MATHEW
SILVER
Writer & Journalist
About Me
Warning: the following information will absolutely rock your world. My name is Mathew Silver and I'm a Toronto-based writer. Not to brag or anything, but I've written for The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Maclean's, The Toronto Star, Toronto Life, Vulture and The Calgary Herald, among other publications. Some career highlights include bumping into Malcolm Gladwell at a party and having Margaret Atwood respond to one of my emails.
During my time in the biz, I've interviewed all sorts of interesting people: Canadian painter Kent Monkman, certified Toronto mans John Tory, Raptors point god Dalano Banton, East Coast Lifestyle honcho Alex MacLean, controversial art critic Jerry Saltz, Jeopardy! genius Austin Rogers, musical mastermind Alex Cameron, Universal Music big shot Jeffrey Remedios, TV funny guy Kenny Hotz, rock icon Danny Vacon, the list goes on and on.
Most recently, I was an associate editor at Toronto Life magazine, covering real estate, politics, business, and sports. A lot of serious journalism stuff happened there. As far as my education goes, I studied philosophy and creative writing at Western University, and then, went down to New York, where I earned an MFA in journalism from New York University and interned at New York magazine.
When I'm not writing, you can usually find me playing street basketball or beach volleyball. (I'm usually writing, though.) Nowadays, I'm hoping someone will option the manuscript for my debut novel, Spaceball, about a 13-year-old boy who gets abducted by aliens and competes in an intragalactic baseball league. My mom said it's better than all of the Harry Potter books combined. Ideally, if everything goes according to plan and my career takes off, I can go to Hollywood, hang out with Adam Sandler and make a bajillion dollars—but I'll settle for a billion.
Selected Writings:
A Volleyball Star Who Raps as Kofi - The New York Times
My Mullet Or A Grown-Up Job? - The Globe and Mail
The Artist Works In Isolation - The Toronto Star
Harold Ancart's Pretty Brooklyn Handball Court Is Actually A Work of Art - Vulture
Is This Really, Truly the End of Western Art? - Vulture
Chance Meeting With Literary Idol - The Calgary Herald
Life After 'Jeopardy!': Austin Rogers Doesn't Want to Be Quiz Guy, Despite the Groupies
- Bedford + Bowery
The Canadian New Yorker's Dilemma: Am I a Yankees Fan or a Mets Fan? - Bedford + Bowery
Work Experience
TORONTO LIFE MAGAZINE Associate Editor
Oct 2019 - June 2022
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Edited real estate, business, politics and sports sections for online and print.
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Contributed and edited articles for the front of the book.
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Ghostwrote memoirs for the real estate section.
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Managed a roster of writers.
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Assisted with fact-checking when necessary.
NEW YORK MAGAZINE Intern/Writer
Sept 2018 - July 2019
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Wrote for Vulture, Grub Street, and The Cut.
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Primarily worked with the pop-culture site, Vulture, building posts and helping with research.
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Head research assistant for the comedy podcast, Good One.
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Provided concise and accurate transcriptions.
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Assisted with fact-checking.
BEDFORD + BOWERY Writer/Photographer
Sept - Dec 2017
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Wrote, researched, and photographed hyper-local stories.
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Produced thorough, well-crafted work on a daily deadline.
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Balanced full graduate course load, along with an internship.
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Developed my contact list and navigated a brand new environment.
DIPLY Entertainment Writer
May - July 2017
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Created viral content.
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Pitched relevant story ideas (celebs, movies, nostalgia).
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While working remotely, published up to three articles a day.
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Used written and visual elements to create dynamic content.
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Researched latest popular culture news.
METRO NEWS Intern
August - November 2016
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Published upwards of two stories a day.
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Worked in a professional news environment, pitching quality story ideas and executing on a tight deadline.
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Polished writing, editing, interviewing, and SEO skills.
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Learned about the day-to-day process and business of journalism.
*These are my most pertinent writing credits. A complete resume can be produced on request.
Education
M.F.A. Journalism (Dec 2018)
New York University
I'm a graduate journalism student at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, and my program specializes in magazine writing. In the first semester, while working an internship with Bedford + Bowery, I studied Digital Magazine, Writing Workshop, and Media Ethics. My most notable work was a profile of the eccentric Jeopardy! champion, Austin Rogers.
B.A. Philosophy
Minor in Creative Writing
Western University/University of Oslo
I studied philosophy at Western University from 2013-15, while competing for the varsity men's volleyball team. We earned a silver medal at the CIS National Championships in 2014. In my final semester, I had the opportunity to study at the University of Oslo.
