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Tom Allwood of MATTA on Budweiser's Entry Into Cricket
'In the streaming age, the live experience is gold'
Tom is managing director and co-founder of MATTA, a global creative agency specializing in sports and lifestyle brands. Since 2015, they have led campaigns for multiple World Cups and helped the Lionesses England women’s football brand become a household name. They also launched Budweiser into cricket and Clinique into women’s sports.
We spent two minutes with Tom to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Tom, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where do you live now.
I grew up in the south of England, a small village in West Sussex. Very rural, very quiet. I now live in Hackney in East London, which couldn’t be more different.
Your earliest sports memory.
Sports day at school, trying to qualify for a regional event. I missed out on all the big-ticket disciplines, but managed to squeak into the standing triple jump, a bit of a consolation prize. My mum was so proud.
Your favorite sports team(s).
The England national team in pretty much any sport, particularly cricket, rugby and football.
Your favorite athlete(s).
Joe Root. He carried the England cricket team through some tough times and has quietly become one of the greats. He’s one of the nicest people you could meet. I’m also a huge fan of the Red Roses England Women’s Rugby team. They won the World Cup in England last summer, the culmination of an incredible run of 33 unbeaten matches. The pressure not to slip up at the final hurdle, on home soil, was huge. And they didn’t flinch.
Your favorite sports movie and/or show.
Happy Gilmore was on regular rotation at university.
Your favorite sports podcast or news show.
Unofficial Partner, a sports business podcast where they genuinely don’t seem worried about asking the questions everyone else is thinking but not saying out loud.
Your favorite sports video game, if you have one.
Sensible Soccer on Atari back in the day.
A recent project you’re proud of.
We’ve just launched Budweiser’s partnership with the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in India. In a country where cricket is like a religion, Bud has taken a brave decision to focus on the fans rather than just the heroes. How they experience and reinterpret the game is what brings it to life.
What’s someone else’s recent work that you admire?
I always look forward to BBC promos for major events. They consistently land a big idea and push the craft. Their Winter Olympics spot involved stop-motion fire and ice.
What can sports do that nothing else can?
In the streaming age, the live experience is gold.
What would you be doing if you weren’t working in the sports space?
My family are all musicians and teachers. So, probably one or both of those. I still occasionally play the double bass when I get a bit of time.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
