Daily Inspiration: Meet Matt Duff

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Duff

Hi Matt, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I got started in TV production in Los Angeles after college, working on all kind of shows from prank shows, to Cop ride along shows, and MTV reality shows.

It was around 2015, with the release of Serial and The Jinx on HBO that I really got intrigued by true crime and cases that not only could you document but potentially make a difference in the outcome.

So over the next couple years, I developed many true crime TV shows, but unfortunately none ever made it to the air. There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of green lights you have to get in TV production to make it on air.

In 2019 I got licensed as a private investigator and decided to go a route of less resistance and started a true crime podcast. It was rewarding as an Investigator and a storyteller, because the audience was just one click away.

I ended up working on my first podcast, Cousins By Blood, (a Capital Murder case in Texas) for over four years. Information uncovered in the podcast was able to stop a death row inmates execution once and could have got him a new trial, if the information was allowed to be reviewed on the merits. However, ultimately the new evidence was said to be procedurally barred and they executed him on February 28, 2024. That podcast investigation was featured on the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, in Forbes and the Texas Tribune.

I started my second podcast in 2024, looking into the coldest murder case in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s a very intriguing case as well and I’m just scratching the surface to uncover “Who Killed Beth-Ellen?”

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We’re you’re dealing with murder investigations, it’s not going to be easy. You’ve really gotta plan out the investigation, to hit things in the right order. Podcasting is the easy part. The investigation is what makes it tricky, but also worthwhile.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think being licensed as a PI and also coming from a TV production background gives me a leg up when it comes to long form, on going investigative podcasting.

I use the podcast as an investigative tool. The podcast is a way to heat a case back up and get people talking again. Social media is a place where people can congregate on line and start putting their information together.

Cops working a cold case don’t have a tool like a podcast that can be used to generate more information. I can for see police departments in the future collaborating with podcasters in the future, just like they would something like Unsolved Mysteries in the past.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Sometimes you only have one chance to get information. I was connected with a main person of interest in my investigation, but because of other people on the phone line it was going to make for an awkward situation. I decided not get into the serious subject matter in front of this person’s friends, in the hopes I would be able to continue the interview in a more appropriate setting.

After that one phone call, I never got another opportunity. He would not talk to me again. After that I realized, as an investigator, sometimes you only got one shot. So, take it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bethellenpodcast.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whokilledbethellen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555300844031
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/67JxYddTkDrIvfQ2ARZ2Pu?si=YLWSvp27QXyeytOR_K5L2A