Mentor Profile: Matt Dy
STOWE MENTOR AND LITERARY MANAGER MATT DY ON FINDING YOUR TRIBE
By Marian Cook
“From an early age, I was dumbfounded that the director got the credit for practically everything on a film, but there would be no film without the screenwriter. And so, I was always naturally just drawn to story and wanted to be a storyteller growing up.” And so, Stowe Story Labs Mentor and Literary Manager Matt Dy did.
Born in Hollywood (which his mother always regarded as a sign), he moved to Texas at the young age of ten and would stay there for most of his adult professional career—"you don’t have to be initially in LA to break in,” Matt said.
Growing up, he pursued theater, writing, and eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of science in radio/TV/film with a concentration in screenwriting. But he also studied producing at UT-Austin, which is now serving him well as a literary manager at Lit Entertainment Group, a production company formed by film producer Adam Kolbrenner in 2019.
Before that, he was working at the Austin Film Festival, a role he held for a steady ten years and where he met Adam, who was a judge and panelist, by connecting him with AFF screenwriters. He began as an intern and eventually worked his way up to Director of Script Competitions, where he facilitated the evaluation of thousands of annual script submissions (which reached a record 10,580 submissions in 2018), and helped bolster the careers of countless writers by connecting them with various top agents, managers, and producers (like Adam).
“In my whole professional career in the industry so far, I've basically been thrown into the deep end in literally everything,” Matt explained. “When I was first given the job of Director of Script Competitions at AFF, I knew of the job because I was actually the intern of the guy who ran the competition and then I helped run the operations of the festival, but it’s one thing to actually be in charge of it and be completely responsible for thousands of scripts and thousands of dreams.”
Despite the huge responsibility and learning curve, Matt doesn’t carry any sense of regret or irritation. In fact, he’s proud and relays that sometimes the best way to learn is trial by fire.
He continues, “There is no set path in this business. You can look at success stories of how people got to where they were, but it’s only really unique to that person. So the path that I took, I’m so grateful for it because it’s a very unique one.”
Where Matt didn’t have guidance, now he gives to the screenwriters he manages and the participants of Stowe he mentors. Since he’s read a lot of scripts in his lifetime, I ask him what are the biggest “dos and don’ts” he’s come across and here are a top few:
Don’t wait to grip the reader on page eight, DO it immediately on page one.
Don’t submit a script as is, DO proofread it.
Don’t submit a feature that is over 130 pages long, DO keep it under and remember that literary managers are reading 20-30 scripts a day.
Don’t follow the market, DO write about your passions.
Don’t send incessant emails and query letters (very few result in representation), DO consider entering competitions and festivals as it will lead to referrals.
But for Matt, the two most important things for a screenwriter are discovering your voice and finding your tribe, one that will support and guide you throughout your screenwriting journey, no matter where you might be on it.
Matt explained, “What are the stories you want to see? Really tap into how you see the world, what your POV is. You really have to know who you are as a person and as a storyteller, they go hand in hand. Because when you meet with people, say when you're finding a rep, they're going to want to know your backstory, the story behind the storyteller. Understand your voice.”
He continues, “And I love being a mentor for Stowe. I met David Rocchio through AFF and I got a similar vibe of community. At AFF, I learned that the real success stories come out of the relationships screenwriters have with each other. When one rose, they would try to lift everyone else up. So when it comes to screenwriting, screenwriters, and the screenwriting community, it really is about finding your tribe—and I feel like Stowe is a very special tribe.”
Marian Cook is a former journalist, Stowe Story Labs staff member, and current USC student pursuing an MFA in directing. She’s been published over a dozen times, covering topics from local news to federal healthcare legislation. Although she loves the world of journalism, having done documentaries on a range of topics from plastic surgery to segregation in the church, her real passion lies in narrative film. She one day hopes to be a writer-director and tell strong, female-led stories, especially that of Latinas. When she’s not filming, she likes to explore, listen to blues and jazz, brush up on her French, and absorb everything science fiction related. Learn more at http://mariandcook.weebly.com/. At Stowe Story Labs, Marian assists with all aspects of operations, writes for the newsletter, and assists with research and writing to support fundraising and communications about programs.
