Evans

About: Matthew Nolte Evans is an award-winning writer and associate professor of screenwriting in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Originally from Denver, he moved to Los Angeles in 2011, where he sold a screenplay to HBO and joined the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). He has since written and developed film and television projects for directors and producers including Thomas Carter, Michelle Manning, Mathieu Bonzon, and Eric Christian Olsen (CBS Television Studios). In 2026, he received the Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the University of Georgia’s highest early-career honor.

Education

MFA, Film Production-Screenwriting, Columbia University, New York City
BFA, Film Production, University of Colorado, Boulder
BA, Film Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder
BA, English-Creative Writing, University of Colorado, Boulder

Experience

Before joining Grady College in 2019, Evans taught undergraduate and graduate screenwriting at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF); Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD); and the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles (NYFA). He also worked as a reader and story analyst for Pressman Films, the Tribeca Film Institute, Alcon Entertainment, and Amazon Studios.

Teaching Specialties

Evans specializes in genre writing, adaptation, and workshop-based screenwriting instruction across feature, short film, and television. His students have won major competitions, including the top prize at the Atlanta Film Festival (2023) and the BEA Festival of Media Arts (2021). He previously supervised MFA thesis screenplays at CSUF and NYFA. In 2020, he launched Grady College’s first TV writing course.

Awards and Fellowships

2012-present: Writers Guild of America West
2026: Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
2026: BEA Festival of Media Arts, Show Bible—Winner
2026: BEA Festival of Media Arts, Feature Screenplay—Winner
2025: BEA Festival of Media Arts, Show Bible—Winner
2024: BEA Festival of Media Arts, TV Pilot—Winner
2023: BEA Festival of Media Arts, TV Pilot—Winner
2021: Stowe Story Lab, Sidewalk Narrative Lab—Selected Project
2021: WILDSound Fantasy/Sci-Fi Screenplay Festival—Winner
2020: Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition—Semifinalist
2020: CineStory Feature Retreat—Selected Project
2020: ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship—Semifinalist
2016: Columbia Blue List, Hosted by The Black List—Winner
2012: Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting—Semifinalist
2011: Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting—Semifinalist
2009: Alfred P. Sloan Feature Screenwriting Award—Winner