Matt Fern

I’m sad to hear of the passing of my friend, former Bismarck mayor and magician Bill Sorensen. Here’s a short clip from an unreleased video I shot with Bill for my Daily Dakotan series. Thank you, Bill, for the friendship, the magic, and a lifetime of service to North Dakota.

Thanks to Dusty Hillebrand and @JobServiceND for having me on The Job Pod to talk about careers in film and content creation. Stay tuned for a great conversation about North Dakota’s talented media production workforce!

Last month, I had the honor of attending the premiere of Dakota Rangers IV, created by @BismarckSchools teacher and filmmaker Perry Lee. We have a lot of talent in North Dakota, and I appreciate Perry telling stories and making movies right here at home!

Just another day at The Office. Happy Halloween! 🎃

Huge shoutout to the awesome crew who helped us record five in-person @PlainTalkND debates! The series reached record audiences and helped voters learn more about the candidates and issues this election. Grateful for the talent and teamwork that made it happen.

Had a great time at today’s @NDAREC Communicators Workshop in Mandan. I gave myself a challenge: produce a podcast and a short social media clip in under an hour. With help from the group, we made it happen! Thanks to the NDAREC team for having me!

Thank you to all the students and presenters who made yesterday’s Content Creators Summit at @Bismarck_State such a great day! @FilmNorthDakota was proud to be part of a day dedicated to helping our state’s next generation of creators connect, learn, and grow!

Thanks to @CommerceND and @JobServiceND for meeting with @FilmNorthDakota members this morning! We shared workforce data and explored ways to connect creators, employers and students with opportunities at home. Excited to keep the conversation going!

This week, Warner Bros. and Paramount announced they’ll both soon be under a new name: Skydance. A hundred years ago, WB, Paramount, MGM, Fox and RKO dominated the movie business. Today, you can create movies that reach millions of people from anywhere. Why not North Dakota?

For the first time, North Dakota’s filmmakers and content creators had a voice in the room at the Greater North Dakota Chamber Policy Summit. Thank you to GNDC for bringing leaders from across North Dakota together for these important conversations.

How is artificial intelligence affecting the animation industry? @tobytobyjones shares his concerns about AI, the financial forces driving its adoption and the need to protect the artists whose work makes animation possible. Watch the full conversation: youtube.com/watch?v=sFYA3MaE…

Making TV animation and producing a micro-budget film are very different experiences—but each can inform the other. @tobytobyjones shares what he brought from animation to his live-action feature, 'AJ Goes to the Dog Park'. Watch the full conversation: youtube.com/watch?v=sFYA3MaE…

After building a successful animation career, why does @tobytobyjones continue returning to North Dakota to make movies? Watch the full conversation: youtube.com/watch?v=sFYA3MaE…

After graduating during the 2009 recession, @tobytobyjones continued to develop his own distinctive work. That persistence eventually helped him begin a career working on 'Regular Show'. Watch the full @filmnorthdakota conversation: youtube.com/watch?v=sFYA3MaE…

Fargo native @tobytobyjones joins the @FilmNorthDakota Podcast to discuss his successful animation career, including work for Cartoon Network, Paramount+ and Apple TV, while continuing to return home to make independent films. Listen now! youtube.com/watch?v=paBLiQ1s…

54% of ND film and media professionals surveyed say they’ve left the state for work opportunities, while fewer than half believe they can sustain a long-term career here. See the full report at FilmNorthDakota.org.

69% of respondents have at least five years of experience, 88% are employed, and 75% of those answering the income question earn more than half their income from film, TV or media production. See the full North Dakota Film & Media Industry Report 2026 at FilmNorthDakota.org.

Film was only the third most common type of work reported in our 2026 survey. 70% work in commercial and advertising production, 68% in social media, and the average respondent works across 3.7 different types of media production. See the full report at FilmNorthDakota.org.