Matthew Berry’s Comeback Story - From Miserable Hollywood Screenwriter to Fantasy Sports Expert

Matthew Berry explores his journey from being a writer for television and film in Hollywood to the Senior Fantasy Sports Analyst for ESPN and all the lessons he learned along the way. Learn why Matthew believes that problems don’t discriminate, and why pursuing external things to make you happy only leads to misery and depression in the long run and what you should do instead.

• Matthew grew up in a very middle-class family where he and his family moved around a lot. Matthew was always the new kid in class, which was challenging for someone who was socially awkward. It wasn’t until high school did Matthew meet a core group of friends that are still in his life.
• Because he was alone a lot, Matthew became an avid reader and a big fan of sports, which became the platform for his later career.
• One of Matthew’s biggest fears is having things taken away from him. This may be due to the constant movement he experienced during his childhood where whenever he became friends with someone it was eventually taken away from him when he moved.
• One of his earliest memories of pain was being bullied in high school. He recalls a time in high school where his Tennis team played a trick on him and abandoned him at a 7/11, forcing Matthew to walk the two miles back to the school.
• Not counting his parents, one of the first real teachers to see something in Matthew was his tennis coach. 
• Problems don’t discriminate. Even with people that seem to have everything in life, we all have moments of gripping doubt and ego and sadness. 
• Matthew’s lowest point in life happened after he moved out to Hollywood with the goal of writing for show business. On paper, it looked like he had a great life but he found himself extremely depressed. During therapy, Matthew discovered that, while he enjoyed telling people he was a writer, he didn’t actually like the process of his work and being in Hollywood. 
• In order to save his life and get it back on track, Matthew realized that he had to get out of his marriage and quit show business, both of which comprised the whole of his identity at that point. At the age of 35, Matthew found himself divorced and alone in an empty house, trying to make a living running a fantasy football website.
• Matthew was living his life for everyone else, and the trouble with that is that the minute the external thing is over you have to find the next thing to be happy. When Matthew decided to leave Hollywood, he decided to chase happiness instead of chasing the trappings of happiness.
• Committing to fantasy football is what allowed Matthew to find all kinds of opportunities and relationships. Once he decided to focus on happiness, the rest fell into place.
• Matthew is the most grateful for his kids, his wife, and his health. He knows that he has a lot to be thankful for and he doesn’t take it for granted.
• Everyone has their own things that they are dealing with. Sometimes it’s hard to remember, if you are ever feeling bad about yourself turn on the news and I assure you somebody else has it worse.
• Life is not a race, it’s a journey. Everyone gets to where they are supposed to be. Maybe not as fast as the person next to you, maybe not on the timeframe you want, maybe not in the way you expect, but everybody gets to the place where they are supposed to be.
• Matthew’s comeback shoutout goes to his supportive wife who stood by him as he pursued his dream of making fantasy football a real career.