Matt Zien
Matt Zien | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Television and film producer |
| Notable work | The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For, Slauson Rec, This Is Paris, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath |
| Spouse | Kirsten Zien (m. 2017) |
Matt Zien is an American television and documentary film producer. He is known for developing and producing nonfiction series and feature documentaries, including The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For, This Is Paris, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and Slauson Rec (2025), which premiered in the Cannes Classics section of the Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Zien studied at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he developed a background in storytelling and documentary filmmaking.[2]
Career
[edit]Early work
[edit]Zien began his career in unscripted television development, working at All3Media America and Studio Lambert on reality and documentary projects for major networks.[3]
The Intellectual Property Corporation
[edit]In 2016, Zien joined The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) as its first development executive.[4] He later became Vice-President of Development and Creative Director, and head of brand development for Industrial Media, overseeing more than 20 series and specials across HBO, Amazon, Netflix, Showtime, and A&E.
While at IPC, Zien developed the Emmy-winning series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (A&E), which won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series or Special in 2017 and Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special in 2020.[5]
He was promoted to senior vice-president prior to the sale of Industrial Media to Sony Pictures Television in 2022, a deal reportedly valued at US$350 million.[6]
Recent projects
[edit]Zien served as producer on the true-crime docuseries The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For (Hulu, 2021), which explored the turbulent rise and fall of the Von Dutch fashion brand.[7]
In 2025 he produced Slauson Rec, a feature documentary directed by Leo Lewis O’Neil. The film, which uses more than 800 hours of footage to explore Shia LaBeouf’s theater collective, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.[8]
In an interview with Deadline, Zien described the independently funded project as “the dream,” recalling that on the first day of post-production O’Neil wrote “We Cannes do it” on the office whiteboard.[9]
KNGMKR Labs
[edit]Zien is the founder of KNGMKR Labs, a creative studio focused on experimental content at the intersection of cinema, technology, and culture. Alongside co-founder Mac Boucher, Zien has developed speculative, AI-assisted video-art projects including Camelot, an alternate-history JFK narrative created using generative tools.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Zien married actress Kirsten Zien (née Prout) in November 2017.[11]
Selected filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]- Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath – development executive
- The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For – producer
- This Giant Beast That Is the Global Economy – consulting producer
- Free Meek – development executive
- This Is Paris – consulting producer
- Indian Matchmaking – development executive
- Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer – development executive'
- Empires of New York - consulting producer
Film
[edit]- Slauson Rec (2025) – produced by
References
[edit]- ^ Canfield, David (1 April 2025). "Shia LaBeouf Handed a Stranger a Camera, Then Unraveled Before His Eyes". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Realscreen Summit Speaker Profile – Matt Zien". Realscreen. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Realscreen Summit Speaker Profile – Matt Zien". Realscreen. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Holzman, Undercover Bosses launch indie". C21 Media. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath – Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Sony buys American Idol producer for $350 million". Axios. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For". Hulu. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Slauson Rec – Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ "'Slauson Rec' Director On Shia LaBeouf Cracking Under Pressure Of Running Theater Company". Deadline. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Brave New Worlds: Mixing AI with archive, ethics and innovation". Realscreen. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Kirsten Zien – Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 28 May 2025.