Arts and Entertainment

Passion, precision key parts of success for alumnus

Every detail matters for TV, film set decorator Matthew Sullivan

Alumnus Matthew Sullivan (inset) has decorated sets for TV shows such as teen drama "Dawson's Creek" (including this bedroom), the darker "Sleepy Hollow" and major motion pictures. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

The wide-ranging world of television encompasses a multitude of interesting jobs, everything from the person who auditions actors to the person who selects on-screen graphics for the show-closing credits.

In between, for any show, there are hundreds of people who bring the world of television to life.

One of the most important in terms of creating a feel and a sense of authenticity is the set decorator, and one of the busier set decorators in the business is Matthew Sullivan, a Penn Stater who earned his bachelor’s degree in film-video in 1986.

He decorated six seasons of the popular teen drama “One Tree Hill” and five seasons of “Dawson’s Creek,” which helped launch Katie Holmes prominently and publicly. Sullivan has also worked on many feature length films, including “Flight of the Phoenix,” starring Dennis Quaid.

Sullivan’s job requires abundant intricacy.

He is in charge of everything that goes into a set. All the details down to the notes on a table in a laboratory, sheets on a bed, flora and fauna in a greenhouse or the posters on a teenage girl’s bedroom wall are his responsibility.

He reports to the production designer, the head of the art department. On a television set, the production designer oversees everything ranging from construction, painting and decorating.

Sullivan comes in to work his magic once the construction and painting team have built and colored the set. Couches, beds, tables, light furnishings and other miscellaneous items are all brought in by Sullivan to breathe life and character into the set.

To decide what goes into a set and to be accurate, Sullivan and his staff turn to books and the Internet.

“I love my job. I love the ability to create environments,” Sullivan said. “I’m passionate about making sets that help the actors and director fully immerse themselves in the world of the script so that they can do their best work. It’s a collaborative effort.”

If the crew is shooting on location, Sullivan is responsible for procuring everything the location doesn’t have. There is no fixed routine.

“One day I’ll be creating Benjamin Franklin’s laboratory, another I’ll be making a hospital room or a bank from the 1970s,” he said.

Sullivan recently finished working on season two of Fox’s supernatural drama, “Sleepy Hollow.” The series is filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Sullivan lives.

He works on freelance basis, an approach practiced by many other professionals in the film and television industry. Production companies are typically set up as limited liability corporations, established solely for the production of the film or TV project. When filming and post-production are complete, the companies are dissolved, and the employees move on to the next endeavor.

“There are some full-time jobs at the studios and agencies but not many in production,” said Sullivan.

Unlike other freelance jobs that see people juggle multiple projects, freelancing in the television leaves no time for additional work. “Although temporary, it really is a full-time job. My crew and I work 12-hour days, five or six days a week. The workload is too demanding to take on additional freelance jobs simultaneously,” said Sullivan.

A season typically consists of 13 to 22 episodes and, according to Sullivan, one episode can take between eight to 10 days to film. He is always on set to ensure the “world” he crafted meets his standards.

At the end of each season or series, studio heads will reconsider the freelancers’ positions. Sullivan has always been asked to return.

Sullivan, however, did not start his career in the film and television industry. After graduating in 1986, he moved to Wilmington because the film industry there was just beginning to bloom. He felt it would be easier to break into the industry in Wilmington.

Still, he started working at a small magazine. “I wrote movie reviews and feature articles about the film industry. Each time I interviewed an industry professional I asked for help breaking into a job. Eventually, it clicked,” said Sullivan.

Along with working in the art department, Sullivan has been writing his own screenplays and has come close to having some of his ideas produced. In the future, he hopes to work with some of Penn State’s distinguished alumni and former students in the entertainment field such as Ty Burrell (’97  MFA) from ABC’s smash-hit “Modern Family,” Keegan-Michael Key (’96 MFA) from “Tomorrowland” ad FX’s “Fargo,” and prolific writer-director Steven E deSouza.

When he is not on set, Sullivan enjoys spending time with his daughters, Pepper Ray, 4, and Eliza James, 2. They go to the beach often and snorkel. He is married to Carrie Sullivan, who, despite her husband’s industry credentials and extensive resume, handled the interior decoration of their home.

Although he graduated more than 25 years ago, Sullivan returns to Happy Valley regularly -- especially during the football season. He is a season ticket holder at Beaver Stadium.

“The ties you make at Penn State last a lifetime. The friends I met 25 years ago are in close contact,” Sullivan said. “We share our lives with each other.”

Last Updated June 2, 2021