Matthew Clayton was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, before moving to Brisbane, Australia with his parents and younger sister when he was a child. Interested in performing and writing from a young age, he began to develop an interest in film-making as a teenager and decided to study film and television at university, displacing his former plans to study science.

His creative interests and talents are wide-ranged, encompassing film directing, script-writing, acting, song-writing and novel writing, with a particular focus on comedy. He has also maintained interests in science, history, politics and playing the drums since childhood.

He met his wife, Clare Clayton, while they were both working at the community television station in Brisbane. They have since collaborated on numerous productions together and formed a production company, Deer Owl Productions.