THIS IS MATT » Personal http://www.thisismatt.net/blog Journal and Portfolio of Matthew Taylor Ruggieri Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:18:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Happy Holidays http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/12/21/happy-holidays/ http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/12/21/happy-holidays/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:37:35 +0000 Matthew http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/?p=1582 continue reading »]]> I’ve created a holiday mixtape full of good vibes.  Click the photo to download.  Enjoy – and happy holidays.

Track listing:

Ray Charles “Winter Wonderland”
Ryan Adams “Kindness”
Fleet Foxes “White Winter Hymnal”
Bright Eyes “Blue Christmas”
Mumford and Sons “Winter Winds”
Act As If  ”Sleigh Bells and Reindeers”
Jack Johnson “In the Morning”
The Civil Wars “Tracks in the Snow”
The Ray Charles Singers “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
Phantom Planet “Winter Wonderland”
John Lennon “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)”

[Share This Entry]]]> http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/12/21/happy-holidays/feed/ 0 http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/12/17/1578/ http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/12/17/1578/#comments Sun, 18 Dec 2011 03:26:17 +0000 Matthew http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/?p=1578 continue reading »]]> I was talking to one of my best friends, Nick Keating, several months ago about his Cinematography final project. I suggested that he interpret an excerpt from Jack Kerouac’s On The Road that I posted on my blog several months back.

The imagery that he created (angles, colors, movement) is so incredible. Great job, man! To those checking it out, enjoy.

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[Share This Entry]]]> http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/12/11/1575/feed/ 0 VA416 to NEW YORK http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/10/20/va416-to-new-york/ http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/10/20/va416-to-new-york/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 05:00:59 +0000 Matthew http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/?p=1552 continue reading »]]>
Heading back to New York for five short days to shoot the beginning of The Motley’s 2011 Men of Distinction holiday campaign.  I’ll be shooting short segments with men who create, explore, advocate and inspire.

It is so exciting when my love for film and The Motley come together like this.  Stay tuned and let the holidays begin.

P.S.  This might sound weird, but I know that I have a few readers out there.  I’m going to start reading the books on the list that my friend hand wrote for me below.  Starting with “In the Absence of the Sacred” by Jerry Mander or Brave New World. If you want to tag along and read them together, comment to let me know.  Let’s do it.

[Share This Entry]]]> http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/10/20/va416-to-new-york/feed/ 0 Where I am and where I’ll be http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/10/08/where-i-am-and-where-ill-be/ http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/10/08/where-i-am-and-where-ill-be/#comments Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:01:05 +0000 Matthew http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/?p=1547 continue reading »]]> It’s so cliche to state (especially on this blog) that I’m chasing after what makes me happy. It seems like that has been the topic since I started documenting my adventures back in 2007. I’ve always had a plan – I was going to be a music video director  photographer film producer documentary filmmaker. I’ve always expected myself to have a plan and frankly I’ve achieved a lot with one.  It’s not that I’m not interested in film anymore because film still plays a huge presence in my daily life.  Film employs me, it excites me, but it also burns me out.  Film and photography will always be part of my future, but taking a step back is what I always needed.

What’s more exciting than having a clear plan is not having a plan at all.  It’s the first time in my life where it’s difficult to state exactly what I’m doing and where I’m going – yet I couldn’t feel more comfortable.  I don’t have a stable job and I don’t have a single focus.  I don’t know what city I’ll be living in three months from now.  But that’s okay.  This is the time to experiment with life.

I’ve stayed employed and part of the music industry over the last two months while working on this project.  It has been one of the most exciting projects that I’ve ever worked on.

I’m also running this company full time. I completely forgot what it was like to start up a company like I did eight years ago with The Media Collective.  We celebrate even our smallest achievements, work through countless battles and make friends all over the world.  It’s exciting.

Who knows what is coming next – but that is okay.  I am happier than I have ever been.  I wake up with the excitement of not knowing who I’m going to meet and where I’ll be a single week from now.  I have no idea where I’ll be next week.  That is exciting.

[Share This Entry]]]> http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/10/08/where-i-am-and-where-ill-be/feed/ 2 In an industry of cool at the age of rebellion. http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/09/11/in-an-industry-of-cool-at-the-age-of-rebellion/ http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/09/11/in-an-industry-of-cool-at-the-age-of-rebellion/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:59:31 +0000 Matthew http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/?p=1520 continue reading »]]> I’m not sure that anyone actually reads this blog anymore, but I continue to post because it has acted as a safe haven for me since 2007. I hold my blog close to me – I’ve posted throughout ups and downs.  I started posting when I left high school and moved into my aunt and uncles house in Santa Barbara.  I continued as I joined the video team at Warner Bros. Records, onto my first cross country trip, my first time outside of the United States, my year at Emerson College, my transfer back to USC, my first multi-camera live cast, my first video submitted for a Grammy nomination, my trip back to London, Paris and Berlin, my first trip to Asia and numerous trips back and forth to the east coast.

I’ve made and lost a lot of friends along the way, but most importantly have learned a lot about who I am.  Consequently, I do not communicate with a lot of the people in the photographs anymore, but they’ve all influenced me, shaping me into a better, more aware, knowledgeable person.

These are people and places from the past three years that I see as moments of my greatest learning…  All in an attempt to greater understand who I am.

2 6335_1140446185291_1051500222_1979833_2391120_n 11868_161084829374_508089374_2510012_7007880_n 11868_161084884374_508089374_2510021_2604059_n 30861_390084314374_508089374_3720486_6086186_n 182035_655936745344_310440_36488231_477921_n 208171_1013578853687_1051500141_1660591_1460_n 247245_10150629688340503_844110502_19001254_2764187_n 847600092 emmai2 IMG_0387 IMG_0476 IMG_5621 img_6360 img_6492 IMG_9114 photo-82 [Share This Entry]]]> http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/09/11/in-an-industry-of-cool-at-the-age-of-rebellion/feed/ 3 http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/08/31/1515/ http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/2011/08/31/1515/#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:34:25 +0000 Matthew http://www.thisismatt.net/blog/?p=1515 continue reading »]]> A feasible promise to myself:

  1. Eat 60% locally grown foods
  2. Consume dairy only when absolutely necessary
  3. Exercise/attend the gym four days a week
  4. Work only 50 hours per week
  5. Take a mid-week (Wednesday) break when possible
  6. Listen to one new album in its entirety each week
  7. Cook one full meal from scratch each week
  8. Only take on jobs that fit me well and allow growth
  9. Celebrate victories, accept losses and move on
  10. Enjoy being 22
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Boston, MA | Chinatown (by Nick Keating)

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8/10/2011 | New York, NY | Philosophy Day School

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8/7/2011 | Boston, MA | Nick Keating in Chinatown

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