Punxsy native making good on Hollywood dreams
Do you believe dreams can come true with hard work and dedication? Former Punxsy resident Matthew Jenkins certainly thinks so. He is currently out in California pursuing his dreams of a career in music and directing.
Jenkins said he grew up in the area, a native of Punxsutawney, and spent a lot of time in Mahaffey as well.
He said around eight years ago he decided to pursue his dreams of a career in music and film, and jumped on a Greyhound bus bound for Palm Springs, California, with an acoustic guitar and $1,300 to his name. He said the arts had always fascinated him when he was young, which spurred his decision.
“Honestly, I was scared at first, but I really believed in myself. I love the town of Punxsutawney, but it can be hard to make it there. I just knew in my heart that I was destined for more. When I got on the Greyhound bus, I knew it was all about my thinking. I just thought ‘This could end up one of two ways. I could go to California and make all my dreams come true, or I could end up on skid row. It’s
totally up to me. When I got dropped off, everything started to fall in place for me. I really thank God; if wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t be where I am at. I really believed he would carry me, and he did.”
He said he played and sang on the streets of Palm Springs, making enough money busking to secure himself an apartment and a job at Pappy and Harriet’s, which he said is one of the most famous music venues in the United States. He said it was at Pappy and Harriet’s where he struck up a friendship with actor and musician Kiefer Sutherland, whose band plays at the venue.
“Paul McCartney played private shows there. Every legend you could imagine has played Pappy and Harriet’s,” Jenkins said.
He said he began networking at Pappy and Harriet’s, and ended up meeting his wife at the establishment. The two moved closer to Los Angeles, where Jenkins founded Indacut Studios. He said he began working with Fender Guitar, the LA Chargers and other NFL personalities. He said he would match the NFL stars with Fender-sponsored musicians, and they would form bands.
“It was super interesting. Two to three days a week, I would have two to three different professional football players playing guitar. It was so funny because these guys are so huge and you see these guitars in their hands. They are regular-sized guitars, but when they hold them, they look like little kids’ guitars,” Jenkins said.
He said after several years, he wanted to return to the high desert of Joshua Tree, California. There, he partnered with Shacouia Moore to start SHOaded Media Group. He said they began to produce music videos, which is how he began his directorial career.
“It’s so beautiful here, it’s such a magical place. Joshua Tree is actually the fastestgrowing artist community in the United States,” Jenkins said.
He said he was approached by musician Jessika Von Rabbit to direct a music video for her entitled “Who the Hell Knows?” After that video, Von Rabbit approached Jenkins again with Jesse Hughes, the frontman for the rock band Eagles of Death Metal. The pair said they wanted to make a hybrid music video and short film, which would be a remake of “Boys don’t Cry/I want to be a Cowboy”.
“It’s a black and white Western that has everything from saloon scenes to robberies to jail breaks. It’s super exciting,” Jenkins said.
He said as the video was being prepared to be released, Von Rabbit was approached by the first annual Pioneertown Film Festival. Jenkins said they will be releasing their video alongside Hollywood star Jason Momoa, who will debut his film “The Last Manhunt.”
He said along with that and other directorial opportunities with Amazon Prime, he was approached to be in the movie “Roving Woman.” He said the movie is co-produced and stars John Hawkes, and also stars Lena Gora. The movie will premier at the Tribecca Film Festival on June 22.
Jenkins said he was surprised at his success, but always believed in himself.
“I never, ever thought I would be working with Jesse Hughes and the Eagles of Death Metal, or I would be having my work released right alongside of Jason Momoa. But at the same time, I always tried to believe in myself. I try to believe in the universal law of attraction, which is like ‘whatever you believe you are or what you will be, you will become.’ I believe that anyone who believes in themselves can do anything. And that goes for anybody. If anything, I hope I can inspire people to believe in themselves and follow their dreams. Anything is attainable if you believe in yourself,” Jenkins said.
He said that growing up in the Punxsutawney area instilled in him a work ethic centered around hard work that served him even out in California.
“Growing up in that area, there are a lot of strong-willed people. It’s a blue-collar community of hard workers. You get up, go to work and get the job done. That was something that was instilled in me, and that’s something that influences my work ethic today. When that alarm goes off at 4:30 in the morning, you got to get up and face the day, whether it’s 20 below zero in Pennsylvania or 120 degrees here in Joshua Tree, California,” Jenkins said.
He said that he was at first nervous meeting his heroes, but found out that the people in Hollywood are very similar to us back home.
“At first, when I was hanging out with my heroes, I was so nervous. I didn’t know how to act and I was afraid I was going to say something wrong. But I realized, they are just like us. I realized we were so much alike. It doesn’t really matter where you come from, you can do anything,” Jenkins said.
He gave a piece of advice to anyone looking to pursue their dreams: never give up.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be what you want to be. Ever. You can be anything you want to be,” Jenkins said.