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Being an executive producer and studio executive in film comes with a lot of responsibilities. You have to hire the talent for a project, approve the film’s budget, work with producers, and ensure that the project goes smoothly without encountering any financial problems. Matthew Signer is one of the most successful executive producers in the industry. But he didn’t become successful overnight. He started way back in 2003 as a set production assistant on the film Heights. However, he dreamed of having a bigger impact on the decision-making process in film. He turned his sights on becoming a studio executive and eventually, he achieved his goal.
Matt’s Early Career
It took a number of years for Matt to reach the place in his career that he is in today. In fact, after he worked as a production assistant, he became a temporary receptionist at Miramax Films. But like many others who are trying to break into the business, Matt had the determination to get to the top through hard work and determination. He worked many different jobs inside Miramax Films trying everything he could to rise further in the company and get closer to the greenlight process. After working as an assistant in publicity and then development, he became an assistant to the Co-Chairman of the company.
After years of hard work and long hours, Matt’s big break came when he started to lead Dimension Films. After a number of years in an executive role, the company made him the Executive Vice President of Production and Creative Affairs. During his time there, Dimension made many films such as Paddington, Scream 4, 47 Meters Down, Amityville: The Awakening, Scary Movie V, Apollo 18, and others. In addition, Dimension expanded into television with Scream: The TV Series for MTV, The Mist for Spike and Spy Kids: Mission Critical for Netflix.
He said in a recent interview, “Joining Dimension Films was my dream. I had always admired the company immensely. Everyone said that there was a team of hardworking professionals there and that was very true. It was an honor to work with so many experts who made my job easier.”
Matt’s time at Awesomeness Films and Quibi
When he left Dimension Films, Matt was excited about a new challenge. He had been working at one company for 14 years. He found an opportunity with Awesomeness running the Films team. In his short time there, before the company sold, Matt oversaw the films Spontaneous, The Perfect Date and The F-It List.
When they ended the Films team in the sale, Matt signed up to work for Jeffrey Katzenberg’s new mobile streaming service Quibi. Matt said, “I was incredibly excited to work for Jeffrey and learn from all of his expertise. I had a blast there, overseeing 5 great projects for the service.” Matt was responsible for almost half of the scripted slate for launch. He was incredibly disappointed when Quibi didn’t succeed but is looking forward to his next adventure in the film business.
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This content is sponsored by Jim Bevin.
Photo provided by the author.