Meet Matt Cosgrove: the Man Behind the Media

FUN FACTS ABOUT MATT:

• Matt loves the Beatles, Settlers of Catan (boardgame), the Pittsburgh Penguins, The Office, and comic books.

• He plays piano, guitar, and a variety of other instruments.

• He listens to Irish music, big band, and contemporary rock and goes to lots of live concerts.

Outside of the media ministry volunteer team, most of Dutilh Church may not realize exactly what it is Matt Cosgrove does up in the booth each week, working his magic to ensure everyone attending Dutilh’s services—whether in person or online—enjoys an excellent worship experience.

Matt joined the staff in March 2018. Even in his first year here, Matt made a significant impact. He and Glenn Rymer coordinated an upgrade of the church’s digital projectors and sound equipment. Matt works diligently each week to make sure the sounds and images during the services help to enhance people’s experience of church, and that the online worship experience is seamless.

“I want to try to make the online, livestream experience as close to the sanctuary experience as I can,” Matt explained. “I want to represent what we are doing well, and I like to take a creative approach to it.”

Matt is also a major part of all of Dutilh’s video projects, and those are some of his favorite things to do.

“The promotional videos like Blurry or Go Fish (a.k.a. The Office) are right up my alley,” Matt said. “My background is in filmmaking.”

A 2012 graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in digital media production, Matt first became interested in film production during high school. There, Matt worked behind the scenes on many high school productions to coordinate sound and lights. After earning his college degree, Matt worked for ANC Sports.

There, Matt was responsible for the scoreboards and digital media signs at both the Consol Center and PNC Park. In that role, he worked at Pirates games; events like Monster Truck Jam, WWE wrestling, and Disney on Ice; and concerts featuring the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and other high-profile groups. As a die-hard Penguins fan, Matt especially appreciated getting to work at NHL games.

Matt’s interest in putting his talents to use for the Lord was sparked by a 2013 mission trip to Togo, West Africa.

“After that trip, I took an interest in mission work,” Matt said. Although his original intention was to do international mission work, the timing never seemed quite right. Instead, Matt honed his digital media skills doing freelance work, earned some extra money as a manager at Staples, and volunteered his time with organizations like Drop the Gloves Against Cancer, where he serves as the charity’s media director.

In 2018, when he learned about the opening for a media coordinator at Dutilh Church, Matt realized it could be the perfect way to blend his professional skills with his desire to serve God. Evidence of Matt’s fitness for the role abounds each Sunday and in the host of media projects he undertakes.

One of Matt’s favorite projects was the Story of Joseph for the Children’s Sabbath celebration in November 2018.

“It was the first time we used a narrative video style; I really like that creative process,” Matt said, “and anytime I get to work with kids, it’s always great.”

Another of Matt’s favorite projects is the Easter Cantata.

“The more we do live things, the more I find I like creating a good live experience,” Matt explained. One aspect of Matt’s work for live events is to calibrate the microphones for the choir and instruments so they resonate well in the sanctuary and still deliver an equally beautiful experience for people online; it can be tough to ensure the voices are heard above instruments when livestreaming, and Matt enjoys the challenge.

Outside of his work at Dutilh, Matt is an avid comic book reader (both Marvel and DC) and enjoys strategy board games like Settlers of Catan. He loves music—both listening to and making it. Matt plays piano, guitar, and “a bunch of other instruments.” His favorite band is the Beatles, but his eclectic taste includes big band, traditional Irish music, contemporary Irish folk music, and rock. Live concerts are another passion, and Matt has seen performers ranging from Tom Petty to Paul McCartney to Rush to Billy Joel.

A native of Wampum, PA, and part of a tight-knit family that includes one older brother as well as a larger extended family, Matt said he appreciates being relatively close to home and does not take the gift of family for granted.

Matt also enjoys being part of the Dutilh family and is excited about plans for the future. He is also looking forward to recruiting and training new volunteers to help with media ministry.

“I’m excited to broaden our team,” Matt said. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Matt by email at media@dutilhumc.org or talk with him after a Sunday service.