After college, he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens.

In his four-year career at the University of Akron, he finished with nearly 2,000 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. To date he has raised almost $252,000, making Hair Love the best-funded short film in the history of Kickstarter.Ĭherry, 35, is a former college wide receiver. It is our hope that this project will inspire.” He took to the crowdfunding site Kickstarter to fund the film. When she is unavailable right before a big event, Stephen has to figure it out and concludes that Zuri’s hair has a mind of its own.Ĭherry said the “story was born out of seeing a lack of representation in mainstream animated projects, and also wanting to promote hair love amongst young men and women of color. Although Stephen has long locks, he is used to his wife doing his daughter’s hair. His five-minute animated film is about the relationship between an African-American father, Stephen, his daughter, Zuri, and her hair. In particular, he focused on ones that showed fathers combing their daughters’ hair, which can be both a chore and a bonding experience. Now, his résumé includes a heartwarming short film in production called Hair Love.Ĭherry said the idea for the film came from watching viral videos of fathers interacting with their daughters. Matthew Cherry’s evolution has taken him from the football field to a stint as a production assistant to music videos.

Matthew a cherry hair love