Among Matt Boatright-Simon’s many passions is a love for journalism and Madison, the city he calls his “spiritual home.”
Lucky for us, those interests conspired to inspire Matt, a filmmaker based in Los Angeles and soon Madison as well, to produce a short film that tells the story of Isthmus’ mission and 46 years as an alternative newspaper, as well as how it survived COVID and transitioned to a nonprofit organization. Donated by Matt’s company, Boatright-Simon Picture + Sound, it’s a beautifully produced piece that will be enormously helpful in sharing our story with the public, supporters and potential funders.
Matt grew up in Indiana and the Madison area. When the time came to apply for college, he was singularly focused: He applied only to UW-Madison.
He arrived on campus in 1989. Just 17 years old, he rowed on the UW team that won the national championship in 1990. He started as a pre-med major, eventually pivoting to film, theater and communications. His go-to newspapers were Isthmus and The Onion, which he remembers reading every week, usually at the Pres House on campus, where he studied in the basement. Isthmus, he says, reflected the Madison he knew and felt kinship with. “I knew Madison was historically and politically open-minded and liberal,” he says. “This was my first real world practical application in that.”
In college, Matt met Jason Joyce, now Isthmus publisher, in the dorms and they kept in touch over the years. He says he admired Jason’s long career commitment to journalism as well as his decision to leave the relative safety of the Cap Times in July 2021 to return to Isthmus, now a nonprofit startup. “I’m always interested in people making courageous choices,” says Matt.
Matt proposed the idea of a video to Jason and started interviewing and filming the staff in November; he continued working on the video through the spring, traveling back and forth between Madison and Los Angeles monthly. To capture the full story, he drove down to Janesville to get footage of the January issue of Isthmus coming off the press; tagged along with staffers as they reported stories at the state Capitol and on State Street, and distributed papers around the city; and sat in on staff meetings and board meetings.
Matt says his journalism super-fandom dates back 15 or so years, starting with the time he spent in London reading the Guardian. “Journalism has helped me navigate my way through the world as a professional, parent, human being and an American in these really wild times.”
He’s a true creative himself, producing work across genres. He’s created films, magical realism theater, documentary television, commercials and branded content. He’s composed and performed music for television and film and photographed President Barack Obama, Michael Jackson and Kanye West, among others. He’s currently working on a film based in Madison titled Madcity.
Which brings us back to Matt’s love for Madison. He says the city, while not perfect, is “responsible for every good thing that has happened in my life. I’ve lived all over the world and traveled all over the world and I can honestly say it’s the best place in the world to live.”
His three children are witness to his devotion to the city and state. They are named Madison, Monona and Mosinee.
In anticipation of spending more time in Madison, Matt has already joined the board of the River Food Pantry. It’s a family tradition to help others and give back, he says. His mom, who received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin, has spent her career in juvenile justice, and his dad is a retired special education teacher and counselor. He also watched his grandparents — “Black folks who grew up in a white town” — make sure people in their own community did not go hungry.
He feels similarly driven to do what he can to improve the world. “If I can use my skills to help amplify the good in the world — at a time when we need it — then that’s what I’m going to do.”
