from South Philly, never having gone to film school (or business school), with essentially no connections in the industry at all.
So no, it hasn’t been smooth, but I am grateful for the rocky road. Once you start to really work in the industry, you realize that those of us who got here the hard way are actually the ones making better work. It is important to work through the crucibles of life to get where you want to be.
Why? Because it isn’t about getting anywhere. It is about learning how to get anywhere.
People who come up the hard way learn how to be flexible, mobile, take feedback, remain humble, and also learn how to walk into any room with a healthy pride and real confidence.
Thank god for the hard way.
As you know, we’re big fans of Booklight Film Co. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Booklight is an Emmy Nominated Full Service Film Company and Video Agency. We specialize in Documentaries, Commercials and compelling Narrative Stories, partnering with clients and financiers to create a beautiful and engaging products.
Today, Booklight has two departments: On the client side, we get the wonderful opportunity to producer commercial content with some of the top Tech Brands in the world.
On the original content side, Booklight Film Co. is in development process of multiple feature, series and short-form film projects partnered with the major streamers and agencies.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Spending time with people better than you is one of the most important things a filmmaker, or artist of any kind, can do.
As someone who didn’t go to film school, I can tell you firsthand that art industries are built on mentorship. My growth has come directly from surrounding myself with people who are better than me while knowing that I have value to bring to the table as well.
A lot of young creatives tend to be intimidated by people who are further along than them and I would encourage anyone reading this to set that sh*t aside. You don’t need to be intimidated by anyone because everyone is just another human trying to do great work.
Everyone has strengths and insecurities, even your mentors. In fact, especially your mentors.
Reach out, take the first step and if someone tells you no or doesn’t respond then screw it. Keep on going because if you commit to growth and development in yourself, the right mentors will come along. I promise you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.booklight.co
- Instagram: @jcbmatthew
- Twitter: @jcbmatthew
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GillyandKeeves
- Other: https://gillyandkeeves.tv/
