matt silverman - creative director & effects & design director

Matt Silverman got his start in the biz while in high school shooting and cutting skateboard videos documenting the New York skateboard scene in the late ‘80’s. He continued to pursue this passion while attending San Diego State University, where he discovered the wonderful world of non-linear editing on a computer. Silverman transferred to San Francisco State University’s Cinema Department where he studied film-making, traditional animation, and graphic design. After finishing school, Silverman worked as a motion graphics designer at one of the world’s first interactive agencies, CKS, on accounts that included Apple Computer, Compaq, Timberland, and Radio Shack.

Since joining Phoenix in 1999, Silverman has completed design and visual effects work on hundreds of spots for leading ad agencies including Black Rocket (now Heat), Venables Bell & Partners, DDB, and Goodby Silverstein & Partners. Standouts include Superbowl spots for Yahoo! and First Union Bank, as well as work on spots for Got Milk?, HP, PG&E, AT&T & Palm. Feature film work includes special effects on “Scooby Doo,” “Hell Boy,” and the trailer for Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s “Team America,” as well as title design for the Sundance-winning documentary “My Flesh and Blood.”

In addition to his design and effects work, Silverman was a founding partner of Theory, a software development company acquired by Digital Anarchy in 2004. Products included Microcosm, the world's only 64bit lossless QuickTime codec, ColorTheory, a stand-alone application and set of plug-ins for finding harmonious color combinations based on traditional Bauhaus color theory, and the Flash QuickTime video exporter included in Macromedia Flash 2004. Silverman was instrumental in the early development of the industry leading rotoscoping application, Commotion, while working as the Product Manager/Evangelist at Puffin Designs alongside ILM effects supervisors John Knoll and Scott Squires. Silverman has been a faculty member at the American Film Institute (AFI) in Hollywood where he has taught workshops on special effects, as well as a 3D animation instructor at The Academy of Art in San Francisco. Silverman has lectured on traditional color theory and special effects around the world, and has been a featured artist in Res Magazine, Post Magazine, Adobe.com, and Apple.com.