Meet Matthew Rumble of Emojimatt

I’m a filmmaker, editor, and photographer from the bay area of California. I am just 18 but I’ve launched several online businesses and projects over the past couple of years. I got started when I saw people on YouTube becoming successful making videos they enjoyed. It was still pretty new to see people make a living off of YouTube but I decided to go for it. I would upload videos with my iPhone and share vlog-style videos going through my day in a unique perspective. I would also make different cinematics as I got more comfortable editing. I spent the last 5 years learning and constantly stepping up my editing skills which are all self-taught. I also used to film videos to make others laugh in my school and try to collaborate with them to gain popularity not only on my channel but in school. At one point every teacher and even the principal knew about my channel. Since then I’ve created my own videogames/apps, merchandise, website, photography Instagram, and YouTube. I now have around 18,000 subscribers on YouTube and 3,000 on my Instagram where I showcase my filmmaking, photography, drone cinematics, vlogs, and tutorials to help others starting out. I started my YouTube career doing cinematics and travel films constantly creating the best videos I can. I’ve made apps and videogames as well which I learned on my own to create and presets for photography. I have an app on the android store and I’m working on some other 3d FPS games learning from YouTube tutorials. I love working in online businesses and filmmaking new adventures. I’m a really self-motivated person and love finding new perspectives on films. I believe that story and bringing the viewer in is important when creating any travel film. Sound design and smooth transitions with amazing visuals are all pieces I try to incorporate in all my videos.

It has definitely not been a smooth road getting to where I’m at right now. When I was still starting off in filmmaking I tried joining film classes and film festivals but nothing was accepted. Even to this day I have been stood up, rejected, and lied to by some of my biggest mentors who I have spent years following. These were just some of the struggles but many more have included others wanting editing work for free as well as ending communication out of nowhere after making videos to show off my work. While many people would think that after all these setbacks I would have just given in to defeat, I only took it as motivation to work harder. I created films I would have never imagined creating and because of that I have now been acknowledged and praised by filmmakers 10-20 years down the road in their career. It is really difficult to stay motivated for long periods of time when you are the only one fighting through every setback. By collaborating which was something I started off doing on my Instagram with photography, I have now made many friends and acquaintances who support my visions. With traveling and capturing my experiences for my audience online, it has let people see a new perspective and story on who I am. I still try to post as much as I can across all platforms even getting my foot into TikTok to expand my audience. I am also trying to monetize my work more by creating online courses and presets that people can use to speed up their editing workflow. Even though some of the big opportunities have ended up not working out in my favor, I’ve only grown from each experience and take that as a learning opportunity to create better.

My brand, Emojimatt focuses on creating high quality and memorable cinematic pieces. My name first came into existence when I first started YouTube. I tried using name generators and every website possible to come up with a long term brand name but none really spoke to me. I ended up seeing an emoji shaped pillow on my sister’s bed one day and thought of combining my name with the word emoji. Back then emojis were really booming and I needed a short catchy name people would remember. I have first known for my videos with other classmates back in middle school as well as my own parody music videos at my high school campus. I also started off doing school vlogs which involved some of my friends and popular kids in my grade. It was free marketing as the word got around of people being on my YouTube channel. This led to more people knowing and wanting to be in my future videos. Since then I have kept working to create even stronger content through the unique visuals in my short films. I am most proud of my commitment to this brand which is constantly evolving and trying to expand across every platform. What really sets me apart from the rest is my unique way of telling a story even with the most basic pieces of gear. I never really had a camera but would constantly try to push my phone camera to the limits showing it’s possible to create if you eliminate all excuses. I still only use my camera on some occasions as it is a lot more convenient to bring a phone and easily capture on the go. My last 5 years of daily practice in editing videos/photos have really made my videos stand out. While people are putting down cheap gear or smartphone made films, I have shown that it is possible to create stunning cinematics with this gear. I also have got into drones the last two years upgrading to the Mavic 2 which I bring wherever I go to get unique ariel views.

I personally define success as less of a target but more of the constant enjoyment in a process done daily. Constantly enjoying what you are doing and having high targets that are personal to yourself, then accomplishing them is how I define success. Normally success is shown in society through financial freedom and travelling the world or living in the biggest mansion. The truth is that people have their own markers of success as without goals it’s easy to get lost or depressed. These don’t have to be monetary as a teacher can define success as her students doing well later in life or passing the class. She thoroughly enjoys her job and cares about the students learning what she is passionate about. A filmmaker would define success as being recognized through awards or having their film featured in a large festival/theatre screens. My criteria specifically for my own success revolves around my love for creating travel films. It’s not something that can be achieved and then stopped. It is constantly expanding my reach online and becoming an influencer across multiple platforms, being recognized by large companies, and eventually, people recognizing me in real life inspired by the work I have created. Financial goals also are on my mind as I have to keep investing in myself through learning new skills, creating assets through online courses, and marketing my brand. I would also love to find a partner that shares similar goals and constant ambition toward something we are both passionate about. Collaborating with more people and getting my name out there may be hard at first but it’s something I have to constantly push to show others my talents/skills. I hope to work with larger companies in the future and get noticed by filmmakers I’ve looked up to with my films. I also want to master After Effects as I’ve learned almost all I could about the tools/editing in Premiere. Learning new programs will help evolve my films further and get more complex with elements such as tracking titles or smoother transitions.