Please introduce yourself, what you do, why you do it, and what you want people to know about you.
Hey, I’m Matkai Burmaster, but you can just call me Matkai. I’m an LGBTQ actor/director/creator and the co-founder of Fearless (https://fearless.li) – the streaming service for inclusive films, series, and shorts.
I work every day to make the film industry (and the world at large) a more inclusive, diverse, and loving place. No person should ever be left out in life, and sadly so many are.
I am also a husband, a cat dad, a brother, and a little bit of a goofball. In my free time, I love rollerblading, swimming, hiking, camping, going on adventures, playing board games with friends, and some delicious cocktails never hurt either.
What qualities makes you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
For me, it’s all about celebrating my identity as a proud bi, queer, gay, and LGBTQ person. I am proud of who I am and I’m on a mission to make the film industry more inclusive and diverse (something that Hollywood does so very little of).
I do this through the films and series that I create myself, in addition to my work for Fearless and my activism work in my community and the world at large online. There is nothing more important to me than making sure that under-represented voices are heard and celebrated.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do now. Who did you tell first? What has it been like since that moment?
To be honest, everything I do happened almost by mistake. I started making films and series after I graduated from film school because nobody would hire me. Then, I started making my own streaming service because there was no streaming service like Fearless that existed. It all happened because of necessity and a need in the industry and I’ve simply been filling those needs.
I have always had a love for entertainment and I started in theatre and later transitioned to working in film. For me, I just love how the arts can celebrate the stories that aren’t told and elevate the people who are ignored or systemically avoided.
Art is everything to me and I love what I do. I consider myself so lucky and so proud that I get to do what I love every single day of my life. What a beautiful journey I’m on.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge is myself. It’s my “inner saboteur” as RuPaul would say. It’s the feeling like I am not good enough or that I’m somehow not worthy of my skills and accomplishments, or rather, that I haven’t accomplished enough. But I think we all feel this way sometimes. We all experience some level of “imposter syndrome” and it’s about overcoming it daily by reminding yourself of what you’ve accomplished and where you are going.
For me, it’s about letting go of the idea of being perfect and instead focus on growing. Perfection is a dangerous poison that makes us feel shitty; whereas, goals make us feel empowered.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
I think in answering this question, many people would list 3 celebrities or commercially successful people. I choose differently. I just want to meet people who inspire me. People who are brave, authentic, and open. I want to meet people who are creative, smart, and bold.
I don’t care if people have an Oscar or a giant mansion….those things mean nothing to me. I’d rather meet someone who only has $1 to their name and yet inspires me to be my best self while I can hopefully inspire them in return.
List the direct links/URL to your social media profiles so people can follow you:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/itsmatkai
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsmatkai
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/matkai
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/itsmatkai
- Likee: https://likee.video/@itsmatkai/
- Fearless: https://watch.fearless.li/authors/matkai