Matthew Thompson ’16 and Matthew Law ’15, collectively known as the Matts, met as undergraduate students at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. They quickly formed a friendship, which inspired a professional partnership building the foundation of the fast-growing production company they jointly run today.
“We have been creating under this banner for eight years now,” said Thompson. “We’ve made shorts, commercials, and feature films together – and almost always alongside our film school classmates.” Under their creative portfolio, the Matts have produced more than 40 videos for LMU since 2016, across a wide range of departments. Their education at SFTV has come full circle as they put their creative skills to work in service of the university.
That deep LMU connection played a key role in their latest production, the recently launched “Ignite a Brighter World” brand anthem, which they created in collaboration with LMU Marketing, Communications, and External Relations. The film starts with a survey of key landmarks across Los Angeles, settling at LMU and establishing the university’s premier location. It then pulls audiences into the heart of LMU, celebrating the university’s values, culture, and community, in a way meant to resonate across audiences, inspiring student and alumni pride while building prospective student interest.
The production proudly showcases the creative work of LMU alumni, with the beginning sequence visual effects designed by Joey Sperber ’21, using Unreal Engine, Cinema 4D and After Effects, and utilized drone footage captured by AirWolf LLC, which was developed by Rob Watt ’07, the production’s drone operator. Additional LMU alumni in key production roles include Rob Smith ’15 as producer and first assistant director; Joey Sperber ’21 as the VFX supervisor; Nathan Xia ’22 was the second assistant director and an actor; and Matthew Pendleton ’17 as the sound designer.
The video features 45 students and, when faculty, sisters of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, and the Jesuits are counted, more than 70 LMU community members get screen time.
“LMU video projects like‘Ignite a Brighter World’ are so fun for us because we’re able to work with the people we love, celebrate the place that brought us all together, and try to make it feel as magical to new students as it felt to us,” said Thompson.
