Born in Wausau, Wisconsin, Matthew lived in many different places in his youth, including Milwaukee, San Diego, Sioux Falls, Atlanta, and Athens, Georgia, where he was graduated by the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Drama. Eventually he moved to New York City, where he worked as a fashion videographer, a commercial photographer, and transcribed raw audio for television.
After moving to Minneapolis in 2002, he scouted and managed locations for film, assisted on commercials, and spent a few ill-advised years in the investment banking industry before coming to his senses and returning to a field he enjoys.
Outside of CaptionMax, he frequently writes reviews for an underground music website, performs and records music, and is back in school studying sound arts. Last year he wed his wife Mary, and they currently live in northeast Minneapolis with their cat Maia.