About Matt Gerson...
Matt Gerson is a seasoned and respected radio interviewer. His popular half-hour chat show, "Person to Person," airs across the country. In addition to "Person to Person," he does two additional programs aired exclusively in Phoenix, "Angle on Movies" and "Bookbrowse." With all this activity and airtime, he has conducted more than 1,000 interviews since he began broadcasting in 1990. Gerson launched his career in journalism, doing movie reviews and general interest stories for his high school paper in Huntington Woods, Michigan. He also wrote articles for the neighboring Dearborn Press and Guide. While studying Communications at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he joined the staff of the Michigan Daily News were he honed his skills writting one paragraph reviews of both highly charged cinema classics and clunkers! A highlight was when he was assigned to cover a re-issue of Orson Welles' classic "Touch of Evil." Comments Gerson,"I considered that assignment to be a professional breakthrough and I still enjoy watching this film today. It was very exciting then and it still has social relevance today, with its overtones of darkness, betrayal and corruption." Shortly after graduation, in the early 1980's Matt journeyed west and landed in Phoenix. Upon his arrival he began writting reviews for City Magazine, a monthly high-gloss publication and Cableday Magazine in Mesa, AZ. With his background the leap into radiobroadcasting was a natural. "My talents fitted right into this format," says Matt. "My knowledge of production, performance and film history all came together." An avid reader he is well versed in many subjects. This is what makes "Person to Person" different from other radio interview shows as Gerson asks pertinent and compelling questions in order to draw out his guests. Matt has always been drawn to Hollywood character actors and lengends and he has interviewed many of them, such as Larry King, Oscar nominee Ed Harris, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, James Coburn, Shirley Maclaine, Martin Landau, Carroll O'Connor, Janet Leigh, Cliff Robertson, Joe Mantegna, Oscar Winner Geoffrey Rush and Michael Lerner. Knowledgeable and informed when discussing politics or current events, other provocative figures have included Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, Senator John McCain and Washington columnists Robert Novack and Rowland Evans, to name a few. His approach to his work is homework, research and more research! Comments Matt, "You can't imagine the reaction I get from the celebrities and authors. They'll say things like...'I can't believe you read the whole book! Nobody else does that!" But this is the key to his successful program and from this approach, he pulls quotes, analyzes the material and elicits an opinion. He does not ask run-of-the-mill questions. In his film interviews, he likes to cover a body of work, rather than just a current release. Here is where his history as movie critic pays off, as he has already seen numerous films and remembers the more obscure features as well as the blockbusters. In addition to his radio work he has also taught a course in Visual Images In Film at Scottsdale Community College. The course covered what Matt considers to be, 'the moral chaos of the filmed universe through images. 'The four films used as examples were "The Third Man," "Body Heat," "Seven Days in May" and "Dr. Strangelove..." "Symbolism and metaphor using cinematic techniques," says Gerson, "is what actually moves the story along. It is the subliminal message of the film told in visual terms and is often more effective than dialogue." In the spring of 2000, Matt hosted the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival showing and discussing "Giraffe" and Israeli film. This leads us back to his favorite type of radio interview...screen legends, and the backbone of the film industry, the character actors! From the heyday of the studio system to today's cutting edge independent features, these familiar voices and classic faces...recall their countless roles and unique experiences in the ever-changing panorama of The Movies! So, tune in next week for Matt Gerson's "Person to Person," Hollywood from the inside out!
Matt Gerson is a seasoned and respected radio interviewer. His popular half-hour chat show, "Person to Person," airs across the country. In addition to "Person to Person," he does two additional programs aired exclusively in Phoenix, "Angle on Movies" and "Bookbrowse." With all this activity and airtime, he has conducted more than 1,000 interviews since he began broadcasting in 1990. Gerson launched his career in journalism, doing movie reviews and general interest stories for his high school paper in Huntington Woods, Michigan. He also wrote articles for the neighboring Dearborn Press and Guide. While studying Communications at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he joined the staff of the Michigan Daily News were he honed his skills writting one paragraph reviews of both highly charged cinema classics and clunkers! A highlight was when he was assigned to cover a re-issue of Orson Welles' classic "Touch of Evil." Comments Gerson,"I considered that assignment to be a professional breakthrough and I still enjoy watching this film today. It was very exciting then and it still has social relevance today, with its overtones of darkness, betrayal and corruption." Shortly after graduation, in the early 1980's Matt journeyed west and landed in Phoenix. Upon his arrival he began writting reviews for City Magazine, a monthly high-gloss publication and Cableday Magazine in Mesa, AZ. With his background the leap into radiobroadcasting was a natural. "My talents fitted right into this format," says Matt. "My knowledge of production, performance and film history all came together." An avid reader he is well versed in many subjects. This is what makes "Person to Person" different from other radio interview shows as Gerson asks pertinent and compelling questions in order to draw out his guests. Matt has always been drawn to Hollywood character actors and lengends and he has interviewed many of them, such as Larry King, Oscar nominee Ed Harris, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, James Coburn, Shirley Maclaine, Martin Landau, Carroll O'Connor, Janet Leigh, Cliff Robertson, Joe Mantegna, Oscar Winner Geoffrey Rush and Michael Lerner. Knowledgeable and informed when discussing politics or current events, other provocative figures have included Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, Senator John McCain and Washington columnists Robert Novack and Rowland Evans, to name a few. His approach to his work is homework, research and more research! Comments Matt, "You can't imagine the reaction I get from the celebrities and authors. They'll say things like...'I can't believe you read the whole book! Nobody else does that!" But this is the key to his successful program and from this approach, he pulls quotes, analyzes the material and elicits an opinion. He does not ask run-of-the-mill questions. In his film interviews, he likes to cover a body of work, rather than just a current release. Here is where his history as movie critic pays off, as he has already seen numerous films and remembers the more obscure features as well as the blockbusters. In addition to his radio work he has also taught a course in Visual Images In Film at Scottsdale Community College. The course covered what Matt considers to be, 'the moral chaos of the filmed universe through images. 'The four films used as examples were "The Third Man," "Body Heat," "Seven Days in May" and "Dr. Strangelove..." "Symbolism and metaphor using cinematic techniques," says Gerson, "is what actually moves the story along. It is the subliminal message of the film told in visual terms and is often more effective than dialogue." In the spring of 2000, Matt hosted the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival showing and discussing "Giraffe" and Israeli film. This leads us back to his favorite type of radio interview...screen legends, and the backbone of the film industry, the character actors! From the heyday of the studio system to today's cutting edge independent features, these familiar voices and classic faces...recall their countless roles and unique experiences in the ever-changing panorama of The Movies! So, tune in next week for Matt Gerson's "Person to Person," Hollywood from the inside out!