Arts Alum: Matthew Booi
U of A Degree:Bachelor's Degree in Honours History ('96), Bachelor's Degree in Education ('99)
Currently: Screenwriter and Senior Production Executive at Cream Productions, a Toronto-based television company creating programs for broadcasters including the BBC, Channel Four, History, PBS and Netflix.
Arts News recently caught up with Honours History alum, Matthew Booi, who recently produced a documentary series called The Dictator's Playbook, exploring the techniques several different dictators (including Kim-Il-Sung, Saddam Hussein and Mussolini) employed to seize power. The Dictator's Playbook recently aired in the United States on PBS, and globally on the National Geographic Channel.
ARTS NEWS: What was your role on The Dictator's Playbook?
MATTHEW BOOI: I served as the Showrunner on the production. In that position I was responsible for the overall creative vision and content of all episodes. Along with doing much of the writing, I conducted many of the key interviews and worked closely with the other writers, editors and broadcasters to deliver each show.
AN: How did you get from the U of A to producing shows like this?
MB:After working as a high school Social Studies and English teacher in Edmonton for several years, I moved to Toronto in 2002 to pursue a career in music. When that didn't exactly work out, I gravitated to TV, working first as a researcher and then moving up the ranks as writer, then producer.
AN: How did your experience as an Arts student impact your career journey, and how you approach projects today?
MB: My time at the U of A opened a great many doors for me. When I first started in this industry, I didn't know anything about how TV was made, but I knew how to research, take deep dives into large historical questions and write. Those skills unquestionably landed me my first job and then all the ones after that.
AN: What other cool projects are you working on?
MB: I'm pretty excited about a few projects that are coming up this year. I've got two feature film scripts that I wrote which are currently in development, I am producing a show for Netflix on samurai, and also a 6-part series for CNN on the history of Late Night television.
Keep your eye out for Matthew's name on these exciting series and more!
We want to hear your story! If you'd like to share the exciting things you've been doing since graduating, and how your Arts degree helped with your success, email Sheena Fitzpatrick (smfitzpa@ualberta.ca) and you may be our next Alumni Spotlight.