Matthew Richard Myers ’95 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film), Associate Chair of Graduate Film for Tisch Asia | October 14, 1968 - August 20, 2021
Matthew Myers ’95 was an American film and television producer and a graduate of the NYU Tisch Graduate Film program. His first professional film job was as a production intern on The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. Throughout his career, he produced over 30 commercial features and TV movies for independent production companies, major studios and networks, including 20th Century Fox, Showtime, HBO, Sony, Lionsgate and Universal. His films have won major awards and international honors at the Cannes, Toronto, Berlin and Sundance film festivals. He worked with Academy Award-winning talent (Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Dustin Lance Black, Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Harvey Keitel, Glenn Close, Kathy Bates and Bette Midler). He earned membership in the Writer’s Guild of America, Director’s Guild of America, the Producer’s Guild of America, the Independent Feature Project and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Holding a Master of Fine Arts in Film and TV Production from New York University, Matt delivered lectures, seminars and workshops around the globe. As a production consultant, he worked for American studios and networks, as well as international clients.
Matt taught production management, film financing and distribution and producing coursework while serving as Associate Chair of the Graduate Film Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts-Asia in Singapore. Some of his proudest achievements in film production included: Catch Hell (starring and directed by Ryan Phillippe), Ned Rifle (directed by Hal Hartley and starring Aubrey Plaza), The Great Gilly Hopkins (directed by Stephen Herek, starring Kathy Bates, Glenn Close and Julia Stiles) and The Deviants (directed by John Mikulak for Troma Studios). During the last 6 years of his career, he produced Supermoto (directed by Joe Maggio) along with numerous films for Netflix and Amazon, most notably See You Yesterday (directed by Stefan Bristol and produced by Spike Lee). Matt is survived by Jacqueline Bussie (wife), Butch Myers (father), Lori McLamb (sister), Andrew and Aidan McLamb (nephews), cousins, aunts and uncles and many very good friends.
In honor of Matthew, his family has established the Matthew Myers Memorial Scholarship Fund, a scholarship to support students in the Graduate Film department. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so here.
"Whip-smart, hilarious, and joyful, Matt loved life. An incredibly generous, compassionate, and loyal friend to so many of us - Matt was there to help whether the challenge was personal or professional. He had a way of making even the tough times fun which made him excel in the role of producer. We lost a good one. Our hearts go out to Matt's wife Jacqueline and their families."
- Michael Burke, Associate Dean, Kanbar Institute of Film & Television
"Matt had an infectious personality and seemed to will projects into existence with his sheer passion and energy. He was an irreverent joy, hilarious, generous and insanely talented. Matt was a huge advocate for artists of all types and was instrumental in bringing so many unique films to the world. I consider myself lucky to have been a friend."
- Joe Vinciguerra, Chair, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing
"When I was working on my first feature film, Matt had my back. He was very nurturing and a mentor to me. He was someone that I can depend on as an artist. His jokes, liveliness and amazing advice helped make my career a success. I felt like I lost a brother when I heard of his passing. It doesn’t make any sense to me. My heart breaks for his wife, Jacquie and his family."
- Stefon Bristol '16 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film)
"I was lucky to have known Matthew Myers as a colleague, educator, and dear friend. We worked on many projects together, and it was amazing to see the passion he put into every film. With his loving soul and a sense of adventure, Matt was always willing to help a fellow filmmaker in need and lend a hand to his beloved NYU. He was always the smartest producer in the room, and he brought light and order into this complex business. We’re sad to have lost a brilliant writer and filmmaker, but we are all proud to have learned from the master!"
- Jason Sokoloff '11 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film)