My name is Matt, and after a lot of years of taking the safe, boring, same-old way of doing life, I finally decided to have adventures, meet new people, and be happy. I'm ready to see the world - there is so much love and beauty out there to experience, and I'm kind of sad it took me until just now to learn that!

I'm a videography/filmmaker/video editor by trade. I'm from Georgia, and grew up outside of Atlanta. I love cinema and classic video games, good music, art, culture, exploring new places, I'm gay, and I'm a Christian. I think I'm a very friendly person, and I'm definitely an optimist - I think everyone deserves love and respect, and I think people are miracles.

As a part of my goal to choose happiness, I decided to get healthy and have recently lost about 70lbs, so I'm excited to be even more active in my adventures and exploration.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

For too long, my comfort zone has been small and safe, but closeted (in more ways than one, if you understand me), and I'm ready to see the world and make new friends an experience new cultures. I believe there is deep beauty all around the planet and that people are made in the image of God, and I love meeting new friends and seeing that in them. I want to see all the places I've only dreamed of, and I guess this is how my adventure begins!

Let's see the sights together, grab a drink, listen to a concert, see some local film, and have adventures!

Interests

• photography
• concerts
• working out
• video games
• music
• hiking
• philosophy
• religion
• art
• filmmaking
• cinema
• geocaching
• urbex

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Indie Rock, Oldies, 80's rock, Folk, Acoustic Folk, that sort of thing

Movies: Lord of the Rings, Stand By Me, Interstellar, Doubt, Slumdog Millionaire, Horror, Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, Alfonso Cuarón, Ari Aster, David Lynch, coming-of-age dramas, honestly... I love all types of cinema.

Books: Thrillers, books on religion/theology and politics, fantasy adventures, sometimes comics/manga

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Only one? D:
For a while, I taught filmmaking and design at a college in Atlanta, where I got to meet and teach some incredible students to tell stories onscreen through film and video, and that was such a joy to be a part of. I love being a filmmaking and telling my own stories, and have had the opportunity to work in the Atlanta film industry a few different times, but being able to help others achieve and work towards the same dream was very special.

Teach, Learn, Share

There are a couple different things I could talk all day about: cinema/storytelling and Christianity. Don't worry, I'm not someone who will beat you over the head with the Bible - as a Christian, I genuinely love theology, discussing differences in beliefs, and exploring those differences. As for cinema (and someone who used to teach it to college students) if you want to know anything about filmmaking, writing, or storytelling, I'm an open book! Let's make a film together or something!

As for learning, I'd love to learn more languages, specifically Spanish. If you can help me practice Spanish (but explain in English.... hehe) I'd be so grateful!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Lots of love and friendly/fun conversation! Also, I love taking video and photos - maybe we could get creative and do something related to that while I'm visiting.

Countries I’ve Visited

Dominican Republic, Mexico, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States