Founder · Writer · Director · Author

Matthew
Winstead

The filmmaker who spent thirteen years taking HYDE from a script in a drawer to a People’s Choice Award, and never once let go of it.

The Story

Always had a camera in his hand.

Matthew Winstead was born in Easton, Maryland, and grew up on the Eastern Shore, spending much of his childhood with his grandparents in Ridgely. He has been making movies for as long as anyone in the family can remember: always filming, and roping in friends and relatives (his grandfather most of all) to star in homemade camcorder productions. At Easton High School he took theater and writing classes alongside David Draper Jr., who would one day star in HYDE.

He loves movies the way some people love sports. He worked at Blockbuster Video and once owned more than 1,500 films. His film school was simply watching: a movie a day, and four or five on weekends. He grew up on ’90s thrillers like Pacific Heights, The Silence of the Lambs and The Good Son, alongside the original Halloween, The Shining and Beetlejuice.

Writing became his favorite hobby, and over the years he built up a stack of scripts. In 2020 he founded Studio 29 Films to make character-driven, emotionally resonant films on his own terms. After eight years in Strasburg, Virginia, he moved back to the Shore in 2021.

His first professional feature, HYDE, premiered on November 1, 2025, and won the People’s Choice Award at the Island of Horror Film Festival. He is also the author of the memoir A Promise to Trent and co-hosts Picture This Film Reviews with his cousin Dan. His next feature, A Promise to Ourselves, started filming in June 2026 and is slated for 2027.

IMDb YouTube

“Everyone can make a movie if that’s what they want to do.”

Matthew Winstead

The Road to HYDE

Thirteen years, script to screen.

False starts, a move away and back again, and heartbreaking losses along the way. HYDE got made because Matt refused to give up on it.

2012
The script
Matt writes HYDE. It becomes the oldest script in his stack, and the one he most wants to make.
2013
A first attempt
An early scene is shot with Matt himself playing Hyde. When he moves to Virginia, the project stalls, and that scene never makes the final film.
2015
Starting again
Matt recasts the film from Strasburg, Virginia. Two weeks before cameras roll, an actor he had cast passes away, and the project stops once more.
2020
Studio 29 Films
Matt founds his own production company.
2021
The spark
Back on the Shore, Matt hands his Easton High classmate David Draper Jr. a stack of scripts. Dave’s verdict: HYDE is the one. He goes on to star in it and produce it.
2024
Production
A Facebook casting call brings out more locals than anyone expected. From February to December the cast and crew shoot every weekend. In September, Matt’s grandfather Mallory B. Winstead, who appears in the film, passes away, and production pauses for three weeks.
2025
Premiere & award
Matt and his brother Mitch Winstead spend most of the year in post-production. On November 1, HYDE premieres at the Island of Horror Film Festival and wins the People’s Choice Award.
2026
Streaming
HYDE launches on Relay, then on Tubi, where it’s free to watch. On June 6, cameras roll on Matt’s next feature, A Promise to Ourselves.