PITTSBURGH (PTTP) – Pitt alumnus Matt Schultz currently serves as the Assistant Director of Admissions for the David C. Frederick Honors College. He is the subject of this week’s Alumni Spotlight.
Schultz graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in the Spring of 2010 with majors in History, Political Science and Communications. His initial plan was to pursue a PhD in History, but the recession caused him to change course.
“… I realized I needed to find a job, first and foremost… I…had an identity crisis where the plan that I had, from when I started college, disappeared. It evaporated from me. “
Near the end of 2010, Schultz applied for a job at the University Honors College, now called the David C. Frederick Honors College, where he currently works. As Assistant Director of Admissions, his job is to meet, discuss and recruit for the Honors College through a variety of means.
Beyond his work for the University of Pittsburgh, Schultz spends much of his time in the world of film, making television shows, short films and theatrical-length films as a part of a filmmaking group called Locust Street.
In his film projects, Schultz typically takes on the role of screenwriter, actor and/or producer. He has been involved in the creation of such projects as Theo & the Professor and The Boonies, the latter of which was made after meeting with film producers from the Johnstown area who were looking to create with local filmmakers. Along with Locust Street, he is currently involved in the creation of a dark comedy short film dealing with the endpoint of social media and what that means for human interaction.
Though most of his projects are funded through Kickstarter, Schultz hopes to make more of a living out of his hobby. He hopes that the utilization of services like Patreon will allow this dream to come to fruition.
In addition to bringing Locust Street to a point where they are self-sustaining, Schultz hopes that the future will bring about more flexibility and increased exposure, allowing for his group to be seen as “professional amateur filmmakers.”
