Matthew Naythons
Encyclopedia
Matthew Naythons is an American photojournalist. physician and publisher Trained as a medical doctor, beginning in the 1970s he photographed many of the twentieth century's historic events. During his photographic career, he founded an NGO, and later became a writer and publisher.
. He arrived there in August 1968, two weeks ahead of the Soviet army, which he photographed during the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
. After graduating from medical school in 1972 he went to California
where he completed a rotating internship at Highland Hospital
in Oakland. At the end of his internship, he took six months off and moved to Amsterdam
. In October 1973, with help from a Dutch publisher and a friendly press-card carrying photographer, he was able to get on an El Al flight from Amsterdam for journalists covering the Yom Kippur War
.
He spent much of his career in dangerous hotspots around the world. In 1975, Naythons arrived in Saigon three weeks before it fell, shooting for Time
magazine and evacuating during the Fall of Saigon
in a United States Marine Corps
helicopter. Naythons was also one of the first ones on the scene of the massacre in Jonestown
, 1978; he had originally been scheduled to travel with Congressman Leo Ryan
, who was murdered there by members of the Peoples Temple
. While covering the Nicaraguan Revolution, he was struck but unharmed by a government soldier's rifle in Managua, Nicaragua, in 1979.
to publish The Power to Heal
In 1991, Naythons founded Epicenter Communications, of which he is president and CEO. The company creates photojournalism, multimedia, and Internet projects. Projects included The Face of Mercy: A Photographic History of Medicine at War, with an introduction by William Styron, Clinton: A Portrait of Victory—the first best-selling book to have an accompanying CD-ROM, Christmas Around the World, the first coffee table book with an accompanying website and reader community, and the official presidential inaugural books for Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama
In 1995 Epicenter formed two Internet health divisions: NetMed and NetHealth. Epicenter created some of the first disease-specific health sites on the Internet, including websites such as Alzheimers.com, Diabetes.com, Depression.com, and Obesity.com.
Naythons’ own photographic work documents the Fall of Saigon
, the Yom Kippur War
, the Nicaraguan revolution, and the Jonestown suicide/massacre, among other turbulent political events of the late 1970s. In addition to substantive coverage of seven wars and revolutions, the collection includes his features on the Centers for Disease Control, Burmese rubies, and the film Apocalypse Now
, and portraits of such high-profile figures as Steve Jobs
, Charles M. Schulz
, Pope John Paul II
, President Jimmy Carter
, Kevin Costner
and Hunter S. Thompson
. Samples of his work can be found at Getty Images
Photojournalism
Naythons's first brush with world history came in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. He arrived there in August 1968, two weeks ahead of the Soviet army, which he photographed during the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
. After graduating from medical school in 1972 he went to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he completed a rotating internship at Highland Hospital
Highland Hospital (Oakland, California)
Highland Hospital is a public hospital located in Alameda County, Oakland, California. It is operated by the Alameda County Medical Center.It is a Level II trauma center.- History :-External links:*...
in Oakland. At the end of his internship, he took six months off and moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. In October 1973, with help from a Dutch publisher and a friendly press-card carrying photographer, he was able to get on an El Al flight from Amsterdam for journalists covering the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
.
He spent much of his career in dangerous hotspots around the world. In 1975, Naythons arrived in Saigon three weeks before it fell, shooting for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine and evacuating during the Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
in a United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
helicopter. Naythons was also one of the first ones on the scene of the massacre in Jonestown
Jonestown
Jonestown was the informal name for the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones. It became internationally notorious when, on November 18, 1978, 918 people died in the settlement as well as in a nearby...
, 1978; he had originally been scheduled to travel with Congressman Leo Ryan
Leo Ryan
Leo Joseph Ryan, Jr. was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served as a U.S. Representative from California's 11th congressional district from 1973 until he was murdered in Guyana by members of the Peoples Temple shortly before the Jonestown Massacre in 1978.After the Watts Riots...
, who was murdered there by members of the Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple was a religious organization founded in 1955 by Jim Jones that, by the mid-1970s, included over a dozen locations in California including its headquarters in San Francisco...
. While covering the Nicaraguan Revolution, he was struck but unharmed by a government soldier's rifle in Managua, Nicaragua, in 1979.
NGO work
Naythons' profession as a photographer led him to become active in the places he visited. In response to the Cambodian refugee crisis he witnessed first-hand in 1979, Naythons founded and led International Medical Teams (IMT), a mobile team of physicians, nurses and paramedics that brought health care across the Thai border into Cambodia from 1979 - 1981.Publishing career
In 1989 he worked with Phillip Moffitt and Rick SmolanRick Smolan
Rick Smolan is an American photographer. He is CEO of Against All Odds Productions.-Background:Smolan is a 1972 graduate of Dickinson College. He has worked for TIME, LIFE and National Geographic...
to publish The Power to Heal
In 1991, Naythons founded Epicenter Communications, of which he is president and CEO. The company creates photojournalism, multimedia, and Internet projects. Projects included The Face of Mercy: A Photographic History of Medicine at War, with an introduction by William Styron, Clinton: A Portrait of Victory—the first best-selling book to have an accompanying CD-ROM, Christmas Around the World, the first coffee table book with an accompanying website and reader community, and the official presidential inaugural books for Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama
In 1995 Epicenter formed two Internet health divisions: NetMed and NetHealth. Epicenter created some of the first disease-specific health sites on the Internet, including websites such as Alzheimers.com, Diabetes.com, Depression.com, and Obesity.com.
Matthew Naythons Photographic Archive
The Matthew Naythons Photographic Archive resides in the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. This archive consists of materials from both Naythons’ photojournalistic days (1972–86) and his later work as a publisher/producer (1986–present), and includes negatives (1,000), transparencies (6,800, in both black and white, and color), photographic prints (3,200), contact sheets, correspondence with and biographical profiles of photographers, copyright documentation (including model releases), proofs for publications, manuscripts, business records and digital files on floppy disks, CDs, DVDs and hard drives.Naythons’ own photographic work documents the Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
, the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
, the Nicaraguan revolution, and the Jonestown suicide/massacre, among other turbulent political events of the late 1970s. In addition to substantive coverage of seven wars and revolutions, the collection includes his features on the Centers for Disease Control, Burmese rubies, and the film Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
, and portraits of such high-profile figures as Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
, Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
and Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
. Samples of his work can be found at Getty Images