Matthew Rowean

Matthew Rowean
Born (1982-08-06) August 6, 1982 (age 42)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationSyracuse University
Occupation(s)Partner, chief creative officer at matte projects
Years active2005–present
Known forartist, creative director, entrepreneur
Websitematthew-rowean.com

Matthew Rowean (born August 6, 1982, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American artist, creative director, and entrepreneur. He is a Partner and Chief Creative Officer at MATTE Projects.[1][2][3][4] In 2019, Rowean was among Emmy Nominees for Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened.[5][2][6]

Biography

Rowean graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Painting and Communication Design. In 2005, Rowean joined Strategic Group as Creative director. In 2008, he left Strategic Group and co-founded RJW (later rebranded as JWALK) alongside Doug Jacob and Charli Walk. The company worked with brands such as Lacoste, David Yurman, Equinox, and ABC. He oversaw the brand identity development of the seafood restaurant Catch, which expanded from a flagship in New York City to an international company with locations in L.A., Dubai, and Playa del Carmen.[7][8]

In 2019, Rowean was among Emmy Nominees for Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened.[5][2][6]

During his tenure as Chief Creative Officer, MATTE won several Clio Awards for their campaign work with Cartier.[2]

Career

Matthew Rowean joined MATTE Projects in 2012 and helped evolve it into a creative agency and production company known for organizing high-profile events like New York City's Full Moon Music Festival and Rihanna's Met Gala after-party. The company operates in cities like New York and Mexico City, and has worked with clients such as Tom Ford, Google, and Dom Pérignon. Besides events, MATTE Projects offers content creation, digital solutions, and experiential design, working with brands such as KITH, Adidas, Amazon, Cartier, and YSL and talent such as Kanye West, James Blake and Jay-Z.[1][9][10]

Music and fashion

In the live music sector, MATTE Projects has been involved in a variety of projects, ranging from their own live coverage of concerts to filming The Weeknd The Madness Tour. MATTE Projects was Samsung's live content partner across music for 2 years.[5] In 2020 MATTE Projects began working directly with Kanye West across a multitude of creative projects, during this period MATTE supported aspects of the DONDA album launch, culminating with shooting the first concert to be live streamed in IMAX theaters, "Free Larry Hoover," featuring Ye and Drake.[11]

MATTE Projects operates in the fashion industry, specializing in fashion events, live fashion show capture, campaigns, and directing fashion films for brands such as Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Puma and other brands.[12][13]

Campaigns and events

In 2012, MATTE launched Full Moon, a boutique music festival at the South Street Seaport. Full Moon later moved to Governors Island and became a 10,000-person festival.[14][15][16][17][18][19] In 2013, MATTE introduced "Black," a visual art and sound experience.[20][21]

In November 2023, the company launched HERO – a new venue dedicated to visual and sonic storytelling at Rockefeller Center, in partnership with Colleveite and BOSE Audio. Within these walls there lives an immersive experience featuring the work of a dozen artists and designers who combine immersive video, spatial audio, and scenic design.[22]

Roweans' collaborations withtin MATTE include The Macallan, KITH, Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, Prada, Marriott, Apple, Airbnb, and more.[5][10][23] Their work for Cartier was recognized by Clio Awards.[23] In 2020, MATTE was hired by Roc Nation to launch Jay-Z's cannabis brand, Monogram.[24] In 2024 MATTE partnered with PUMA[25]

Films

The company produced Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story. The film won the Hollywood Documentary Award at the 2017 Hollywood Film Awards.[26] In 2019, company co-produced the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and initiated "La Luna," an eco-friendly summer party.[5][27] Through the pandemic, they created the documentary "Hell Of A Cruise", available Peacock, featuring the early spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships.[28][29]

References

  1. ^ a b "Matte Projects Founders Talk Entrepreneurship and Working with Friends – Coveteur: Inside Closets, Fashion, Beauty, Health, and Travel". coveteur.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Matte Projects announces new 'Originators' platform". FashionNetwork.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  3. ^ Brown, Evan Nicole (2023-04-19). "Matte Projects Names Angus MacEwan as Company's First CMO". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Meet the Boys Behind the Coolest Party in NYC This Weekend". Harper's BAZAAR. 2017-04-07. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Coffee, Patrick. "The agency behind Netflix's Fyre Festival documentary and Met Gala campaigns just raised $5 million to expand its film and fashion business". Business Insider. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b "FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened". Television Academy. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  7. ^ Lentz, Alissa (2011-10-14). "GOTHAM Magazine helps launch Range Rover's EVOQUE". Scallywag and Vagabond. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  8. ^ Kim, Clara (2011-08-25). "Lacoste Seeks to Boost Brand Image by Sponsoring Non-Celebrities". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  9. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (2021-07-12). "NFT Startup Venture Notables Draws CAA, UTA, WME as Advisors (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Gillian Laub, Ivan Olita, Fernando García, Jessie Andrews, Matte Projects and More Celebrate Tamo Jugeli at Nine Orchard". www.culturedmag.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Kanye and Drake's Free Larry Hoover Concert Budget Is Reportedly an Estimated $10 Million". aol.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  12. ^ Nordstrom, Leigh (2018-03-26). "Behind the Fashion Videos for Tom Ford, Alexander Wang and More". WWD. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  13. ^ Manoff, Jill (2022-10-30). "Fashion Briefing: Influential fashion marketers are turning their attention to wellness". Glossy. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  14. ^ Balasundar, Gautam (2017-07-05). "Why Full Moon Is The Preeminent 'New York' Festival". A Hotel Life. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  15. ^ Williams, Nick (2016-08-12). "Full Moon Festival Founders MATTE Projects Talk Two-Day Expansion, Controlled Growth, And Return To Governor's Island". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  16. ^ Miozzi, Antonella (2017-05-04). "Matte Projects just announced Full Moon Festival". HOUSE of Frankie. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  17. ^ Coulson, Richard (2015-07-28). "Matte Projects Presents: Full Moon Fest 2015". Data Transmission. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Full Moon Festival 2015: Inside The Chill Brooklyn Dance Party". Guest of a Guest. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Inside The 2014 Full Moon Festival". Guest of a Guest. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  20. ^ Schreiber, Abby (9 March 2017). "Scenes From MATTE Project's Mexico City Edition of BLACK". papermag.com. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  21. ^ "PEGGY GOU TAKES US INSIDE MATTE BLACK, NYC's Ultimate Rave". V Magazine. 2022-05-02. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  22. ^ Marroquin, Mario (4 December 2023). "Digital marketing exec blends music, visual arts to help brands tell stories". crainsnewyork.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Matte Projects announces new 'Originators' platform". FashionNetwork.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Hype Williams's Reimagines Slim Aarons' Poolside Socialites for Jay-Z's Cannabis Line". Vanity Fair. 2021-04-11. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  25. ^ Stewart, Rebecca (2024-04-11). "Puma Wants to Sprint in Olympics Brand Race With Comeback Ad". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story". Live Nation Productions. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  27. ^ Zimmerman, Amy (2019-01-18). "Netflix's 'Fyre': Inside the Millennial Scam of the Decade". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  28. ^ Diller, Nathan. "'Hell of a Cruise': Highlighting the panic, failures of the COVID early days". USA TODAY. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  29. ^ Cordero, Rosy (2022-08-26). "Peacock Launches Virtual 'DocFest' Including Documentaries About Rosa Parks, Prince Andrew; Joe Berlinger's 'Shadowland'". Deadline. Retrieved 30 May 2024.