Meet Matthew Michael Ross | Filmmaker/Actor/Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Michael Ross and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew Michael, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m originally from New York. I moved to LA years ago to pursue acting, music, and filmmaking. I thought I had a pretty easy life growing up but looking back, there was a lot of trauma. I lost my birth father as a baby and my step father as a teen. My mother and my sister have always been strong influences in my life and I think it’s why I tend to write female protagonists in my stories. I understood abuse from an early age, not from anyone in my family, but from those outside. It lead me to be empathetic and always wanting to look deeper into people’s lives, to understand where their pain came from. As an actor I wanted to portray truth. As a musician, I wanted listeners to feel something. And as a filmmaker, I told stories of pain. Look, I’m not the first writer to explore painful subjects, but I was always attracted to stories of redemption and transformation. Who am I today is a good question. I’m still a work in progress, still finding my voice, still wanting to be heard. I’ve spent many years doing independent projects and felt I was on the peripheral of the entertainment industry, but I never let that stop me from creating. I came close to getting attention from the business. I had a film nominated at Cannes. I sold a screenplay pitch for a lot of money. My name appeared in big industry magazines from time to time, pretty rarely though. But nothing ever turned into a job, or a career that I could rely on. So I keep writing and creating. This latest feature of mine, “INVISIBLE” just took the grand prize of best feature at the Marina Del Rey Film Festival. A great festival btw where I met so many talented people. But it’s not Cannes or Sundance, so it doesn’t push me to the next level, one where agents and studios become interested. So today I am a survivor, from my childhood trauma to now the occasional rejection, but I endure, through creativity and a burning desire to create.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Today I call myself a filmmaker, because I’ve spent the last year and a half directing a feature film. It’s a dramatic thriller called “INVISIBLE” and it just premiered at the Marina Del Rey Film Festival, and as I said, it won best feature. But understanding my process will give you insight into who I am. Writing has always been fun for me. As a kid I wrote for my local newspaper. I studied English and Writing at university. But writing screenplays came later for me. I was a piano and guitar player as a kid, playing in bands as a teenager. And I sang. So music was always a part of my life. Later, I had an album on iTunes and played many LA clubs including the famous Whisky. And you’ll come to realize that all those parts of my life came around making this movie.

Acting was a big part of my youth. I went on auditions and booked some parts, nothing too big until the pandemic where I appeared in several commercials including one for the Super Bowl. That was fun. Some years back I started teaching acting to kids and young adults. It was very rewarding and I created a technique which I am writing a book about. Another layer of me, the work in progress.

I learned film and video editing and made a living doing that for years. I even ended up an editor for SONY Pictures and worked on projects with other studios. I learned sound engineering and sound designed and mixed all of my film projects. Recently I learned to mix in 5.1 surround. Normally, I have to learn something because I can’t afford to hire someone to do it, but that’s another story.

So what I think sets me apart is that I wear many hats, and those hats came from all the things I accumulated over the years, the acting, the music, the writing. I wrote, produced, directed, edited, sound designed, sound mixed, 5.1 surround sound mixed, and made the poster art for my new feature film. And I am very proud of all of it.

I continue on this journey and I think others can relate to where I am right now. You may not be where you want to be but you’re heading in the right direction. And I’m okay with that. We all have to overcome challenges. Mine started at an early age without my father, then losing my step father. I had to overcome abuse and anyone who knows abuse will tell you it’s a lifelong process. But I learned to believe in myself when others didn’t. I kept those who did believe in me close, always close. And I know it’s corny but stay true to who you are.

I would like the world to see what I can do, that’s all. My dream, my film “INVISIBLE” gets played on Netflix or Hulu and in theaters and people decide if they like it, not some person on the other side of a closed door telling me don’t come on. Moreover, that independent films that are good get a chance to be seen by everyone, that’s my dream.

I will continue to create, to fight the good fight, and to help others make their dreams happen.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
LA is fun. I live in downtown in Little Tokyo. I love it. But everyone knows about it, at least I think they do. You’ve got to check out the Arts District. I like Eat Drink Americano for lunch, dinner, drinks. Very chill. And go to the galleries in the area. Wurstküche is cool. It’s a beer hall serving exotic links such as rabbit & snake. Or normal bratwursts. If you want to go back in time, like the 30s or 40s, check out Cicada, a supper club on Olive that has live bands, Girls dress in flapper dresses and guys wear old time suits. Food is pretty good too. Finally, I love art so check out The Broad, MOCA, and any of our amazing museums.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate this to my darling Sarah. She came into my life and has embraced me with all my past trauma. She defines the word love for me, because she’s never passed judgement on me, but instead believes in who I am and all my potential. She truly gives me strength when I falter.

Website: https://aonfilms.com

Instagram: matthew_ross_aon

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-michael-ross-14970b3

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@skcforum8563

Image Credits
Kiko Sweeney
Camille Fadl