EXCLUSIVE: Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri, stars of FX’s The Bear, have partnered with producer Hannah Welever to launch Super Athletic Film Co., a production company focused on championing a new class of creatives in their work on original stories for film & TV.
Matheson and Staffieri forged an instant bond on the award-winning culinary series The Bear, returning for its final season in June, with their roles as Fak brothers, Neil and Teddy. They connected with Welever through that show, where she served as producer’s assistant and, at one point, second unit director of photography.
At Super Athletic Film Co., Matheson and Staffieri will serve as executive producers, with Welever as Head of Development. The company launches with a slate already in motion — their first feature being Grind, a darkly comedic thriller directed by Peter Collins Campbell on which we first reported in August 2025. Starring Janeane Garofalo, Jack Haven, Hari Nef, and Killer Mike and EL-P of Run the Jewels, that title won the 2026 Frontieres Platform at the Marche Du Film in Cannes and is still in post.
Watch on Deadline
Super Athletic Film Co. just premiered its short, Run It Back, as part of the Vital Stories filmmaker program at the Tribeca Festival. Directed by Abby Pierce and starring Tiffany “Tiny” Cruz and Sing Sing‘s Clarence Maclin, the film follows Sweet Tea (Cruz) in the 12 hours following her re-entry into society after a four-year prison sentence.
In addition to its work in film and TV, Super Athletic Film Co. will provide full-service commercial production services, partnering with brands, agencies and creatives on premium brand campaigns.
“The older we get, the more we realize making things is a lot like being on a sports team,” the Super Athletic trio told Deadline. “It’s not about finding the shiniest people in the room. It’s about creating with people who make you better, the people who challenge you, inspire you, and who you genuinely want to spend your time with.”
An executive producer on The Bear, in addition to playing Neil Fak, Matheson is a chef, restaurateur, actor, producer, and three-time New York Times bestselling author who owns nine restaurants in Canada and the U.S. He runs Matheson Food Company, Blue Goose Farm, and the relaunched Rosa Rugosa brand, fronts the band Pig Pen, lends his voice to animated features like Gabby’s Dollhouse and Toy Story 5, and returned with Season 3 of his Netflix cooking series Just a Dash in January. He is repped by WME.
Staffieri is co-executive producer on The Bear, in addition to playing Teddy Fak, and can next be seen in Vought Rising, Amazon MGM’s prequel to The Boys and Gen V. As a filmmaker, he has developed and produced award-winning narrative projects, documentaries, branded campaigns, and original content. He is repped by Independent Artist Group, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
A champion of underrepresented filmmakers, Welever is a producer with a background in directing and cinematography. A co-producer on Ramy Youssef’s new HBO comedy special, In Love, she most recently served as associate producer on Caleb Hearon’s upcoming comedy Trash Mountain.