Matt earned his Masters of Fine Arts in Directing and Acting at the University of New Orleans.
After college, Williams moved to New York, where he caught the attention of director Jay Sandrich, who recommended him as a writer to The COSBY Show producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner. During his four seasons as writer/producer of THE COSBY SHOW, Matt and his co-writers were honored with Emmy and Humanitas nominations and shared a Peabody Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television.
In 1989, after co-creating the COSBY spin-off, A DIFFERENT WORLD, as well as creating and executive producing ROSEANNE, he established WIND DANCER PRODUCTION GROUP with partners David McFadzean and Carmen Finestra. Williams solidified his reputation in the medium as co-creator and executive producer of, among others, HOME IMPROVEMENT, one of the most successful programs in television history.