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| MATT COOK is an economist, award-winning symphonic composer, Los Angeles Times bestselling author, and executive film producer based in Los Angeles. |
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BOOKS. Matt’s books include Sleight of Mind (2020) from MIT Press, a nonfiction book on paradoxes in mathematics, physics, and philosophy; Good Little Marauder (2020), a WWII spy novel; Sabotage (2014) from Macmillan, a top ten Los Angeles Times bestselling thriller optioned for a video game adaptation; the entrepreneurial success book The Startup Star (2010); and several early works.
MUSIC. Cook is known for a lush symphonic style that awakens a spirit of wonder and adventure. His latest work, Braveship, a narrated symphonic spectacular for audiences aged 5-105, was honored with a Hollywood Music in Media Award. A truly international project, Braveship entailed contributions from over 150 artists and virtuosos from 20+ countries. This multimedia program of all-original orchestral music has thirteen movements, accompanied by fantastical illustrations and animations projected on screen. In a storytelling format like Peter and the Wolf, Braveship invites audiences on an adventure with an orphan boy who flies a magic airship to distant lands, discovering the family he never had. Toward the goal of advancing musical education, Dr. Cook has produced a web series called “Understanding Music,” which covers topics from the physics of music to concepts in music theory and appreciation.
FILM. In 2018 Matt executive produced the movie God Bless the Broken Road based on the hit Rascal Flatt’s song. The movie tells the story of a young mother who loses her husband in Afghanistan and struggles to raise their daughter in his absence.
PROJECTS. For his support of the military as creator of the international Mile-Long Yellow Ribbon Project, Matt was honored with the President’s Call to Service Award in person by President George W. Bush and has been invited to the White House multiple times. In 2010 Matt cofounded U.S. Common Sense, a government data transparency organization whose research and data appeared nearly every major news source. Matt also started Braveship Media, an entertainment group with operations in book publishing and film finance.
FOR AUDIENCES. A close-up magician trained at the Magic Castle, Matt has performed in Hollywood and across the globe. He guest lectures regularly at a number of universities, including Stanford University and USC, and has connected with audiences ranging from fifty to five thousand.
Matt’s other hobbies include scuba, aviation, and travel. A PADI Divemaster and pilot, he delights in weaving exotic locales into his stories, drawing from more than 170 he has visited. He completed his bachelors (economics) and master’s (engineering) at Stanford University, and his doctorate (economics) at the University of Pennsylvania as an NSF Scholar. |
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