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Matthew Rodrigues ’04

  • Matthew Rodrigues ’04

Graduation Year

2004

Major at MMC

Theatre Arts

Current Title

Host, POPSUGAR

Spotlight Story

When Matthew Rodrigues heard about Marymount Manhattan College through a high school friend, he knew that the “small school in a big city” was the perfect place for him to hone his skills and prepare for a successful career.

Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts in 2004, Rodrigues made the move to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams, but quickly realized it wouldn’t be as easy as planned.

After living in Los Angeles for some time, he was ready to pack his bags and head back to New York City because he “just wasn’t getting a break in his hosting career.”

As fate would have it, a close friend mentioned that an up-and-coming company called POPSUGAR created online video content and needed on-camera hosts. After acquiring a ticket to the opening of POPSUGAR’s new studio, Rodrigues walked up to the founder of the company, Lisa Sugar, and said, “I love your company and what you do, and I think it’s time you have a male host.” Two weeks and three auditions later, he had the job.

As a host, Rodrigues has interviewed an array of big names in entertainment, including Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, and Hugh Jackman. Rodrigues credits his time at MMC for making him the multifaceted industry personality he is today.

“Studying theatre helped me to discover and explore all the different parts of my personality and gave me confidence to make bold choices. The actor in me loves to bring a lot of energy, physicality, and humor to my hosting work.”     

This spotlight originally appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of MMC Magazine.