Matt Deitsch

Matthew Bryan Deitsch (born October 4, 1997) is an American writer, gun violence prevention advocate and political advisor. Before entering politics, he worked in broadcast media and was a freelance photographer, film director and music producer. After the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in which his siblings witnessed, Deitsch became chief strategist for the March For Our Lives protests and began advocating for gun violence prevention. He is the older brother of activist Ryan Deitsch.

Matt Deitsch
Born
Matthew Bryan Deitsch

(1997-10-04) October 4, 1997
EducationMarjory Stoneman Douglas High School (2016)
California State University, Northridge (dropped out)
Alma materSanta Monica College (2017; A.A. in film)
The New School (2019–present; M.A.)
OccupationWriter · gun violence prevention advocate · political advisor · freelance photographer
Years active2017–present
OrganizationNever Again MSD
MovementMarch For Our Lives
RelativesRyan Deitsch (brother)
Websitewww.linkedin.com/in/mattdeitsch/

Early life and education

Deitsch was born Matthew Bryan Deitsch[1] on October 4, 1997[2][3] and grew up in Parkland, Florida. He is the older brother of activists Sam and Ryan Deitsch[4] and is a practicing Jew.[5] He attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School from 2012 until he graduated in 2016.[6] During his high school career, Deitsch was into television production and filmmaking.[7] After graduating from high school, he moved to the Los Angeles metropolitan area and attended Santa Monica College,[8][9] graduating with honors in 2017 with an associate of arts degree.[1] During his career at Santa Monica College, Deitsch entered his early political career and organized for environmental causes, including beach cleanup, with his biology class.[7] In a podcast interview hosted by CommonAlly, Deitsch credited taking a black feminism class with helping him become more educated about current affairs and politics in turn helping him participate in community organizing.[7] After attending community college, he transferred to California State University, Northridge.[10] Deitsch dropped out of Cal State Northridge after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.[11] He currently attends The New School since 2019 and is working on a master's degree.[12]

Broadcasting, film, photography and music career

According to his LinkedIn profile, Deitsch started his early career as a freelance music producer as early as 2011, producing instrumental music for R&B and hip-hop artists with Audacity.[13] During his high school career, he worked in filmmaking and was an assistant director for a 2016 film titled B.F.F. produced by RinkyDink Productions in the West Palm Beach, Florida area.[14] Deitsch also co-created promotional videos for the city government of Parkland, Florida throughout high school[15] and was an intern for television channel HBO in New York City after graduating. After moving to the Los Angeles metropolitan area to attend college, he became a photographer for VICE Media and was a brand ambassador for Toms Shoes.[13]

Gun violence prevention advocacy and politics

While visiting his family on a college break in Parkland, Deitsch's sister Sam and brother Ryan were attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, his alma mater; a freshman and senior, respectively. His siblings were at the school during the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018 while his brother filmed from inside the school.[16] Deitsch was buying cake for his sister because it was her birthday that day when he received a call from his mother saying there was an incident at the school.[17] After the shooting, Deitsch, along with his siblings, Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, brainstormed to come with a grassroots platform which eventually became March For Our Lives and Never Again MSD, the former in which he became director of strategy and ran day-to-day operations with Jaclyn Corin.[18]

Since then, Deitsch has dedicated his time to work on gun control advocacy in his own right and on behalf of Never Again MSD. In November 2018, he travelled to Cape Town, South Africa, to accept the International Children's Peace Prize on behalf of March For Our Lives,[19] along with his brother, Gonzalez, Hogg and Corin.[20] He appeared on Good Morning America and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah to talk about gun violence[21][22] and also co-authored a book with March For Our Lives titled Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement in October 2018.[23] Deitsch appeared in the 2020 documentary film Parkland Rising about the shooting and subsequent student activism.[24]

In 2020, Deitsch joined Bernie Sanders's campaign for president of the United States as a gun violence prevention advisor and helped develop a gun violence prevention platform for the campaign.[25] In an announcement, he commented: "America's gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that requires dedicated organizing. The Military Industrial Complex has tainted our health across America and abroad, I am proud of Senator Sanders’ growth and commitment to ending gun violence, and we won't win this fight for all of our safety unless we organize at a historic level. And that's what we are setting out to do with this effort.”[25]

Bibliography
  • with March For Our Lives (2018). Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement. Penguin Young Readers Group. ISBN 9781984836403.

Filmography
Year Title Role Ref
2016 B.F.F. Assistant director [26]
2018 Hinge Production assistant [27]
2018 The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Self; guest appearance with Emma Gonzalez [28]
2018 Good Morning America Self; guest appearance with Emma Gonzalez and Delaney Tarr [29]
2020 Parkland Rising Self [30]

References
  1. "87th Annual Commencement" (PDF). Santa Monica College. p. 28. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. @MattxRed (October 4, 2018). "Today on my birthday I want everyone to know the importance of bringing positivity and creativity into every single day.
    We can always work to help the most vulnerable people. For those we've lost, we can find a better world. The universe is on the side of justice"     (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. "Leading the Future: The Matt Deitsch Interview" (podcast). Commonally.com. The CommonAlly Chronicles. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. "Parkland shooting stirs 3 siblings to lives of activism". AP NEWS. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. @MattxRed (29 September 2019). "I've always used this time of year (the high holy days) to educate people on my Jewish values.
    What Tikun Olam can mean for all of us.
    What Tzedakah can mean for us in practice.
    Most people have misconceptions about Judaism and these values mean a lot to me.
    Shana Tova!"     (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. Cortright, David, ed. (2020). Truth seekers: Voices of Peace and Nonviolence from Gandhi to Pope Francis. Orbis Books. ISBN 9781608338214.
  7. "Youth Activism & Inclusive Ideals: The Matt Deitsch Interview" (video). CommonAlly. YouTube. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  8. "Going, Going, Gone - Volume 1, No 5 - May 2016" (PowerPoint). Issuu. The Eagle Eye (Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School). 17 May 2016. p. 6. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. @MattxRed (14 March 2019). "I attended and graduated Santa Monica College and now I help lead the modern gun violence prevention movement through an organization called "March For Our Lives."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. "INSIDE THE SECRET MEME LAB DESIGNED TO PROPEL #NEVERAGAIN BEYOND THE MARCH". California State University, Northridge. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  11. "Parkland survivors vote for 1st time, months after massacre". PBS NewsHour. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  12. "Gun Reform in Black & White: Student Activism and #NeverAgain". newschool.edu. The New School. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  13. "Matt Deitsch – Experience" (LinkedIn profile). linkedin.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. "B.F.F. – Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  15. "City of Parkland" (video). YouTube. City of Parkland. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  16. Dolsten, Josefin (7 March 2018). "This Jewish Parkland survivor stayed alive by hiding in a closet. Now he advocates for gun reform". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  17. Francis, Lizzy (15 October 2018). "Matt Deitsch Is Ready to Talk About the NRA". Fatherly. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  18. Kennedy, Kelli. "Parkland siblings Sam, Matt and Ryan Deitsch turned to a life of activism after the shooting". SunSentinel. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  19. Patten, Linda (2019). No One Stood Up When I Entered the Room: One Woman's Journey from Command to True Leadership. Gatekeeper Press. ISBN 978-1-64237-830-6.
  20. "Desmond Tutu awards peace prize to Parkland shooting survivors". NBC News. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  21. Conner, Jerusha O. (2020). The New Student Activists: The Rise of Neoactivism on College Campuses. JHU Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4214-3668-5.
  22. "Emma Gonzalez & Matt Deitsch Discuss the Importance of Voting" (video). YouTube. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  23. Deitsch, Matt; Chadwick, Sarah; Corin, Jaclyn; Deitsch, Ryan; Deitsch, Sam; González, Emma; Hogg, David; Hogg, Lauren; Wind, Alex (2018). Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement. Penguin. p. 203. ISBN 978-1-9848-3640-3.
  24. "'Parkland Rising' Doc Set for Virtual Premiere With Assist From Executive Producer Katie Couric". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  25. "March For Our Lives Co-Founder, Matt Deitsch, Joins Sanders Campaign". NH LABOR NEWS. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  26. "B.F.F. (2016) - IMDb".
  27. "Hinge (2018) - IMDb".
  28. "Emma Gonzalez & Matt Deitsch Discuss the Importance of Voting". The Daily Show. YouTube. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  29. "David Hogg, Parkland mass shooting survivor and student activist, to attend Harvard University". ABC News. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  30. Liotta, Jarret (7 November 2019). "Parkland parents, survivors visit CT for documentary screening". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
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