Matt Pana

A Reason for Hope Podcast

Matt Pana

Eat. Blog. Drum

EDUCATION

Master of Science, Communication
Purdue University, 2018

Bachelors of Science, Business Administration
Seton Hall University, 2010

PROFILE

Matt Pana was born to be a storyteller.

His story’s roots first took shape in at Seton Hall University, where he studied abroad in 4 countries and was quickly elected as one of the youngest National Chairs of FIND Inc., the east coast’s largest Filipino-American student organization.

After graduation, Matt pursued his life-long vocation for music, From fully-funding their first Kickstarter in under 48 hours to reaching over 100k views on YouTube, his band Mitchell Grey would tour with acclaimed acts including The Voice’s Tim Atlas, America’s Got Talent’s Us The Duo, and the Grammy award-winning Tori Kelly.

Upon the band’s sabbatical, Matt would pivot to develop his own podcast LIKEWISE, featuring guests including Timothy De La Ghetto (MTV’s Wild ‘N Out) and The Fil-Harmonic (Pitch Perfect 2). He would also return to his roots: drumming for the award-winning Wyland, and extending his brand even further as a blogger and YouTuber.

His latest mission has been to cultivate communities and develop engaging content, garnering a decade of experience in marketing, production, and digital media. After serving as a Communication Consultant for the United Nations (UNDP), Matt would go on to complete a Master’s in Communication at Purdue University.

In this current chapter, Matt leverages his passions for media and technology to serve ISDA as a thought leader in the public sector. He also hosts the web series Deep Cuts on the Array of Hope Network, covering social media and pop culture trends through the lens of human dignity.

In his spare time, Matt can be found watching 80’s wrestling, tweeting about Catholicism, and binge-reading Chris Claremont’s run of the X-Men. He’s also an active Yelp Elite member, attending food events across the city!

Media

Content & Projects

AVIXA Beyond Visual

CFN TV

Deep Cuts

A Reason for Hope

International Swaps and Derivatives Association

United Nations Development Programme

Thrillist

OHAUS Corporation

Mitchell Grey’s Heartstrings (ft. Tori Kelly)

Wyland @ WNYC’s The Greene Space

Affiliates

International Swaps and Derivatives Association

ISDA fosters safe and efficient derivatives markets to facilitate effective risk management for all users of derivatives products. ISDA achieves its mission by representing all market participants globally, promoting high standards of commercial conduct that enhance market integrity, and leading industry action on derivatives issues.

AVIXA

We’re part association, part society; a mix of professionals from all over the globe who create those cool experiences you have in meetings, classes, and events in offices, airports, museums, sports arenas, theatres, concerts…

Young Catholic Professionals

We equip young workers to take true ownership of their faith and work lives. We enable them to go forth as catalysts of personal excellence for all whom they meet.

Array of Hope

Array of Hope exists to reveal the “Truths of our Faith” by creating high quality films, music and events. Seeking to address the decline of God in our culture, we are empowered with His grace to capture the hearts of families and awaken an inner desire to seek a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Bayani Warrior Martial Arts

Bayani Warrior is a group that seeks to improve lives by strengthening the body, mind, and spirit.

Convey Vintage & Design

Connect with curated finds, engage in aesthetic spaces.

Oro Counseling

Oro Counseling LLC is a privately owned therapy practice offering in-person and remote counseling services to individuals and families in the King of Prussia area and beyond. 

Adventii Media

Grown straight from the Garden State, we are a boutique inbound agency built for passionate brands, delivering sales, marketing, service and CRM solutions.

Parish Community of Saint Helen

We're a vibrant community of Catholic believers, united in our mission to worship God, serve others, and make disciples. If you're searching for a spiritual home, we'd be honored to welcome you to our Sunday Experience. You can find our schedule and campus location below, along with details about our various programs and activities catering to all ages.

Causes

Catholic Charities

The Catholic Charities Junior Board is a fun group of passionate and philanthropic young professionals (ages 21-40) in New York. We support the work of Catholic Charities through fundraising, volunteering, and networking within our community to help those in need.

SAVe

An independent, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Sustainability in AV (SAVe) is the first industrywide U.S.-based organization to bring stakeholders in the audio visual (AV) field together to take concerted action to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

WeDignify

WeDignify envisions college campuses to be centers for a culture of life where people treat life with love, new life is welcomed with joy, and people suffering from abortion are led to healing hope.

World Youth Alliance

WYA serves young people around the world to build a culture that supports and nurtures the dignity of the person. Our work is divided into three program areas: Advocacy, Education and Culture.

Inner City Scholarship Fund

Inner-City exists to ensure that the gift of an excellent Catholic school education continues to be a viable option for students of all faiths today and for future generations to come.

Search and Care

Search and Care’s mission is to seek out older people in the community who need help in managing life’s daily activities or accessing essential services, and to provide them the support and companionship they require to live with security and dignity in the manner they choose.

Franciscan Charities

The mission of Franciscan Charities is to tend to the critical needs of the poor, provide tools to rise above poverty and support physical, emotional and spiritual healing.

Arthouse2B

Arthouse2B is a multidisciplinary group of artists cultivating Catholic arts renewal in NYC. Our aim is to restore culture through restoring the heart of the artist.

Life Choices Resource Center

For 38 years Life Choices Resource Center has been faithfully serving mothers and families who are faced with difficult or unplanned pregnancies. Since 1985 we’ve helped thousands of women choose life for their babies by providing them with practical, emotional, spiritual and material support.

Matt’s Favorite

Reads

The books that changed my life!

Wild at Heart

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive, because what the world needs are men who have come alive.” — John Eldridge

Boundaries

“Setting boundaries inevitably involves taking responsibility for your choices. You are the one who makes them. You are the one who must live with their consequences. And you are the one who may be keeping yourself from making the choices you could be happy with. We must own our own thoughts and clarify distorted thinking.” — Henry Cloud

Man’s Search for Meaning

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Viktor Frankl

Crazy Love

“God's definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love.” — Francis Chan

Mere Christianity

“For pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” — CS Lewis

Interior Freedom

“Faith and hope are provisional; they exist only for this earth and will pass away. In heaven, faith will be replaced by sight, and hope by possession; only love will never pass away.”
— Jacques Philippe

Life of the Beloved

“Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life...all of our life.”
— Henri J.M. Nouwen

The Last Lecture

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
— Randy Pausch

Tribes

“The job isn't to catch up to the status quo; the job is to invent the status quo.”
— Seth Godwin

Blink

“Insight is not a lightbulb that goes off inside our heads. It is a flickering candle that can easily be snuffed out.”
— Malcolm Gladwell

OH HEY, FOR BEST VIEWING, YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR PHONE