transformational
storytelling
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
award-winning writer
actor
“History would be a wonderful thing – if it were only true.”
―Leo Tolstoy
american origin stories
top-30 apple podcast
“history by a master storyteller”
“turns familiar tales completely on their heads”
“seriously brilliant mind”
“the history we should have been taught”
“a necessity. especially now.”
“delivers with clarity and calmness”
“more than impressive”
“I find myself listening more than once”
“absolutely thought-provoking”
“a must listen”
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
The First American Bank Robbery
The Ghost Who Wrote the Constitution
The 4-foot David vs the Goliath of Slavery
The Most Interesting Man in the World
The Tyrant George Washington vs the Hero Daniel Shays
(How the Constitution Stopped the Revolution)
“History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history.”
―james baldwin
On HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu
Oscar-Nominated
Best-Writing Awards
Over 100 Critics’ “Best-of” Lists
Numerous Festival Awards
documentaries
award-winning
FILM HIGHLIGHTS:
How to Make Money Selling Drugs
(Eminem, 50 cent)
Deliver Us From Evil
(Oscar-nominated)
Bernie in Brooklyn
(with Mark Ruffalo)
“History is the study of all the world’s crime.”
―voltaire
A worldwide audience for his viral docu-essays and talks (over 250M views)
Guest host for Larry King’s PoliticKING on HULU
The most influential content of the Bernie 2016 presidential campaign
A formative part of media culture since 2015
social media talks
OVER 250M VIEWS
“Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it's the history of ideas."
―RAY BRADBURY
Cooke’s science fiction writing and concepts have been developed by X-Men / Wolverine producers and Amazon Studios.
His screenplay FUTURE PERFECT is currently being produced by KukuFM, India’s #1 podcast company.
SCIENCE FICTION
“There is more logic in humor than in anything else. Because, you see, humor is truth.”
―victor borge
A COMEDY SERIES — STARRING HUSBAND & WIFE TEAM, MATTHEW COOKE & APRIL BOWLBY
About April Bowlby
She stars as Rita Farr in the HBO MAX hit show, “Doom Patrol” and “Titans.” She played “Kandi” on “Two and a Half Men” & Stacy Barrett on “Drop Dead Diva.” And co-starred in top-10 Netflix film “Father Christmas is Back” with John Cleese & Kelsey Grammer.
“Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination.”
―william gibson
CYBERWORLD DESIGN
In the late 1990’s, Cooke was a creative director for Capitol Records and soon after pioneered the first single-field search engine (before Google), which earned a Best-of-the-Web Award from Print Magazine and a partnership with Intel, Time-Warner, and AOL.
He taught digital arts at Otis College of Design before transitioning to filmmaking.
Cooke creates most of the special effects and motion graphics in his films and shorts.
“Reality is hopelessly inaccurate.”
―douglas adams
cooke creative studio
Cooke Creative Studio Ltd was founded in Kent, England in 2024. The company is currently developing projects with Oscar-nominated documentary producer Sol Guy (Bobby Wine) and Grammy-nominated music video producer Dawn Fanning Moore (Billie Eilish, Radiohead).
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.”
―vICTOR HUGO
music & sound
Cooke has been playing guitar and drums since he was 13. He was the bass player in the 80s Chicago hardcore band “Angerhouse” with Erik Funk and Patrick Costello who later formed the Minneapolis pop-punk group “Dillinger Four,” featured in Survivors Guide to Prison.
He sound-designs and scores most of his work, and is developing a kung fu musical. No, seriously.
“information that does not transform is just gossip.”
―varindra tarzie vittachi
ROOTS
Born in Washington, D.C.
Son of writer / urban development consultant Stuart Cooke and musician-turned-creative producer Marcella Cooke.
Went to Evanston Township High School in Evanston, IL, the alma mater of John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Seth Meyers, Michael Madsen, and Liz Phair.
Graduate of Pitzer College in Claremont, CA with a BA in Film Studies, magna cum laude.
Married to April Bowlby Cooke. Living in Los Angeles and the UK. With child. And dog.
Matthew sees his work as part of a global mission to magnify the universal human values taught by the world’s great traditions.