A bit of History
Bio
Matthew Peach is a product of Detroit; hard working, passionate and with a love for community. Born in the blizzard of ’78 in the heart of Detroit, this native Michigander has never lost his passion for the metro area he grew up in. He dreamt about building up the city his grandparents had called home. Today they would be proud of what he has built so far, and how much farther he intends to go!
Peach has always had a drive to be an entrepreneur, to build something for yourself was inspired by his parents as a child when they moved to Cheboygan, MI. They moved back to Metro Detroit in the mid 80’s and landed in Tecumseh, Michigan for Matthew’s middle and high school years. At age 18 he started building and selling computers out of his dorm room. This was at the tail end of the time white box computers could still be built and profitable. Seeing it wouldn’t last, and that he still had much to learn to operate a business, Peach took that computer knowledge and his schooling into a computer career.
After attending Trine university for Engineering, Peach studied independently to be one of the first 100 people to achieve Microsoft’s new MCSE 2000 Certification. He worked as a business Technology Consultant for a decade before he found his passion for filmmaking and saw the business he truly wanted to build. Armed with the knowledge of working closely with and helping grow hundreds of companies, he felt ready to take a real run at building his own company.
Before the first round of recent film incentives, Peach started working in the film industry locally. His first Directory of Photography job was in 2006 with William Dear (Angles in the Outfield Director). Afterwards he worked on many productions in any role he could to learn and build contacts. When the incentives came he started to thrive, and when they left Michigan, the industry was devastated.
His new connections strongly encouraged him to follow them out of state, as there would be no film work in Michigan therfore no opportunity to grow his budding film career by staying. Instead Peach decided he would stay to build a commercial company to build up the industry in the city he wanted to call home. Where others saw an empty field, he saw an opportunity to grow something special.
Peach founded M-1 Studios in 2008. As President of M-1 Studios, Matthew brings over 20 years of production experience along with a previous career as a business consultant. Combining marketing/business knowledge with his film experiences, Peach applies a unique mix of business and creativity to his leadership style with a team of passionate creative individuals with an eye for success. He considers himself a “Front Line Leader” as he leads the production teams from the field.
M-1 Studios clients range from local to the global organization. He meets directly with clients to determine their specific needs and deliver complete and custom video solutions from script to production to final delivery- overseeing the creative team and managing client expectations. He’s built M-1 Studios as a customer-service driven organization with a dedication to quality content. With team members in multiple states and international experience, the M-1 is always in demand. This dedication to world class customer service, M-1 has recently been listed “Top 100 Agencies in the Nation” by the website: Cluch.co
Peach is a firm believer that it’s important to “help those that help others.” M-1 Studios is a large supporter of local non-profits. They donate tens of thousands of dollars in services to help charities with their messaging and storytelling. Organizations like the Michigan March of Dimes, Judson Center, The ARK of Wayne Country and Michigan Humane have all been able in increase their annual fundraising with the help of M-1 videos. Many other non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity, Heritage Works of Detroit and many other local groups have had videos created for them at deep discounts and at no cost.
Matthew credits personal success to understanding the importance of listening to customers and understanding their business needs, not simply just “marketing” to them. As a result, M-1 Studios has grown since 2008 here in Michigan to more than million-dollar per year production company and has created direct high-quality job positions for employees.
M-1 Studios is one of Michigan’s largest W2 employer of video professionals.
Films, TV Shows and Documentaries have always been part of Peach’s professional career. M-1 is Michigan’s only SAG/AFTRA approved remote recording location, which provides many opportunities to work with professional talent and directors from top film and video game studios on a regular basis.
In 2019 M-1 was able to purchase their own building on Woodward Ave in Ferndale Michigan. This home for filmmakers has grown far beyond their commercial roots. M-1 is currently investing over 250K in a new production/motion capture studio space to meet the needs of local professionals.
He has a passion for documenting history and has been involved with several award winning films & documentaries with several of his own in the works. With over 30 film & TV credits, and three Emmy nominations for producing, his experience shows with a strong reputation of running productions on schedule and on budget.
Matthew has vast film experiences behind the camera as a Director of Photography that has earned him two Emmy nominations. As a Director, many of his projects have screened in top festivals around the country and overseas, winning numerous awards in technical categories, and top awards in writing, directing, acting and Best Film awards. He has trained with Emmy winning producer Charles Cirgenski, and has enjoyed working with Hollywood director William Dear (Angels in the Outfield), and many other film industry professionals over the years. Recently his work with telling professional sports athletes’ stories has been in high demand and was brought in for a recent super bowl commercial specifically for this experience.
Over the past decade, along with his business partner, Mike Madigan, M-1 has continued to support independent filmmakers throughout Michigan. They have finically sponsored numerous film festivals, film screenings, and even curated their own festivals. They continue to support independent filmmakers with equipment, team members and production filming spaces, often at little to no cost. Peach believes in a strong local community and wants to keep it alive and people growing their craft in a state that doesn’t support them.
Peach has over 30 IMDB producer credits, and a dozen cinematographer film credits. Recently the Films “Lemon Eyes” & “Boblo Island: The Tale of Two Sisters” have won numerous awards at festivals both locally and nationally.
As an Eagle Scout, Peach was instilled with a lifelong love of the study and practice of leadership. He continues this passion by giving back to Scouting and helping build new leaders. As black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Peach learned a strong sense of self discipline, which he applies to his leadership style. These principles have helped build a successful production company, by ensuring each person on the team has the tools they need to be fully responsible for building their own success within their role.
Matthew Peach is not only a product of Detroit, he’s determined to have a hand in building its future.
