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Matthew A. Cherry (born December 14, 1981) is an American film director, writer, producer, and former
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
player. He wrote and directed two independent films, '' The Last Fall'' (2012), and ''
9 Rides ''9 Rides'' is a 2016 American film written and directed by Matthew A. Cherry and starring Dorian Missick, Omar Dorsey and Robinne Lee. Cast * Dorian Missick as Driver * Omar Dorsey as Uber Pool Man * Robinne Lee as Girlfriend Production T ...
'' (2016). He is best known for the 2019
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning animated short film, ''
Hair Love ''Hair Love'' is a 2019 American independent animated short film directed by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., and Bruce W. Smith, and written by Cherry. It follows the story of a man who must do his daughter's hair for the first time, a ...
''. The
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
campaign for ''Hair Love'' raised nearly $300,000 and broke the record for the highest amount raised for any short film on the platform.


Early life

Cherry was raised in the
Northwest Side The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...
of
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, and graduated from
Loyola Academy Loyola Academy is a private, co-educational college preparatory high school run by the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus in Wilmette, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, and in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. It is a ...
in nearby
Wilmette Wilmette is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Skokie, Northfield, Glenview, and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a populatio ...
in 1999. He attended the
University of Akron The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...
, where he played on the football team and earned a bachelor's degree in media. Cherry played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for four seasons with the
Akron Zips The Akron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division I, Division I level as a memb ...
under head coach
Lee Owens Lee Owens (born July 17, 1956) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Akron from 1995 to 2003 and Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio from 2004 to 2022, compiled a career college football co ...
and was a second-team All-
Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...
wide receiver. He finished his career as the all-time leading receiver in school history and ended his senior season with records for total receptions, yards, touchdowns, punt return yards and punt return touchdowns.


Professional football career

Cherry signed with the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
as an
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
following the
2004 NFL draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...
. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 29, 2004, and re-signed to the team's
practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...
on September 6. The
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
signed him off of the Jaguars' practice squad to their active roster on December 29, 2004, before the final game of the season. Cherry was waived by the Bengals during final roster cuts on August 29, 2005. He worked out for the
Ottawa Renegades The Ottawa Renegades were a Canadian Football League franchise based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, six years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded. After four seasons, the Renegades franchise was suspended indefinitely by the league d ...
of the
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
on September 9, 2005, but left the team by September 21 without having played in a game. The Renegades franchise folded shortly after due to financial instability. Cherry signed with the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
in 2006, and was allocated to the Hamburg Sea Devils of
NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
. He was waived by Hamburg during final roster cuts on March 5, 2006. He returned to the Panthers, but was waived on May 30, 2006. He signed with the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
on August 3, 2006. He was placed on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
on August 30, 2006, and missed the entire season.


Film career


Career beginnings

Cherry retired from football in 2007 to pursue a film career. After initially working as a production assistant he began directing music videos. He directed the video for gospel song "Say Yes" by singer
Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to: * Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar * Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child * Michelle Williams (actr ...
. Cherry wrote and directed his first film, '' The Last Fall'', in 2012. The film stars
Lance Gross Lance Darnell Gross (born July 8, 1981) is an American actor and model. He is known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS/BET sitcom ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' (2007–2012; 2020–present), for which he won four NAACP Image Award for Ou ...
and
Nicole Beharie Nicole Beharie is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles in films such as the drama '' American Violet'' (2008), the psychological drama ''Shame'' (2011), the biographical sports drama '' 42'' (2013), and the independent d ...
. The film, which premiered at
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
, received average critical reviews. Peter Deburge of ''Variety'' described ''The Last Fall'' as a "tepid daytime-TV melodrama." Gary Goldstein wrote in the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', "this is an involving, sympathetic film unafraid to wear its sizable heart on its sleeve." It won Best Screenplay at the
American Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (ABFF), originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival, is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film and works by black members of the film industry. The festival is held annually in ...
. His second film, ''
9 Rides ''9 Rides'' is a 2016 American film written and directed by Matthew A. Cherry and starring Dorian Missick, Omar Dorsey and Robinne Lee. Cast * Dorian Missick as Driver * Omar Dorsey as Uber Pool Man * Robinne Lee as Girlfriend Production T ...
'', was shot entirely on an
iPhone 6s The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are smartphones that were designed, developed, and marketed by Apple. They are the ninth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 9, 2015, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Franci ...
, which may be the first feature film shot using the device. Starring
Dorian Missick Dorian Crossmond Missick (born January 15, 1976) is an American actor known for his role as Damian in the television series '' Six Degrees'' (2006) and for voicing Victor Vance in the 2006 video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories''. He ...
, it premiered at SXSW in 2016. Tom Harrington of
The Daily Dot ''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It was founded by Nicholas White in 2011, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown newsp ...
called it "a taut, attractive piece of work." Shannon M. Houston reviewed the film for ''Paste'' and wrote, "''9'' ''Rides'' is proof that Cherry is a storyteller who can do quite a bit with a modest budget (this is the first film shot on an iPhone 6s) and a simple premise."


''Hair Love''

In 2017, Cherry created a Kickstarter campaign for a short animated film called ''Hair Love''. The campaign surpassed its initial goal of $75,000 and raised nearly $300,000. He co-directed the film with Everett Downing and
Bruce W. Smith Bruce Wayne Smith (born September 6, 1961) is an American film and television producer, animator, character designer and film director. He is best known as the creator of Disney Channel's ''The Proud Family'' (2001–2005) and Disney+'s '' The Pr ...
, with
Peter Ramsey Peter A. Ramsey (born December 23, 1962) is an American illustrator, storyboard artist, and filmmaker. He is best known for directing DreamWorks Animation's '' Rise of the Guardians'' (2012), becoming the first African American to direct a comput ...
and
Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
animator Frank Abney serving as executive producers. On March 20, 2019,
Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. (also referred to as Sony Animation Studios and abbreviated to SPA) is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and found ...
announced that they had picked up ''Hair Love'', which was released in theaters alongside ''
The Angry Birds Movie 2 ''The Angry Birds Movie 2'' is a 2019 animated comedy film based on the ''Angry Birds'' video game series. It is the second installment in the Angry Birds film series, and was directed by Thurop Van Orman from a screenplay by Peter Ackerman, ...
'' on August 14, 2019. The film won the 2020
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
for
Best Animated Short The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...
, with Cherry accepting the award alongside fellow producer Karen Rupert Toliver. In 2020, Cherry became a member of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
.


Television

In June 2020, Cherry signed a first-look deal with
Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio o ...
. On July 7, 2020,
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
, ordered a 12-episode season of '' Young Love'', a 2D animated series from Cherry based on his short film ''Hair Love''.


Upcoming projects

In June 2020, Cherry was revealed to be working on ''The Come Up, '' a heist comedy movie for
New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
. In October 2020, Cherry was revealed to be working on a project for Sony Pictures Animation, titled ''Tut''. In March 2021, Cherry was set to direct the pilot episode of ''The Kings of Napa'' for OWN. In January 2022, Cherry was set to direct ''Redd Zone, '' a football drama movie with
Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress, businesswoman, and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show ''Red Table Talk'', for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytim ...
starring for
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
.


Filmography


Film

Executive producer * ''
BlacKkKlansman ''BlacKkKlansman'' is a 2018 American biographical film, biographical Crime film, crime comedy-drama film directed by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Lee, loosely based on the 2014 memoir ''Black K ...
'' (2018) Production consultant * '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023)


Television

Director Co-producer * ''
The Last O.G. ''The Last O.G.'' is an American comedy television series created by Jordan Peele and John Carcieri that premiered on March 31, 2018, on TBS. The series follows a convict released after serving fifteen years who returns to Brooklyn to find his o ...
'' (2019) (Episode "Sound of Da Police")


References


External links


Official websiteMatthew A. Cherry
at
IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Matthew A. Cherry
at
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

Matt Cherry
at Sports-Reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry, Matthew A. Living people American football wide receivers Akron Zips football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Cincinnati Bengals players Carolina Panthers players Hamburg Sea Devils players Baltimore Ravens players African-American film directors Screenwriters from Illinois Filmmakers from Illinois Loyola Academy alumni University of Akron alumni Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners Producers who won the Best Animated Short Academy Award 1981 births 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people