NYC Based theatrical director, filmmaker & Photographer

mattsimpkins.net
mattsimpkinsfilm.com
mattsimpkinsphotography.com

New York City based Award-Winning Director, Filmmaker + Photographer, Matt has been involved in the visual and performing arts his entire life. Moving to NYC for a career as a professional union performer, he later expanded from the stage to explore and create visual-driven storytelling within film + photography.  

As an AEA performer he was seen in National Tours of Beauty and the Beast (Lefou), Camelot, Sound of Music and regionally at Sacramento Music Circus, North Shore Music Theatre, Fulton Theatre, North Carolina Theatre, Fireside Theatre + others.

Theatrically, Matt now currently works as a director bringing his experience with visual aesthetics, technology, choreography + a life-long performing background to collaborate with artists bringing unique re-imaginings to audiences. Matt approaches the stage like a film frame - filling it visually while sculpting and shaping the audiences’ eye to focus on the intimate moments between character and audience. 

If it was his childhood imagination that launched him into the theatrical performing world, it was his life-long interest for travel + photography that developed into his filmmaking career. Matt’s award-winning work as a filmmaker + cinematographer can be seen on HBO Max with the feature documentary UPROOTED: THE JOURNEY OF JAZZ DANCE, Netflix Türkiye + Netflix MENA Region with GOLDEN OPULENCE and Amazon Prime with FREE and EARLY MOURNING. He has worked films all over the US as well as in the UK, Canada, France, Italy + Türkiye. Matt has worked on dozens of films featured at international and domestic film festivals thru On The Rocks Films, where he serves as a co-founder + creative director. He currently still photographs portraits, headshots, interior/architectural clients, travel landscapes and shoots out of his Brooklyn photography studio. 

@mattsimpkins_nyc + www.mattsimpkins.net