MORE MATT!
Matt does more than just movies! Check out some of the other creatives things that make Matt well….Matt!
Photo credit: Rah Sharma
Western Sydney Filmmakers Hangout (2017 - Present)
Western Sydney Filmmakers Hangout was co-founded by Matthew C. Vella and Rachael Belle Myers in July 2017. The goal for the group is to connect, inspire and empower filmmakers from Western Sydney. It’s a Facebook group with over 1000+ members, and live networking events are hosted by Matt quarterly, four times throughout the year. WSFH has become a tight niche community, drawing attention of award-winning filmmakers, funding bodies and film festival organisers, and has been covered in the press by StarCentral Magazine, The Westies & other publications.
Midnight Double Feature & Upcoming Attractions Podcast (2016 - 2023)
Upcoming Attractions Podcast was a film & television podcast hosted by Matthew C. Vella. Matt was originally co-host on the original format of the show was hosted via Midnight Double Feature, before spinning it off into it’s own thing. Previous guests included various famous & successful Hollywood directors, including Raja Gosnell (Scooby-Doo, Big Momma’s House), Fabian Wagner (Game of Thrones, Justice League), Ben Ramsey (Dragonball Evolution, The Big Hit), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners) and more.
SPOTIFY ITUNES TIKTOK
FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM YOUTUBE
Stand-up comedy (2020 - Present)
As of January 2020, Matt has also begun doing stand-up comedy at open mics all over Sydney as a way to perfect his comedic writing skills and performance. He has since performed at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Comedy festival. During his first year of performing, Matt won first place at Laugh Masters Academy’s Sketch-a-thon competition, and was a finalist at Kelly’s Amateur Comedy Competition.
Check Matt’s first ever comedy set below!
Watch Matt Vella perform his debut stand-up comedy set in Sydney.
Educational Media Producer (2016 - Present)
Since 2016, Matt has been working at UTS as an Educational Media Producer assisting academics with designing their subjects with educational video in mind. Employed by the LX.lab, Matt produces audio & video projects, runs events, writes blogs and also teaches basic DIY video producing skills to academics in both individual and group settings.
One of his main priorities at UTS is running a community of practice for educational video, known as the UTS Video Meet-Ups. These popular events feature presentations from different speakers on various topics, with additional conversations and support for academics.
During his time working at UTS Matt has won two group Career and Personal Development (CAP) Awards from a pool of a potential of 2000 candidates. This was for the LX.lab’s overall contributions to the UTS professional staff community in 2018, and for work on creating accessible digital content in 2020.
It’s worth noting that before working at UTS, Matt also had some brief experience in educational media working for Filmpond, where he edited videos for primary and secondary schools funded by the department of education.
Busk for a Cure (2014 - 2019)
Busk for a Cure is an annual grassroots street music festival that raises money for both Cancer Council NSW and Crohn’s and Colitis Australia. Each year, more than 50 artists perform across 5 locations in Newtown and 100% of donations go straight to charity. We've independently raised over $13,000 to charity since we first took to the streets in 2014. Working alongside Busk for a Cure is Bunkbed Buskers, which puts on microshows for additional busking events for charity,
Matt has been working with Busk for a Cure since it’s foundation and has been a key contributor to its growth & success. He has donated much of his time & talent to Busk for a Cure as its lead videographer, filming & editing a a large portion of its digital content and assisting in making strategical decisions. He has also been working on a Busk for a Cure feature length documentary since 2014.
Capsule Computers (2010 - 2014)
Just after high school Matt began writing for an independent video game & pop culture website called Capsule Computers. During his time there, Matt produced close to 500 news articles, interviews and reviews, as well as appearing on countless podcasts and YouTube videos. In the later years, Matt was promoted to be Capsule Computer’s community manager where he managed their social media accounts & moderated their online forum.
The quality of Matt’s work is exactly what you would expect from a hyperactive 18-year-old-male talking about video games on the internet in 2010. While he may sometimes cringe at his writing from back then, Capsule Computers stands as his first paid media role in the public eye, which he’ll be forever grateful for. Thanks for the memories CC.
Photo credit: Chris Elder
Wings of Icarus (2009 - 2011)
Wings of Icarus was a Metalcore band fronted by Matt from 2009 -2011, who played shows all over the east cost of Australia. Having performed alongside some of the biggest names in Australian punk & metal - Tonight Alive, Northlane and Thy Art is Murder just to name a few, Wings of Icarus had two major releases - 3 track demo from 2009, and their 2010 debut EP Reasons to Breathe.