There’s room for Superheroes, Ronda Rousey and The Hitlers in Matt Ogens’ universe

Matt Ogens

If you’re curious about the human condition, you couldn’t ask for a better guide than Matt Ogens. Matt is an award-winning filmmaker who works across a variety of media including documentary, interactive, virtual and augmented reality, and advertising/branded content. The through line is a that rare marriage of storytelling and visuals…a feast for your eyes that gets under your skin.

His feature docs (“Confessions of a Superhero,” “Meet the Hitlers”) have won critical acclaim, and his new documentary series, “Why We Fight” (on Verizon’s go90 platform), grabbed me from the first scene. Matt co-created, executive produces (along with Ronda Rousey), and has directed episodes for the show, which was inspired by a short doc he directed called Kid Yamaka.

Recent work includes an Emmy-nominated AR (augmented reality) project called “LA Louvre,” and Matt is currently finishing post-production on his third feature documentary, filmed on the US-Mexican border. This project presented us a chance to delve into what “branded content” is all about; the film is sponsored by the Dicks Sporting Goods Foundation, and Matt spent 5 months capturing the stories of high school student athletes who live on both sides of the border in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Matt got his start directing long form docu-series for networks including MTV, VH1, CBS, and CNN, and earned three Emmy nominations for his work for ESPN. His feature documentary “Confessions of a Superhero” debuted at SXSW to critical acclaim. He segued into commercials, working with top agencies and brands and racking up awards from The One Show, Clio, SXSW Interactive, and ADC. Matt continues to work across both commercials and long form entertainment, directing “From Harlem with Love” for ESPN’s Primetime Emmy-winning “30 for 30” series, as well as his second feature documentary “Meet the Hitlers,” which explores the impact of names on personal identity.