Meet Matt Sternberg

We were lucky to catch up with Matt Sternberg recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matt, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

To be one hundred percent honest I haven’t fully over come my imposter syndrome. There is a lot of self doubt that fills me up whenever I’ve decided to do any sort of creative project that I birth from an Idea. It’s the stress of thinking about everything I have to get ready and people I have to organize and everything else that goes along with producing a stage production or filming anything. On the streaming show FLUSHING IT that I produce, write, and star in I wear many hats. The stress of having to do so many roles feeds the anxiety monster and you can absolutely spiral. But, I have learned to counter balance and tame the monster by naming it (I name my anxiety Sheila….she’s a bitch). Whenever her or imposter syndrome tell me I’m not good enough, I generally tell her or the syndrome to F off. I then try to tell myself I’m enough and what I’m doing is funny enough, written well enough, acted fine, and to keep going. If I couldn’t do my art then I don’t think I could exist. So that drives my thoughts as well. There is a lot of chatter in this artistic brain…..it’s just learning to ignore it.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I grew up in Virginia and moved to NYC to be a performer. Originally all I wanted to do was be an actor and I was able to do that to an extent but I feel the industry never understood me. Now in 2024-2025 you can’t just be an actor. You have to be your own brand. It’s such a different landscape from when I first got to the city. So I got to a point where I wanted to create my own opportunities because I wasn’t getting the roles I was wanted/enjoyed. I started my production company This Jew’s For You Productions in response to the way I was feeling in 2018. We did two successful Off-Broadway shows in 2018 and 2019 (The Eight: Reindeer Monologues was nominated by Time Out Magazine’s: Top Christmas Show 2018 and in 2019 we did the murder mystery melodrama, which we turned comedy, The Ninth Guest) and then 2020 hit and we had to take a break. The industry changed drastically after Covid so we had to pivot. I created my streaming show Flushing It (2023) which was unleashed on YouTube last year and we are currently working on season two. This Jew’s For You Productions likes to focus on projects that turn things on its head and gives you something unexpected. And on top of that we generally focus on comedy…..the world we live in is a very jarring, scary, and serious place now and if we bring laughter into someone’s life then what we did was successful.

Flushing It is the story of two siblings that get into a flood of misadventures around New York City, in different bathrooms. The comedy series is 8 short episodes and is currently available on YouTube. Support our labor of comedy love by giving us a watch. You’ll laugh. I promise.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Number one would be patients. Things happen in life that are out of your control and if you want to work well with others then you have to be patient. If things are falling apart in rehearsal or while shooting and others around you are causing this, then don’t get mad or fester, just think what you need to do to fix the problem. Be calm and patient.
Number two communication. When you’re the head of the ship for whatever project you’re working on you have to be able to adapt to others communication styles. You have to be a chameleon. The way your actors have issues with something is going to be way different than your crew or helping hands. Don’t get upset. You really have to activate your empathy chip sometimes.
Number three no fear. If you have an idea my advice would be jump in head first. Do some research. See who you have in your network or post an ad and find people who can help you. Sure you’ll have to figure some things out as you go but if you do this and just start creating then you’ll get better and better at it. Don’t sit on your brilliance. You never know where it could lead.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

Luckily, my parents where always supportive and let me choose my own path. I’ve been performing since I was 8 years old. My mother would drive me everywhere and pick me up from rehearsals and got me involved in theater as a kid. My dad was the one that dropped me off in New York City and it changed my life. They both played their parts in getting me where I wanted to be. I’m very grateful to both of them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mattytwerks1234
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MattGSternberg