About Matt Ford

I have always been captivated by the power of storytelling to inspire and move people.  I honed my skills working in Hollywood, digital journalism, and as a business owner producing short films in humanitarian emergencies around the globe.  For more than two decades, I’ve been working at the forefront of industries grappling with how we tell visual stories amid the swift transformations of the digital age.

Once upon a time in Hollywood

After attending film school in Toronto, I left Canada to pursue a warmer climate and a career in the film industry.  At 21, after working on Kaante, Bollywood’s first film shot in Hollywood, I became one of the youngest members accepted in local 728, the union for lighting technicians.  

I cut my teeth on the studio lots of Los Angeles and traveled across much of the United States shooting on location.  Given my youth and eagerness to be on set, I was often utilized for odd job lighting cues.

You may have seen my early work as a police flashlight on the West Wing, or the red light flashing on Jessica Garner during the Season 2 finale of Alias.

Once upon a time in Hollywood

After attending film school in Toronto, I left Canada to pursue a warmer climate and a career in the film industry.  At 21, after working on Kaante, Bollywood’s first film shot in Hollywood, I became one of the youngest members accepted in local 728, the union for lighting technicians.  

I cut my teeth on the studio lots of Los Angeles and traveled across much of the United States shooting on location.  Given my youth and eagerness to be on set, I was often utilized for odd job lighting cues.

You may have seen my early work as a police flashlight on the West Wing, or the red light flashing on Jessica Garner during the Season 2 finale of Alias.

Elections, wars, and revolutions

The 9/11 attacks followed by the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq compelled me to pursue journalism and new ways of approaching storytelling.  I left L.A. to study broadcast journalism at Penn State and later earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism at Northwestern University.

After graduation, the Associated Press hired me to cover the 2008 U.S. presidential election as part of a groundbreaking new multimedia storytelling team. In between elections, I covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in early 2011, as Egyptians were taking to the streets to oust then President Hosni Mubarak, I transferred to the AP’s Middle East Bureau in Cairo to document history.  Over the next two years, I reported on political upheaval unfolding across the Middle East and North Africa.

Elections, wars, and revolutions

The 9/11 attacks followed by the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq compelled me to pursue journalism and new ways of approaching storytelling.  I left L.A. to study broadcast journalism at Penn State and later earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism at Northwestern University.

After graduation, the Associated Press hired me to cover the 2008 U.S. presidential election as part of a groundbreaking new multimedia storytelling team. In between elections, I covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in early 2011, as Egyptians were taking to the streets to oust then President Hosni Mubarak, I transferred to the AP’s Middle East Bureau in Cairo to document history.  Over the next two years, I reported on political upheaval unfolding across the Middle East and North Africa.

Stories for a better world

After witnessing the fallout of the Arab Spring and its many untold stories, I joined former AP photographer Tara Todras-Whitehill to found Vignette, a social impact production company that focused on innovative and engaging ways to communicate the complexities of the world’s most pressing issues, like climate change, global health, and refugee crises. 

Over seven years, we produced award-winning work for leading media companies like National Geographic, The New York Times, and the Huffington Post, as well as international organizations like UNICEF, the IRC, and Search for Common Ground.

Stories for a better world

After witnessing the fallout of the Arab Spring and its many untold stories, I joined former AP photographer Tara Todras-Whitehill to found Vignette, a social impact production company that focused on innovative and engaging ways to communicate the complexities of the world’s most pressing issues, like climate change, global health, and refugee crises. 

Over seven years, we produced award-winning work for leading media companies like National Geographic, The New York Times, and the Huffington Post, as well as international organizations like UNICEF, the IRC, and Search for Common Ground.


Interested in collaborating?

Today, I’m pursuing projects focused on critical global issues as an independent journalist and filmmaker.

Interested in collaborating? Drop me a line.