Before teaching media classes at NIU, Matt Swan had adventures writing plays and hosting his own local television show on channel 39.

Swan did not intend to teach as he received a masters in fine arts from Florida State University. During which, Swan thought he would write plays, a hobby he still enjoys today.

“I took a class in college for [playwriting] and really found it enjoyable,” Swan said. “One of my professors turned me onto it, and I’m glad he did. It opened up another career path for me.”

Swan has had many of his plays performed in theatres in both Chicago and California. He said his biggest accomplishment is having had one of his works performed at the Fringe Festival in Scotland. The play, “Van Gogh’s Ear,” is a one act play that follows Swan’s theory on why Van Gogh may have cut off his ear.

Swan was also nominated for the Valley Theatre Leagure’s Artistic Director Achievement Theater Award in 1999 and one of his works, “Davey and Goliath’s Snowboard Christmas,” aired on the Hallmark channel in December. It follows a boy named Davey and his talking dog, Goliath, on a snowboarding adventure.

With his background in film, Swan said he enjoys taking time to watch new box office hits.

“I am very much into film and television, so I like to go to the movies a lot,” Swan said. “I also like to read and play golf.”

Before becoming an instructor, Swan worked in the television industry in Rockford where he worked on his own show titled “Uncle Don’s Terror Theater” from 1984 to 1992.

“I hosted a late night monster movie series for a number of years in Rockford,” Swan said. “The station had a large collection of horror movies from the 1930s, and I put together a show with it. I created my alter TV ego, Uncle Don, who was this weird awkward guy.”

While the life of a TV writer can be exciting, Swan said he would rather teach as each semester of new students gives him new energy. Swan has taught the same classes in media writing since he started in 1995 and said he holds confidence in what he teaches and loves helping his students achieve higher goals.

“I’m always thrilled by my students’ ideas and our interactions,” Swan said. “The most rewarding thing is to see students achieve something greater. I have had multiple students achieve success, and that is very rewarding for me.”