Nashville, TN (February 8, 2021)
Cade Thompson, the latest breakout Christian music artist from Red Street Records, has announced that Liberty University film student Matthew Gates, as the winner of his music video contest that was launched at the end of 2020. Matthew Gates’ video for “Every Step of the Way” premiered on Christian Post.com.

“I am so excited that Matthew Gates is the winner of the official music video contest for my song ‘Every Step of the Way.’ I love how Matthew took his own creative spin, and narrative to go along with this song. Every time I watch the video I see a new eye-catching element that I love, and it keeps me engaged the entire time. It is so special, at the beginning you see the struggle of someone trying to make music who eventually finds peace through God’s word. I feel this message is relatable to many people in life. We are so excited for the world to see this video. Congrats again Matthew.” — Cade Thompson

Watch it:

Gates video was selected by the all-star judges including Thompson, Jay DeMarcus of multi-platinum selling & award-winning country trio Rascal Flatts and founder of Red Street Records, industry veteran and creative producer Rick Eldridge, CEO/Producer of ReelWorks Studios and Calvin Aurand, (Director/Producer who has created content for Beyoncé, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, John Mayer, One Direction, Harry Styles).

“This was a unique opportunity to see so many young, bright, creative minds,” says DeMarcus. “This decision was not easy, but in the end, Matthew’s treatment and execution was top notch. I’m really proud of this video, and I want to thank everyone who jumped in and made submissions to our contest!”

When explaining the heart behind the video, contest winner Gates says, “The vision behind this video is the same strategy I try bringing to all my stories…it’s about creating a scene, or scenario, that I find interesting and would personally like to experience on some level. In the case of ‘Every Step of the Way,’ I’m always recording little moments throughout my day that I find interesting or entertaining, until I eventually compile them into a lightly edited video journal. And when I finally sit down and watch these videos, months or years later, it’s a strangely therapeutic experience…because looking back, I can ‘connect the dots’ of my life and sometimes see that no matter how lost I might think I am, things usually have a way of working out for the best.”

In addition to the music video premiere, Gates received a plethora of Cade Thompson merchandise, two tickets and meet and greet passes to any Cade Thompson show during 2021, along with a $1000 Amazon Gift Card.

Gates is currently studying Film Production and Content Development at Liberty University, but his love for film started at just 12 years old when he received a small camcorder for Christmas. What started out as shooting squirrels and wildlife in his backyard in Bentonville, AR, over a decade later, he has worked on numerous short films, assisted with wedding videography, music videos and has interned with a visual effects company.

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