Matthew Cherry

Matthew A. Cherry is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer whose career spans professional sports and the entertainment industry. Cherry began as an NFL wide receiver, playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, and Baltimore Ravens before transitioning to film. After retiring from football, Cherry worked as a production assistant and later directed music videos for artists such as Michelle Williams featuring Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland, Jazmine Sullivan, and Chloe X Halle.

Cherry wrote and directed his first feature film, "The Last Fall," starring Lance Gross and Nicole Beharie. The film, which premiered at SXSW and won Best Screenplay at the American Black Film Festival, draws on Cherry's experiences after leaving the NFL. His subsequent feature, "9 Rides," was shot entirely on an iPhone 6s and premiered at SXSW. Cherry also served as an executive producer on the Academy Award-nominated film "BlacKkKlansman" while working as a creative executive at Monkeypaw Productions.

Cherry gained widespread recognition for the animated short film "Hair Love," which he developed through a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $300,000. The film centers on an African American father learning to style his daughter's hair and addresses themes of Black hair representation and family. "Hair Love" won Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards and was adapted into a children's book, which became a New York Times Bestseller.

In his Oscar acceptance speech, Cherry advocated for increased representation in animation and supported the CROWN Act, legislation aimed at preventing discrimination based on natural hairstyles. The release of "Hair Love" coincided with the passage of the CROWN Act in several states. Cherry is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Cherry's work in film and television includes directing episodes of ABC's "Abbott Elementary," "Black-ish," and "The Wonder Years," as well as Peacock TV's "Bel-Air" and "Saved By The Bell." He also developed the animated series "Young Love" for Max, based on the family from "Hair Love," and has worked on "The Come Up," a heist comedy for New Line Cinema. Cherry's projects focus on diversity, representation, and challenging mainstream narratives in Hollywood.