Paramount Executive Mathew Ferrante

On life as a studio executive, tax incentives, and making it home for his kids' bedtime.

November 12, 2019

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"I was very overwhelmed. I think I was given 6 tasks and I dropped the ball on 5 of them. So, I excused myself and I stepped away. I was like, I can't, I can't even deal with this. And I feel someone start to rub my shoulders and it's Keri Russell and she says, 'It's okay. We're making a movie. No one's gonna die. You're doing great."⁣⁣

- Mathew Ferrante

Happy Tuesday, everyone!Listening and editing this week’s episode felt a bit like uncovering a time capsule. Mathew Ferrante is the VP of Physical Production at Paramount Pictures.

At the time of this recording way back in January of 2019, Mathew (yes, with one T because he’s cool like that) had been at Paramount for 5 years.

So, it’s wild to think in a few short months he will have been there for 6 years. The bullet train that is time...Originally from Arlington Heights, IL, just outside Chicago, Mathew got his start as a PA on one of my favorite indie films, WAITRESS, starring Keri Russell and Andy Griffith.

Eventually, he found his way to the Physical Production Management Trainee Program at Warner Bros. where he quickly grew into a staff coordinator for the president of physical production.

Currently, Matt oversees titles ranging from $5 to $20 million dollars. His most recent credits include OVERLOAD and THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX with JJ Abrams’s Bad Robot, Johnny Knoxville’s ACTION POINT.

Our chat gets a bit inside baseball at times as he explains titles within the studio and deconstructs the importance of tax incentives. We also tackle the challenges of being an executive and making it home in time to put his daughters to bed.

So, in this hour together, you’ll get a taste of a day in the life of a studio executive and a peek behind the curtain from someone who has been at Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures.

  • How the Physical Production department works alongside with the Creative department to green light a movie

  • How being at a studio allowed him to be a family man

  • His time at Harvard and being a part of Hasty Pudding

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube.

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this week’s episode!

Beijos,Caca