Matt was raised in a  wonderful family with  parents who had very eclectic taste.  Even before he could read, Matt’s parents exposed him to a broad range of storytelling influences, from original-text fairy tales to schlocky Z-grade movies of all genres, from Star Wars to PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre.
When Matt was eight-years-old, his youngest brother Christopher was diagnosed with Autism.  This diagnosis had a profound effect on Matt’s family (seeking treatment caused them to relocate several times) and also on Matt’s growing passion for storytelling.  As is common for children afflicted with Autism, Matt’s brother Christopher was obsessed with watching the same movies over and over again.  Just to name a few, the movies Hook, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Back to the Future were playing on an endless rotation.  In an effort to try and connect with his distant brother, Matt thought to dissect the plots of each to see if perhaps there could be some common themes.  It was in doing so that Matt learned about traditional story structure, characters arcs and the theories of Joseph Campbell.  Matt’s was able to use this knowledge to find other things his brother might enjoy.  Sharing them with him, Christopher was coming out of his shell and Matt was on a new journey of his own.

While studying film in college, Matt became friends with a fellow undergraduate named Frank.  Frank wanted to use his screenwriting degree to break into the world of comic books.  Matt learned how to read using his father’s old Conan & Flash comic books, so he considered himself a lifelong fan of the medium.  After speaking with Frank, Matt could never shake the idea that maybe that was what he wanted to do too.

Several years later, Matt works as a writer for a marketing company on Long Island, NY.  He lives in Suffolk County with his wife Nicole. You can follow him on Twitter here.