Matt Cannington is a vice president who works as a digital planner in our New York office. He is a fan of Harry Potter, talks to his computer and considers himself a retired performing artist. Matt also knows a lot about accents and sociolinguistics — that’s why he creates brand voices for many of our clients. We wanted to hear Matt’s own voice, so we invited him for this Q&A:
What do you carry in your backpack?
If you’ve seen me in any of the Edelman offices, you’ve definitely seen my giant brown leather tote that I take everywhere, even when there is nothing inside of it but a pair of sunglasses and some chap stick. However, as a New Yorker, I believe it is best to be prepared for pretty much any scenario, so I usually have a compact umbrella (because it will ALWAYS rain when you forget it), my Ray Bans and my eyeglasses (I’m usually wearing one of them), Eclipse peppermint gum (gotta have fresh breath), grooming items in case I have an after work event (deodorant, cologne, and a beard brush), the aforementioned chapstick (Peppermint Burt’s Bees, obviously), my keys (what do all these keys even unlock?!), tissues (allergy season in New York runs August- June, I think), Evian facial spray for when I’m traveling or in need of a pick-up (it really works!), and a tin of Sucrets (ok, I know it’s not 1985 anymore, but they are the BEST throat drops available). Oh, and a Pilot G-2 pen because someone is always asking to write something down and it’s the only pen worth owning.
Re-reading this list, it’s no wonder my bag is so heavy.
Do you have any weird habits?
There are two habits that people often point out to me, though I am not sure they are necessarily weird: I talk to myself (or my computer) out loud pretty frequently, which creates confusion sometimes on whether or not someone needs to respond and the second is that I will often repeat people with non-American accents. My undergrad was in Theatre, so I have studied and used dialects for most of my adult life and sometimes, the mimic in me can come out without me noticing. I’m really sorry to anyone I have mimicked! I mean it in the best possible way because I want to sound like you!
What would you do if you won the Lottery?
While I rarely actually play the lottery (maybe I should?), I’ve always said that there are two things I would do, were I to win:
- Buy a castle or villa somewhere in Europe and use it as my home base for some really amazing travel. Also, it may or not become Hogwarts 2.0.
- Pay off the student loans of 20 friends and family members. Seriously. Student debt is crippling and I would hope that all of my friends who have similar experiences in dealing with the pressure and anxiety from loans would do the same.
If you could choose to have one superpower, what would it be?
Ok, I probably spend more time thinking about this exact question than an adult of my age should but I am not ashamed of it. I would choose telekinesis (because I can be lazy sometimes and don’t want to have to get off the couch for a drink.) And as any fan of comics or fantasy knows, flight is always included in this powerset, so I would still get to soar among the clouds (and never have to fly coach again).
When you were a kid, what did you respond to the question “what do you want to be when you grow up”?
As a child, I was obsessed with space: the space shuttle, Space Camp (the location and the movie), rockets, the planets; you name it! But I hated to fly (and still don’t really like it) so I wanted to make sure I had a back-up plan, which was to be an actor. I actually ended up going to a performing arts high school, followed by majoring in Theatre during Undergrad. I was very lucky to be a paid actor/singer/dancer for 8 years during college and after, before “retiring” to go to Grad School and get my MBA. But I still love space and the theatre (my first loves).
What living creature do you most admire?
It sounds cheesy, but I would have to say both of my parents. They are amazing people who have always been supportive of me and my siblings and have given each of us the space to be our own people and make our own choices, even when they disagreed. They created a life for themselves (and our family) out of almost nothing and are now these amazing people who love, and are loved by, everyone who meets them. I am very lucky to have them both.
Oh. And Professor Dumbledore.
This interview was conducted by Manuela Nogueira, a digital knowledge manager with Edelman Digital.