Matt Schrader is an Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist, filmmaker, and podcast producer/director with deep expertise in high-production-value scripted and documentary audio. As founder and CEO of Epicleff Media (est. 2014), he has pioneered the “biopod” genre — biopic-style scripted true drama — with the acclaimed series Blockbuster (Ambies finalist, back-to-back Adweek Creative Podcast of the Year winner, credited by The Verge with inventing the format).
He has directed, written, and produced podcast projects for Audible, TenderfootTV, iHeartMedia, Sony, and Imagine Entertainment, including: The Big Lie and The Big Fix (both Jon Hamm-led, written by John Mankiewicz), The Boar’s Nest (Mandy Moore-led, covering Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash; exec. produced by Mick Jagger), the Sony sci-fi space story Mars Base One, Kenya Barris’ Big Age starring Cedric the Entertainer, and Kelly Ripa’s Summer Breeze. He has also crafted investigative titles including From Nowhere (TenderfootTV) and The Secret World of Roald Dahl (Imagine).
His film Score: A Film Music Documentary (2017) became #1 on VOD platforms after a theatrical run, earned a New York Times Critics’ Pick and 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and had the unique honor of being the year’s most pirated documentary. Its success spawned the long-running Score: The Podcast (now in its seventh season) and a TV series in development.
Prior to podcasts and film, Matt was a nationally recognized investigative reporter for CBS and NBC News, earning three Emmys, three Edward R. Murrow Awards, and honors from Walter Cronkite, IRE, and others. His work drove California law changes, returned millions to taxpayers and consumers, and included undercover investigations, consumer reports, breaking news coverage, and entertainment deep dives.
A USC Annenberg and Cinematic Arts graduate, Matt has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, Hollywood Reporter, and more, and has spoken at Google, Disney, the Grammy Museum, the Smithsonian, and Dolby. His blend of rigorous newsroom investigative skills with cinematic directing and producing experience makes him uniquely suited to lead ambitious, story-driven podcast series — especially those requiring deep reporting, scripted drama, high-end sound design, and musical story integration.
