Concept Designer

Matthew, former student of Ormiston Forge Academy, works in the film industry as a concept designer.

Matt studied A-levels in a mix of science and art-based subjects and after two years of study, he followed his passion to study fine art at Birmingham City University. After graduating with a Masters, Matt then completed a PCGE teacher training course and taught art in further education colleges for a few years, but then reached a crossroads when he was offered a full-time illustration position at Games Workshop Design Studios in Nottingham. A couple of years later he returned to education to teach at Coventry University as an Abode Skills Instructor; he was then promoted to lecturer of creative digital skills.

In 2018 Matthew’s work caught the attention of an art director at Warner Brothers Film Studios in London. He was offered the opportunity to work as a concept artist on a new WB film starring Mark Walberg. Matt has now worked on Netflix productions, films The Batman and Mission Impossible 7, and is currently working on Mission Impossible 8.

Art was always Matthew’s favourite subject at school and after graduating from university, no matter what job he did, he always worked on his own art projects in his spare time. Matthew was the first person from his family to go to university and having no connections in the London film industry, there was definitely an element of being in the right place at the right time that helped him on the way.

Matthew’s advice for other OAT students:

• Looking back on my education and career, when it comes to making a decision about your future, it is best to choose something that you enjoy.
• We spent the best part of our lives working, so aim for a career that is enjoyable and fulfilling as opposed to just a means to make money.
• When looking at art specifically, some people would argue that there are few viable career paths available for art students; this could not be further from the truth and evidence of this can be seen all around us, in the forms of architecture, vehicle design, advertising, fashion, video games, TV, movies and many more.