Matt Sharp (born April 13, 1972, in Syracuse, New York)[1] is an American television producer.
Sharp is the founder and CEO[2] of Sharp Entertainment,[3] a major producer of unscripted television founded in 2003 and now part of Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction.[4]
Early life and education
editSharp's parents were history professor James Roger Sharp and the late journalist and professor Nancy Sharp, both of whom taught at Syracuse University. He attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School and the University of Vermont, and was a teenage entrepreneur.[1] Early in his career he worked at Viacom[5] and CBS News in production and development.
Sharp Entertainment
editSharp's first production credit with Sharp Entertainment was VH1's The Fabulous Life in 2003. His other production credits include 90 Day Fiancé and its many spinoffs,[6] Love After Lockup,[7] Marrying Millions, American Tarzan, Man v. Food, Love Off the Grid, Doomsday Preppers, Food Wars, Extreme Couponing, Bert the Conqueror, and most recently the Western docuseries The Wranglers.[8]
His shows have appeared on The Discovery Channel, TLC, VH1, National Geographic, Bravo, Travel Channel, A&E, The Food Network, and others.
Sharp is best known for 90 Day Fiancé. He got the idea for the show in 2011, but the networks he initially shopped it to didn't think its seemingly unlikely premise would be a success. It finally launched in 2014 and has been in production ever since,[9] spawning many spinoffs.[10]
Sharp executive-produced numerous TV movies, including Halloween's Most Extreme, Lost Magic Decoded, and The iPod Revolution. In 2012 he produced the Syracuse basketball documentary Orange Glory.
Awards and honors
editIn 2021 Sharp Entertainment won a Critics Choice Real TV Award for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Production.[11][12] In 2023 he received the RealScreen Award for "Outstanding Achievement: Reality Docusoap" for 90 Day Fiancé.[1][13] In 2023 The Hollywood Reporter named Sharp a "Reality Heatmaker."
B+C Multichannel News named Sharp Producer of the Year for 2024. [14]
References
edit- ^ a b c Geoff Herbert (8 November 2023), Syracuse native behind '90 Day Fiancé' reflects on 20 years of reality TV empire, syracuse.com/The Post-Standard, retrieved 6 September 2024
- ^ Barry Walsh (23 January 2024), Sharp Entertainment's Matt Sharp on 20 years of "hunting for the next big thing", Realscreen, retrieved 29 April 2024
- ^ Chukwudi Onyewuchi (24 May 2022), 90 Day Fiancé Producers Create New Relationship Show 'Me Or The Menu', Screen Rant, retrieved 29 April 2024
- ^ Todd Spangler (3 March 2022), Sony Pictures TV to Acquire Industrial Media, Production Company Behind 'American Idol,' in $350 Million Deal, Variety, retrieved 29 April 2024
- ^ R. Thomas Umstead (21 February 2024), Producer of the Year: Matt Sharp Hones Reality Hits That Last, Next TV, retrieved 29 April 2024
- ^ Mikey O'Connell (18 July 2023), The 10 Most Talked-About Reality Franchises of 2023 (So Far), The Hollywood Reporter, retrieved 29 April 2024
- ^ "COMPELLING LIMITED SERIES, LOVE AFTER LOCKUP: INNOCENT AFTER LOCKUP, PREMIERES DECEMBER 15 AT 10:30PM ON WE TV" (Press release). AMC Networks. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ Marc Berman (16 August 2024), "The CW Announces Wild West Docuseries 'The Wranglers'", Forbes, retrieved 6 September 2024
- ^ R. Thomas Umstead (21 February 2024), '90 Day Fiancé': A Match Made in Reality Heaven, Yahoo, retrieved 6 September 2024
- ^ Jennifer Gerson (21 February 2020), An Oral History of 90 Day Fiancé, Glamour, retrieved 6 September 2024
- ^ 3rd Annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards – List of Nominees and Winners, Critics Choice, 21 June 2021, retrieved 29 April 2024
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ 2023 Winners & Nominees, RealScreen, retrieved 6 September 2024
- ^ "Sharp Shooter". Broadcasting+Cable Multichannel News. New York: NewBay Media. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
External links
edit- Matt Sharp at IMDb