Q: What is/are your media?A: I hate saying i'm a writer but I do write all my own stuff. I direct as well but Acting is my baby. I really enjoy film, though I want to get back into doing theatre.
Q: How did you get started in your current field?
A: I studied with an acting teacher named Arthur Mendoza from 2008-11, he really gave me the "tools" I needed to write, film and act, even though it was just an acting class. Then I got sidetracked by working a job until 2015. I only knew acting at that point but I jumped into writing and filming, self teaching myself with trial and error. Camera settings and lighting I learned online through Youtube.
Q: How has your work evolved?
A: So when I first started I just tried to write and film things I thought were cool, or that other people would think were cool and enjoyed finding music to go with it. Whereas now 3 years later, I write and film things that draw emotion out of me, and have a lot of detail about the characters. I have a "step by step" process from beginning to end. Everything I film or write is intentional and everything has a meaning.
Q: What is your goal for your work?A: My goal for my work is just to make people feel what I feel when I am writing my pieces. When I write sometimes I can't stop crying, or smiling, or feeling shock. Then I feel so alive afterward. I want people to experience that same journey.
A: I'll be writing a new short film real soon so i'm really looking forward to that. Also directing a music video
A: I have no distractions around me. I used to get bored, and felt like i was going crazy but what eventually happened was that I started to fully embrace my ideas, story writing, filming and acting. Now I can spend all day just working on the details
A: I have no relationships, that's the problem. I have a lot of cats ... I'm kidding. My family is my biggest influence. They support me, believe in me and have always been there for me. It's that love that drives me to try and perform at the best of my ability. I also have a friend that really puts things into a different perspective when I talk to him. Their criticism always helps me. I am very open to it now which helps sharpen my tools even more.
A: I want people to be able to look back on anything I write or film or act in and I want them to feel inspired by it. I want to give them a reference that they can look back to when they need help or feel lost or need motivation.
Q: What would you like to be doing ten years from now?A: The same thing i'm doing now. Writing, acting, directing. I love it, it's my passion, it's all I like to talk about. I hope to be have a great impact on helping the homeless as well.
A: My favorite aspect is trying to understand what makes "it" work. What elements are required to build a story? What makes a character interesting? What is the picture on the screen trying to tell us? I'm always trying to break things down so that I can put them back together in my own way.
Q: What would you like people to know about you?
A: I try not to take things too serious, or take things personal. We are all human, it's okay to be imperfect. I embrace my imperfections. And I don't judge myself as much as I used to, I became a lot happier after that, I hope others can learn to do the same.
A: I want my legacy to be a story of how I achieved what I wanted to in life. That its never too late to go for your dream. That no one really ever gave me chance, and that probably actually helped me even more, cause I decided to create my own opportunities. That the glitz and glamour of it all faded away, and what really drove me to want success was simply to just to put a smile on my families face. An average Joe story. That if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Look for Michael's work on his Youtube channel and connect with him on Instagram.
