Martyn Eaden is a British screenwriter known for projects including Thoughtform, Spurned, Shango and Olivia Mabel. Many readers first encountered his name through his former marriage to American actress Chrissy Metz, but his publicly documented work extends beyond that relationship.
Eaden maintains a relatively private life, and reliable biographical information about him is limited. That has led some online profiles to publish exact claims about his age, education, height, income and present location without identifying dependable evidence.
What can be confirmed is that he has written and directed short-form work, collaborated on several horror and thriller scripts, and received recognition in screenwriting competitions. This profile separates those documented facts from personal details that remain unknown.
Who is Martyn Eaden?
Martyn Eaden is a British writer whose work is primarily associated with horror, supernatural thrillers and dark comedy. IMDb identifies him as a writer known for Changes, Thoughtform and Spurned. A 2022 interview with Filmmatic also described him as a British screenwriter who had worked with writing partner David McClellan for more than a decade.
He is also known as the former husband of Chrissy Metz, who played Kate Pearson in NBC’s This Is Us. The pair separated before Metz received her breakout role on the series.
| Detail | Publicly documented information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Martyn Eaden |
| Nationality | British |
| Profession | Screenwriter and director |
| Known screen credits | Thoughtform, Spurned and Changes |
| Notable screenplay projects | Shango, Footlights: The True Story of Olivia Mabel and Olivia Mabel |
| Frequent collaborators | David McClellan and Ian McNeny |
| Former spouse | Chrissy Metz |
| Current personal life | Not reliably documented |
Martyn Eaden’s screenwriting career
Eaden has said that he wrote stories from a young age but did not receive formal screenwriting training. According to his Filmmatic interview, he became interested in scripts after a conversation with screenwriter Mike Cooney, who explained concepts such as three-act structure, the midpoint and the inciting incident. Eaden subsequently returned to England and wrote his first screenplay.
He later began collaborating with David McClellan after responding to an advertisement for a writing partner around 2010. The two found that they shared an interest in classic horror and developed scripts, television pilots and pitches together. Their first joint screenplay was titled The Devil’s Bible, although Eaden and McClellan said the project did not proceed after initially being optioned.
Thoughtform
Thoughtform is a 2016 short film written and directed by Martyn Eaden. IMDb’s full credits also list Ian McNeny as producer, Joe Moralez as composer and Shelby Cook as cinematographer.
The project is important when describing Eaden’s career because it demonstrates that his work has included directing as well as screenwriting.
Spurned
Eaden is credited as the writer of the 2016 short film Spurned. The project was directed by Merik Tadros and featured Pej Vahdat and Megan Ann Hensley among its cast.
Changes
IMDb currently lists Changes among the productions for which Eaden is known. Publicly accessible information about the project is more limited than the information available for Thoughtform and Spurned, so detailed claims about its production or release should be treated cautiously.
Did Martyn Eaden write Death Factory?
Several online biographies describe Martyn Eaden as a writer of the 2014 horror film Death Factory. The available IMDb full credits do not support that description. They list him under “very special thanks,” rather than as a screenplay writer.
Unless a stronger production source becomes available, Death Factory should not be presented as one of his confirmed writing credits. This distinction matters because an acknowledgment in a film’s credits is not the same as authorship of its screenplay.
Shango and his collaboration with David McClellan
One of Eaden’s most recognised unproduced projects is Shango, a supernatural thriller pilot co-written with David McClellan.
The story follows a Los Angeles fixer who earns a living finding missing people. After the death of his grandmother, an African mystic, he inherits ancestral abilities and becomes involved in a conflict with a supernatural force spreading through the city.
Eaden and McClellan said the concept combined their interests in 1970s Black cinema, supernatural horror and Los Angeles. Earlier versions reportedly had a more exaggerated, comic-book style before they revised the story into a darker origin narrative.
Shango won the overall prize in Season 6 of Filmmatic’s Horror Screenplay Awards. The screenplay was also listed in other writing competitions, including the 2021 Creative World Awards and Scriptation Showcase.
A listing for Shango also appeared among the finalists published by Creative Screenwriting’s Unique Voices competition in 2025. This indicates that the project continued circulating in the screenwriting competition community after its earlier Filmmatic recognition.
The Olivia Mabel projects
Eaden has developed several projects connected to the fictional Olivia Mabel story.
The story began as a short film concept before being presented online in a way that led some viewers to mistake it for a real unexplained death. Eaden later explained that he adapted the idea into a fictional true-crime-style podcast.
Footlights: The True Story of Olivia Mabel
Eaden and Ian McNeny co-wrote Footlights: The True Story of Olivia Mabel. The project won a grand prize in Shore Scripts’ 2020–2021 Fiction Podcast Contest.
Its premise follows a Christian podcaster who discovers evidence suggesting that an internet ghost story might be true, drawing her into a mystery that challenges her beliefs.
Eaden said a pilot episode was recorded with production partners at Elftree Media. He also stated that Ruby Modine and Jaime King had been cast and that he directed King’s performance as Olivia Mabel.
A recorded pilot does not necessarily mean that a complete podcast series has been publicly released. Readers should distinguish between a produced pilot, an announced project and a widely distributed finished series.
Olivia Mabel feature screenplay
Eaden and David McClellan later wrote an Olivia Mabel feature screenplay. The script won the Texas category in the 2024 Dallas International Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. The festival also arranged a table read during the event.
Production-industry reporting from December 2024 described the feature as being in active development, with Eaden and McClellan named as writers. Development status can change, however, and does not confirm that filming has started or that a release date has been set.
What type of stories does Martyn Eaden write?
Eaden’s documented projects show a consistent interest in:
- Supernatural horror
- Psychological thrillers
- Mystery
- Dark comedy
- Fiction presented through true-crime or documentary conventions
In the Filmmatic interview, Eaden and McClellan said they generally gravitate towards horror, thrillers and edgy comedy because those are the genres they enjoy watching. They also discussed a comedy pilot called Crisis, about a struggling actor cast as the central figure in an enormous false-flag operation.
Eaden described collaboration as an important part of his writing process. He and McClellan would discuss ideas by phone, develop a synopsis and outline, and then pass the script between them.
Martyn Eaden and Chrissy Metz’s marriage
Chrissy Metz reportedly met Eaden online in 2006 while she was living in Los Angeles and he was based in Sheffield, England. After maintaining a long-distance relationship, they married in a small ceremony in Santa Barbara, California, on January 5, 2008.
They separated in January 2013. Eaden filed for divorce in November 2014, and court-record reporting places the final judgment in December 2015. This explains why different profiles describe the marriage as ending in 2013, 2014 or 2015: those dates refer respectively to the separation, filing and legal completion of the divorce.
Metz discussed lessons from the relationship in her 2018 memoir, This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today. She later told People that her former husband was a wonderful person but that they had grown apart. Metz drew on aspects of that experience while co-writing an episode about Kate and Toby’s marriage for the final season of This Is Us.
There is no need to assign blame or speculate about private disagreements. Metz’s own later comments characterised the separation as two people growing in different directions.
Where is Martyn Eaden now?
Eaden keeps a lower public profile than his former spouse. There is no reliable, current public confirmation of his exact residence, relationship status or daily employment.
His screenplay competition results provide clearer evidence about his recent professional activity. Olivia Mabel won its Dallas International Film Festival category in 2024, while Shango appeared in a 2025 competition listing. Those records suggest that Eaden has continued developing and submitting screenplays, although they do not establish whether he works as a writer full time.
No verified public social-media profile could be established from the authoritative sources reviewed. Accounts or pages using his name should not automatically be assumed to belong to him.
Unverified claims about Martyn Eaden
A number of personal claims are repeatedly copied between biography websites without clear documentation. These include an exact birth date, age, height, weight, religion, school history, salary and net worth.
Martyn Eaden’s age
No dependable public source reviewed for this profile confirms his date of birth. Some websites give April 10, 1970, but they do not provide a primary record or direct statement from Eaden.
His exact age should therefore be treated as unconfirmed.
Martyn Eaden’s net worth
There is no credible public estimate of Eaden’s net worth. Screenwriting credits and competition recognition do not reveal a writer’s income, assets or financial position.
Figures published without company records, property records, contractual information or a direct financial disclosure are speculation.
His current relationship status
Eaden has not publicly confirmed a new marriage or relationship through a reliable source. The absence of public information does not establish that he is single; it simply means his current personal circumstances are private.
Frequently asked questions
What is Martyn Eaden known for?
Martyn Eaden is a British screenwriter known for Thoughtform, Spurned, Shango and projects based on the fictional Olivia Mabel story. He is also known publicly as Chrissy Metz’s former husband.
Is Martyn Eaden a director?
Yes. IMDb credits Eaden as both writer and director of the 2016 short film Thoughtform.
Did Martyn Eaden write Death Factory?
The film’s currently available full credits list Eaden under “very special thanks,” not as a writer. Claims that he wrote the film are not supported by that credit listing.
Was Martyn Eaden married to Chrissy Metz?
Yes. Eaden and Metz married in 2008, separated in 2013 and later divorced.
Do Martyn Eaden and Chrissy Metz have children together?
Public accounts of their marriage do not identify any children they had together. Because Eaden is a private person, unnecessary speculation about his family should be avoided.
What is Martyn Eaden doing now?
His exact current employment is not publicly confirmed. Recent competition records show continued activity involving scripts such as Olivia Mabel and Shango.
Is Olivia Mabel a true story?
The Olivia Mabel narrative originated as fiction. Eaden explained that the concept began as a short film and was later mistaken by many internet users for a real event before being adapted into podcast and feature-screenplay formats.
Conclusion
Martyn Eaden is more than a name connected to a celebrity marriage. His documented career includes writing and directing short films, developing supernatural and horror projects, collaborating with other screenwriters and earning recognition for Shango and Olivia Mabel.
At the same time, much of his personal life remains private. Claims about his age, wealth, education, residence or current relationships should not be treated as established facts unless supported by dependable new evidence.
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