Matthew Manson is a writer and director who has created over 900 commercials, branded web series, and short films. He's won several advertising and narrative awards, including an audience award for Best Short at the Tribeca Film Festival. His newest short Wannabe is based on his feature film shooting this summer in NYC.

Inspired by the director's childhood, Wannabe is about neurotic Jewish boy who must win over his crush by impressing her skeptical Jamaican family. Set in 1990s New York City - a time of intense social and political strife - the film stars Malcolm Jamal-Warner (The Cosby Show, American Crime Story: People v. O.J. Simpson), David Bloom (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp), Chaize Macklin, and Donis Leonard Jr. (House of Lies). It is based on a feature script of the same name.

The feature recently went through the Film Independent Producers Lab. It was a finalist for the Sundance Writers Lab, a semi-finalist for the Nicholls Fellowship, and won the Richard Vague / Christopher Columbus grant, which awarded a cash prize towards production.

The film is currently being packaged at CAA and is scheduled to shoot this summer.