From Football to Filmmaking: Matthew Cherry Plays The Game To Win

When a certain name regularly pops up in your Twitter feed take notice. It may not be a spammer, but a tenacious up and coming film director creating major buzz for him or herself and their work. That was the case for former NFL rookie turned film director, Matthew A. Cherry. Thanks to his "e-hustle" and passion for filmmaking he gained my attention and my follow over a year ago on the social platform. Since then his online and offline game has earned much attention in indy filmmaking circles and thousands of engaged followers anticipating his new film, "The Last Fall."

So why is Matthew A. Cherry worth following online and off? Because he's done what many come to Hollywood to do but fail, and that's make it happen!  How else do you explain his major career change from NFL rookie to filmmaker and his self promotion from tv production assistant to film director sans film school and a lot of money?

While on his way to probably Starbucks, his favorite writing spot, I talked with Cherry via cell about his career play book and his newest project, "The Last Fall." It stars a stellar cast including Lance Gross, Nicole Beharie, Keith David, and Vanessa Bell Calloway and is based on Cherry's NFL experiences. Not bad for a Hollywood up and comer, huh? And yeah, he wrote it too!

So take a few minutes and really LISTEN to this interview as scenes and images from "The Last Fall's" production scroll by. You'll learn why and how getting a film done in Hollywood ain't about the traditional studios anymore. Hear too how Cherry has combined the old notion of hard work with new technologies to establish himself and his work as definitely one to follow in the years ahead.

Posted in: actors,actresses,African-American film,FILM,filmmaker,Matthew A. Cherry,The Last Fall