Matthew S. Nadler

Matthew Stuart Nadler April 30, 1958 – April 18, 2023

Two celebrations of life were held with family and friends:  May 31, 2023 and July 16, 2023

A.K.A. Big Matt  “Turn up that song”

Creative Director at 9Rooftops Marketing 2011-2023 most recent advertising agency

Studied at CUNY Baruch, NY

Studied at School of Visual Arts

Ramones Roadie

Forest Hills High School

From Queens, New York

Matthew was an accomplished advertising executive and gifted storyteller.  Matt's stories were as lively as he was and he truly lived many of his experiences. He was very much in the present while being nostalgic of his colorful past and more hair he had back then.  He was authentic, proud of his Jewish heritage and growing up in Queens, New York.

Matt was high energy with a busy mind from a young age.  He often told vivid stories about growing up, cherishing these memories with his family and remained close with everyone throughout his life.  He traveled cross country as a teenager in the summers on a Grey Rabbit bus from New York to visit his father in Tarzana, CA.  This was the start of his road tripping days and wanderlust.

On the bus trips, he met lots of interesting people and taught himself magic tricks for entertainment, such as making silverware disappear under a napkin, vanishing coins and card tricks.  To the delight of friends and family, he would perform these magic tricks on occasion.

Instead of going to college after high school at Forest Hills, he became a roadie for the Ramones for a couple of years, 1977 to 1979.  His friend Matt Lolya was also a roadie. Since their names were the same, he was nicknamed Big Matt since he was taller, 6’2” and Matt Lolya, shorter, “Little Matt”.  He mainly assisted Joey Ramone and was taught sound and made sure the mics and sound were set up properly.  This experience was life changing for him, opening up a whole new world and many more stories he often would tell, editing them depending on the audience. The Ramones were at the forefront of punk rock with an original, unique style and fast songs.  One of Matt’s favorite quotes was “play it louder, faster, harder” from his roadie days.  He also loved the “Gabba, Gabba, Hey” phrase and there are iconic photos of him on stage holding the sign.

After a couple of years on the road, he decided that the roadie life was not for him forever.  He stayed connected to the Ramones as a booking agent and promoter for them and other bands including Madonna, Rattlers, Buddy Love and the Propellers.  His mother always said he would use his imagination one day to chart his own path. He enrolled with the encouragement of his parents in Baruch College and fortunately met a guidance counselor who helped change the trajectory of his career.  The counselor asked him what he enjoyed doing, he said he liked promoting bands and making flyers.  The counselor said he should try marketing/advertising.  He then found his passion.

He interned with James J. Jordan Jr., a legend in advertising, whose career spanned five decades.  Jordan was famous slogans such as “Wisk beats ring around the collar”, “Delta is ready when you are”, “Zestfully clean”, “Quaker Oatmeal, it’s the right thing to do”.  Matt was a natural fit with his musical background and gift of writing.  The internship lead to his first job at a Manhattan advertising firm and the start of his 40+ years in advertising.

Most recently, over the last 12 years, he was a Creative Director for 9Rooftops, a marketing firm in the Bluffton, SC.  Matt always managed to adapt to media and advertising trends. He always had a positive attitude and a warm smile, making everyone he met feel comfortable and respected. He was a great conversationalist, funny, goofy and engaging with all ages while also being a good listener.

From Kevin Meany, 9Rooftops-

“For starters, Matt was a passionate and committed ‘ad man.’ As he came up through the ranks, he created print ads and TV commercials for a few well-known NYC advertising agencies, including Jordan, McGrath, Case & Taylor, Grey, D'Arcy, and USM&P. He contributed to several famous campaigns, such as the 1980s Butterfingers commercial "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger." This catchphrase and the accompanying advertisements, which featured individuals passionately guarding their Butterfinger bars, became a cultural phenomenon and contributed to the candy company Butterfinger becoming well-known.

Throughout the years as the media environment splintered, Matt demonstrated his adaptability and willingness to learn successfully evolving his talent and style to match the demands of today's digital and social media.”

Matt lived out loud with his heart on his sleeve.  He lived and loved fiercely, and knew what was important in life.  He was curious, asked endless questions and was never short of ideas. He was a dreamer and capable of making dreams come true.  He had a big personality while being humble at the same time.  His spirit will live on in those who knew and loved him.   May we all stay curious, be creative, practice kindness, express love for each other often, be happy, dance and turn up the music!

In lieu of flowers, if you would like to honor Matt’s memory, donate to your favorite charity, his favorites would be related to children, people or animals.

For more about Matt or to share a memory, a memory page is available on Legacy.com .

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105
Tel: 1-800-805-5856
Web: http://www.stjude.org/

Save the Children
500 Kings Highway East Suite 400, Fairfield CT 06825
Tel: 1-800-544-4470
Web: http://www.savethechildren.org/

Palmetto Animal League
56 Riverwalk Blvd, Okatie SC 29936
Web: https://palmettoanimalleague.org/donate-today/

Hilton Head Humane Association
P.O. Box 21790, Hilton Head Island SC 29925
Web: http://www.hhhumane.org/?page_id=603