Meet Matt Valvardi | Content Creator, Actor, and Social Media Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Valvardi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, is there something you believe many others might not?
When people say “if at first you don’t succeed – try try again”, I find it to be misleading. I believe it should be more like, “if at first you don’t succeed – pause, learn, adjust, reengage purposefully.” I feel like too often I see folks in the entertainment industry waste incredible sums of time pursuing unrelenting waves of objectively suboptimal advice or ideas.

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.
My story began in a finance industry cubicle in Philadelphia where I sat for many years crunching numbers. Feeling uninspired, I needed to pursue an artistic passion that had burned just below the surface for most of my life. The transition was shocking to most people around me – after all, I had been an analytical finance guy up until thrusting myself into “showbiz” in my late 20’s. I read 20+ books on screenwriting, more on producing, more on directing, and anything industry-related. It was only have taking my first acting class, though, that my real passion became clear. I called, emailed, and LinkedIn messaged hundreds of industry folks, just asking for a conversation and a little bit of advice. Only about 10 replied. To stay afloat and gain experience, I’ve been a movie production assistant, cast manager for a national reality show, background artist, Uber driver, bus driver, film festival judge, tutor, surveyee, and more. The Covid shutdown allowed me to dip more into content creation and social media management – which is now my full-time 9-5 job (with acting opportunities sprinkled in). It’s been exhausting, but thrilling.

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.
Being a Philadelphia native, we have frequent visitors from the East Coast to our home in Santa Monica (SM). A Friday beach sunset at Tower 24 is a must. A fresh JuneShine hard kombucha (from Main Street SM) and some Meredith’s goat and sheep cheese on a baguette (from Haques Bodega in SM) while watching the plunging sun might change your whole outlook on life. We’d potentially eat an Alfalfa wrap and have a cup of their healthy bone broth (that tastes like a slice of pizza) on the beach too. If not Alfalfa for dinner, we’d then venture to Ghisallo on Ocean Park Drive in SM for some of the best pizza in California. They serve unreal Neapolitan AND New York styles for dinner. Where else can you get that? El Matador beach, Dogtown Coffee, Malibu Farm Mart brunch at the end of the pier, Vamos Vamos in SM for Mexican, Elephante’s balcony for a Saturday sunset and drink, an Erewhon or Kreation pop-in, beach path bike ride, Paramount or Warner Brothers movie tour, a red carpet event through our YouTube creator program, and more should round out a busy few days visiting us.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my Shoutout to my fiancé (and fellow content creator) Lizzie Allyn Dean, as her endless support is a daily gift that I do not take for granted.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattvalvardi?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-valvardi-b3601066

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mattvalvardi?si=Tk1II2O4r3MzTOni

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattvalvardi?_t=8nG9lETk1DL&_r=1

Snapchat: https://snapchat.com/t/DvSNPds9