News

Women Behind the Scenes Spotlight: Gina Matthews

By  | 

Gina Matthews (Photo By: Frederick M. Brown-Getty Images)

Today’s Women Behind the Scenes spotlight is shone on writer, executive producer and series creator Gina Matthews.

Gina got her start working as an assistant to John Baldecchi, the co-producer of the 1993 films Gunmen, which starred Christopher Lambert and The Adventures of Huck Finn, which starred Elijah Wood.

It was five years later that she was a producer on the box office film Urban Legend that starred Jared Leto, Joshua Jackson and Alicia Witt (among others); and then in the following year, she worked as a producer on the films The Wishing Well, which was co-written by her husband Grant Scharbo, and The Furies, which was written by Ryan Murphy, the man behind Glee and American Horror Story. That same year Gina worked on the TV movie Summer’s End also written by Grant; and then Gina and Ryan Murphy teamed together to create and write the cult-favorite series Popular, which starred Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope.

At the turn of the century, she was a producer on the box office films Urban Legends: Final Cut and What Women Want. Then in 2001, she was one of the executive producers on the short-lived series The Chronicle and then in 2003 she and Grant worked as writers and executive producers on the short-lived series Jake 2.0 that starred Christopher Gorman.

In 2004, she worked as a producer on the box office film 13 Going on 30 that starred Jennifer Garner and that same year, she and Grant created (with David Barrett) the short-lived TV series The Mountain for which she also served as writer.

Four years later, she and Grant were the executive producers on the 2008 pilot The Oaks, which wasn’t picked up, and then she (and Grant) was an executive producer on the TV movie Blue Blood.

Two years later, Gina served as executive producer (again with Grant and Richard Hatem) on the short-lived series The Gates and now she (and Grant) is an executive producer and creator of the Ashley Judd TV series Missing.

Gina is also the mom of two children.

Using her favorite online handle, Rueben is an East Coast-bred gal who is now a permanent Californian and a lifelong tv-oholic. She watches at least 25 TV shows a week, goes to the movies as often as possible, listens to music every waking moment, reads every day and “plays” on the internet every chance she can. Some of her current favorite TV shows are Outlander, Sweet Magnolias, Wednesday, The Mandalorian, The Equalizer, Fire Country, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, The Rookie, Cobra Kai, Virgin River, The Witcher, Leverage: Redemption and School Spirits.  She is looking forward to the season premieres of Hudson & Rex on UPtv and Skymed on Paramount+ as well as the return of fall TV albeit starting in February. Follow her at @ruebenrambling or contact her at rueben@nicegirlstv.com.