Meet Nathaniel Mathis | Writer and Director

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

Hi Nathaniel, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The best way to describe it all is the desire to examine the grey of life. So many times people assume something is either good or bad, right or wrong, and there’s so much grey in life that goes unexamined. Even when I was a child, I was always questioning the why of what defines us as people . The films that drove me as a creative, from Todd Solondz’s Welcome to The Dollhouse to Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, so many of those character studies examined what makes us tick and I’ve always gravitated to that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The funniest part of life is truly how full circle it can be. When I was younger I’d write a ton of short stories, some from legal pads to a Smith Corona typewriter to an old 80s computer, I found a way to write as opposed to studying. I fell in love with acting in summer theatre and then studied it as I got older but still somehow found myself writing. Now as I’m in post with my first feature, I found myself reflecting on how a first love for something can come around to purpose. On day while we were filming and I was talking to an actor, afterwards I felt something say to me “this is what you’re supposed to be doing “. I felt it in my soul and knew I couldn’t explain to anyone but another artist who felt that true “aha” moment where the pieces of the puzzle really come together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to the Academy museum, have some drinks and dinners at Birds in Hollywood, catch some sun at Santa Monica pier , sight see at random old theatres in downtown Los Angeles! Food trucks in the valley!

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 wanna dedicate my support to one of my best friends, Stephen Juhl, who just passed unexpectedly this past year while helping me make my first film. We first worked together at a small not so fun cafe in studio city but quietly became close friends who were always supporting one another’s creative endeavors. He always believed in me and we had so many late night chats about art and life and all that in between. In the moment we never quite realize how much someone makes a difference but he truly did.

Instagram: @nathanie.mathis