Meet Matt TK” Devine | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt “TK” Devine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt “TK”, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.

What a question! Well, mathematically speaking, I guess you could argue that what best defines a person’s happiness is their struggles, since happiness would have no meaning if it was perpetual. It’d just be normal. Which would be average. Which could very well be… boring? So, OK, that sounds like philosophical drivel. And maybe it is! But I do think that part of what has defined my happiness over the long haul is the ability to embrace and ride through the struggles. Kind of like how a pendulum swings. In order for it to stay in motion, it uses momentum gained from both directions.

Once I was willing to put the work in on riding through struggles with a bit more awareness and acceptance—maybe even grace?—then the real happiness kicked in. Because that’s when I’ve started to see the returns on my ambitions. Sounds simple but it’s not always easy. For example, when I climbed my first mountain—Mount Katahdin in Maine—I reached this section called “the knife’s edge” and I was terrified of falling. Which sucked! Being in this impossibly gorgeous landscape experiencing nothing but fear. So I recognized that and set my mind to changing it. Instead of giving in to fear, I climbed more. Exposed myself to sheer cliffs and slippery slopes. I got better at it. Now I can mountaineer up a snowy peak and enjoy that beauty free of fear. And every time I do it’s this unexplainable joy of liberation and accomplishment. It’s up there with the highest forms of happiness.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
First of all, it’s a blessing to have someone interested in sharing your work. So I appreciate that, thank you for asking.

I do a lot. Maybe too much! (laughs) My creative work is my bread and butter. I’m a multi-modal creative, meaning I write, I produce, I direct, I perform. I build stuff. This past year has been a really fun one with a few of my projects featuring at some strong festivals. A pilot at Dances With Films here in LA. “Who Wants to Be a Millennial?”. A short, “The Unknown Depths”, got some recognition at Houston’s WorldFest. And a feature film winning a jury award at the Atlanta Film Festival. That’s a USA Today top 10 festival, which we were so grateful to be a part of. I produced and performed in both of those films. In fact, that last film—”Red Earth”—will be available this Spring on Amazon Prime, so keep an eye out for that! I’m also producing a documentary on human-wildlife conflict, “One But Many”, that we just finished. It’s incredibly important work. One of our team members, Niraj, was just nominated for an Oscar for “To Kill a Tiger”, another vital piece of documentary filmmaking, so we’re hoping to continue that success. Oh! And I’ve got a really fun film in post-production now, “Skyforest”, that’s just loaded with up-and-comer talent.

I’m just humbled to be able to do this kind of work. A decade ago I was living out of my office to save money on rent. Working two jobs. Running out of money. I was fed up with paying for a place I barely had time to spend in. Rather than give up, I dug in. Sacrificed comfort, stopped caring what people might think, and rode out the tough times. So I really feel for folks enduring the struggle to float their passions. I busted my butt for a while. Still do. It’s easy to get down on yourself when things aren’t going your way. Money’s tight. People aren’t appreciating your work. The positive side is that struggle gives the success meaning. It helps define that success in the first place.

When I was living in my office, I started a blog about it. The Office Hobo. The writing was awful at first, but the message spoke to folks. LA Weekly picked it up. I wrote about it for a few others. Did some news pieces. Suddenly, I was being flown around the country to give talks about minimalism and tiny living. It was wild. Realizing a dream—to publish, to share stories with a wide audience—didn’t come from a logical decision to make that happen. It came from an intuitive decision to do what felt right for me. Had I given in, left LA or taken up a career not meant for me, I wouldn’t be able to do the things I love to do.

I’m still on that journey. In between creative projects I have a couple career passions. I consult with front of house teams, mostly security and host operations, at bars and restaurants. I’ve done high end and high volume places. Injecting a sense of community, of purpose, of integrity to operations. Like “Bar Rescue” for places struggling with front-facing staff.

I also run a Sunday night trivia at Culver City’s Backstage Bar, which is something I have grown to absolutely adore. It’s less of a trivia night and more of a community game night, really. Some of these trivia nights are so disconnected and bland. Not us! No sir! We interact. We cheer for each other. We play embarrassing but good spirited games. It’s like a little community there. “Cheers” meets “Jeopardy” with a healthy dose of “Family Feud”. A way for folks to fight the Sunday Scaries. I never thought it’s something I’d enjoy but I love it. It’s a way to connect with people that’s whimsical and inclusive. Something I think we can all use in our lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well of course I’d have them come to my Sunday night Backstage Bar trivia! (laughs) Seriously though—although I am serious, those trivia nights are a ton of fun—the beauty of Los Angeles is in its cultural diversity and surrounding natural beauty. LA, I think, is synonymous with Hollywood for a lot of people. Movie stars. Paparazzi. Lamborghinis. That kind of thing. But it’s also one of the most cosmopolitan places on Earth. And that manifests itself in a pretty awesome range of food options. So how about we try a different cuisine everyday? A casual visit to Fairfax for Ethiopian or Little Osaka for Ramen. Korean barbecue in K-Town or Roy Choi’s Kogi food truck for lunch. Take a drive down to Santa Ana for some bánh xèo at Quán Mii or Brodard. Doll up and catch the sunset with my old friends at Élephante in Santa Monica. Their puccia and whipped eggplant is ridiculous. The options are limitless.

Honestly though it’s the natural beauty that gives LA its appeal. You can turn a corner on a street with an ocean view and find yourself looking at the snow capped peaks of Angeles National Forest beyond downtown. I’ve had days where I’ve snow climbed Mt. Baldy an hour-and-a-half drive away and come back to catch the sunset barefoot at Santa Monica Beach. Not many places offer that experience.

LA isn’t known as an outdoors town but the access to wilderness here is fantastic. Springtime in the Santa Monica Mountains at Escondido Falls or in the Angeles at Sturtevant Falls is a trip. The Bridge to Nowhere hike, 9-miles of adventure, river crossings ending at this marvel of human folly where people are bungee jumping and bathing in the East Fork River. You can hike from sea level to 10,000 feet in a day—if you’re crazy enough—in Palm Springs. The Cactus to Clouds trail, they call it. It’s endless. The desert of Joshua Tree or Anza. The tallest mountain in the lower 48 is a little over 3 hours away. Death Valley just across the way. The outdoors is at our fingertips here. And it rocks, man. Enjoy it! Let’s go!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh wow, I didn’t prepare an acceptance speech for this so I hope I don’t forget anyone! (laughs) There are so many people who have supported and encouraged me along the way, I am not sure how I could adequately thank each and every one in a way that wouldn’t put your readers to sleep. I try to exercise as much gratitude expression as is possible in my life to balance that truth. I’m not sure that’s enough but it’s sincere.

But you want names, OK. Got it. First off, I think having a family who encourages (and at times has tolerated) my creative pursuits has been incredibly helpful. My mother and father—having both a mother and father, even—are great about backing me on my decisions, even when they can’t brag to their friends or colleagues about those decisions. My sister is the same way. A lot of people don’t have that. A family who supports them. And I know what an incredible burden that can be, hearing so often how you’re disappointing your loved ones. I’m very fortunate to be emotionally supported in whatever I do.

I also just have great friends. Paul, my former boss who’d let me go on every audition even if it meant covering for me. Janna, who’d pick up the phone and talk through every little career or relationship obstacle even if it meant her losing sleep. My buddy Chris, who I’m pretty sure got me every part-time job I ever had until I started making decent money here. That’s just three of them. There are countless more. We Americans were raised on the belief of self-made success in an every-man-for-himself economy. But that’s not really how it works. Without a community, any individual would be doomed to isolation. I think that works for success, too. However that’s defined for you.

Website: www.devinediaries.com

Instagram: @devine_diaries – https://www.instagram.com/devine_diaries/

Youtube: @TKDevineDiaries – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw2crq48Gwkr9aSfiravulA/playlists