Resume

Editing Reel Comedy Reel Music/Docu Reel

Matthew Brookens

Senior Video Editor Television | Comedy | Sound Design | Professional Voice Over

MATTHEW BROOKENS
Senior Video Editor
213.309.5336 | MattBrookens@gmail.com | mattbrookens.com
Editing Reel · Comedy Reel · Music/Docu Reel

SUMMARY

Award-winning creative editor with 18+ years crafting standout trailers, sizzles, unscripted television, documentaries, and branded content. Expert in pacing, sound design, and building content that’s both memorable and entertaining. Trusted by Paramount+, CBS, Discovery, Travel Channel, Lionsgate, National Geographic, and AARP to lead teams and deliver exceptional work.

EXPERIENCE

FREELANCE — Editor / Writer / Producer

2016 – Present
Punchy, story-first work across documentary, branded, comedy, and digital formats.

  • Houston’s Chinatown — AARP Documentary
  • The Boy Band Con — SXSW documentary (EP: Lance Bass)
  • CatFace / Aphmau — 30-minute scripted episodes for a 27M+ subscriber channel
  • Parker Plays — Disney XD
  • Skybound VR — Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners gameplay tournament cutdowns
  • Various branded work — commercials, corporate storytelling, and social campaigns for national and regional clients
  • Also: RealShorts, LOL! Network (Kevin Hart), Circa Laughs (David Zucker), Fierce Traveler, Proof of Hope

UNSCRIPTED TV (VARIOUS NETWORKS) — Freelance Editor

2020 – 2024

  • Secret Celebrity Renovation — CBS — Cut the pilot + 2 episodes; style and structure still used by the in-house team
  • Swamp People — History
  • Expedition Bigfoot — Travel Channel

Known for elevating vérité cuts with structure, suspense, and polish.

PILGRIM MEDIA GROUP (LIONSGATE) — Lead Development Editor / Producer

2017 – 2024
Led creative editorial on over 100 sizzles, trailers, and pilots. Known for building compelling stories from scratch — VO, graphics packages, and ripped video content.

Shows that got made from my sizzles:

  • FLY — Nat Geo Documentary (2025)
  • Secrets of the Garden — Nat Geo × P&G | Telly Award, Branded Doc
  • Street Outlaws: Locals Only — Discovery (2023)
  • Zombie House Flippers: Tampa — A&E (2023–2025)

CBS / PARAMOUNT+ — Senior Video Editor

2018 – 2022
P1 campaigns across streaming, TV, and social. Worked with CBS/Paramount marketing on prestige franchises.

  • Criminal Minds: Final Season — Cut flagship campaign across formats → +246% engagement, 13M+ views | Telly Award Winner
  • Halo: Declassified — 10-episode docuseries for the Halo launch; cinematic tone, high-security workflow
  • Additional campaigns: NCIS, Evil, Colbert, Young Sheldon, Blue Bloods, Nickelodeon, The Neighborhood, and more

GUITAR CENTER — Sr. Designer / Video Producer

2008 – 2014
Led campaigns across 8 brands. Directed shoots with Travis Barker, Bob Rock, and Chuck Leavell. Contributed to $124M+ in brand sales.

MUSICIANS INSTITUTE — Video Production Manager

2014 – 2015
Created branded content with Steve Vai, Victor Wooten, and others. Grew YouTube +97%, increased enrollment 11%.

SELECTED HONORS & ORIGINAL WORKS

  • 📻 Creator of Illinois Hell Hole — Wrote, directed, and produced a 2-hour horror-comedy audio drama with Hollywood voice talent — aired in three parts on NPR
  • 🎥 Directed feature: The Art of Pain — distributed on Netflix & Amazon
  • 🏆 2× Telly Award Winner — CBS & Nat Geo

TECHNICAL STACK

Premiere Pro (Expert) · After Effects · Audition · MOGRTs · Avid · DaVinci Resolve · Photoshop · Illustrator · Frame.io · MediaSilo · Descript · Color & Audio QC · GenAI tools (Runway, Midjourney)

EDUCATION

B.A. Film & Video — Columbia College Chicago
UCB — Sketch & Improv | Miles Stroth — Comedy/Pitch Development
Ongoing — GenAI courses for creative video

WHAT COLLABORATORS SAY

“Matt Brookens shaped a complex true-crime doc into a compelling story… and helped establish show tone from the ground up. He’s the editor you call when it really matters.”
— Aaron Kunkel, Executive Director, Pilgrim Media Group

“Matt Brookens is a powerhouse creative. On our Criminal Minds campaigns, he didn’t just deliver content—he crafted cinematic stories that resonated with millions.”
— Matthew Deicke, Creative Video Producer, CBS/Paramount

“His talent for developing fresh concepts and turning them into powerful sizzle reels is unmatched. Several of our pitches together led to paid development with major networks like History and NBCU. He’s a positive, consistent go-getter and an asset to any team.”
— Kendall Horn, 2500 Media (Lionsgate / Pilgrim)

Skills

  • 🎬 Video Editing & Post-Production – 18+ years cutting broadcast television, documentaries, branded content, commercials, and digital campaigns from first assembly through final delivery, with editorial judgment built on story, pacing, and rhythm. Watch the Editing Reel
  • 😂 Comedy Editing – UCB-trained in sketch, satire, screwball, and comedic interviews; I cut comedy with precision timing, landing every joke on the exact right frame. Watch the Comedy Reel
  • 🔊 Sound Design & Audio Post – Adobe Audition workflows, music editing, and mix-minded offline cuts; produced a 2.5-hour Hollywood-cast audio drama, so immersive audio is a first-pass instinct, not an afterthought. Watch the Music/Docu Reel
  • 🎙 Professional Voice Over – Broadcast-quality narration and scratch VO recorded in-house with same-day turnaround, keeping cuts moving without waiting on outside sessions.
  • 🖥 NLE & Finishing Tools – Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Audition, Media Encoder, DaVinci Resolve; fluent across camera formats, codecs, frame rates, and platform delivery specs for broadcast, streaming, and social.
  • 🤖 AI-Powered Workflows – Actively integrating AI tools (Runway ML, MidJourney, Synthesia, ChatGPT, Kling, Descript) into real production pipelines to move faster while protecting premium quality.
  • 🎨 Motion Graphics & Titles – After Effects animation, title design, and graphics packages that elevate the cut and carry the story visually.
  • 🗂 Media Management & Delivery – Ingest, transcode, logging, project organization, archiving, and QC-clean handoffs that keep multi-editor teams in sync and clients confident.
  • 🤝 Collaboration & Mentorship – Career-long team player who works hand-in-hand with producers, directors, writers, and clients, and genuinely enjoys sharing knowledge to make the whole edit bay stronger.
  • 📈 Story-Driven Marketing Cuts – Trailers, promos, and sizzles that have helped secure network deals — useful range for a shop serving both networks and brands.