Michael Oloyede On How The Pursuit of Acting & Excellence Has Opened Doors To So Much More
Multifaceted and driven, Michael’s momentum is maintained partly with a desire to create and see stories come to life.
Michael Oloyede has one of those stories that show us that childhood dreams can become a reality. Beginning the conversation about the early stages of recognizing his talents, he says that he knew he wanted to be on stage since he was really young. “I remember a moment in school being given the chance to sing a Harry Belafonte song and I was too afraid to raise my hand. Then in fourth grade, the opportunity came up again and I took it. From then on, I knew I would be an actor.”
Once he arrived in New York City from Atlanta, Michael knew that if he was there to pursue his dreams, he wanted to do it excellently. Michael felt the best strategy for him was proper training at Stella Adler, and ultimately, that was his foot in the door. “One of the biggest things I love about this city is community.” he says. “It has always been easy to find and build. Some of us are going after similar things, but some of us are in completely different spaces. There’s always some way for us to help each other.”
Naturally, on the discussion of community, we get on the topic of The Creative Collective NYC, an agency in which he is a founding team member dedicated to providing brave spaces for creatives of color.
The root of The Creative Collective is a “safe space”. What started as a group of individuals coming together for the sake of supporting each other has turned into a business creating change in the community, working with celebrities like Will Smith, Tracie Ellis Ross and Regina King. Being a part of the founding team of the company, Michael understands the value in people of color being inspired by people who look like them. He says, “The goal is for us, people of color to be the gate-keepers of our culture, and to provide that space for people of color to have an agency for their ideas, their businesses, their thoughts and the things they want to do.”
Multifaceted and driven, Michael’s momentum is maintained partly with a desire to create and see stories come to life. We start to discuss the art of finding his place as a producer having worked on his five part digital series titled ‘Maybe It’s Me’ alongside his producing partner Lauren Marissa Smith.
With this project specifically, their vision is to paint pictures showing the complexities of emotions and experiences specifically in the black experience, while not falling into the stereotypes which have often been depicted in film and television in the past.
As a producer, Michael finds himself in the position to create work not only for himself but for his peers.“I’ve always been interested in knowing what goes on behind the scenes.” says Michael. “It’s hard for me to be in something and just be given direction. I want to be a part of the process.”
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I have no choice but to be the very best that I can be.
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A topic which continues to be a theme in our conversation is balance and with Michael wearing so many hats, this theme is crucial. It’s refreshing to hear a man eagerly living out the “New York hustle” express the question so many of us mull over: “Should I be doing all of this? and can I do all of this?”
Michael finds comfort in role models like Lena Waithe who work in abundance, demand excellence, and remain approachable. Michael also understands the need of teamwork. “With everything that I do, I have great teams involved.” he says. “This is how everything gets done. A good team is the key.”
Michael’s value of teamwork was shaped through the privilege of having a supportive family that has always supported his aspirations while also ingraining in him a vision of excellence. “At this point, doing anything less than the very best that I can doesn’t even feel like a choice.” he says. “It feels like it’s this or nothing. I have no choice but to be the very best that I can be.”
To conclude the conversation, Michael touches on the importance of living for today and the beauty of patience. “Now is all we have. We don’t have the past and we don’t have the future. Patience for the things you can’t control and persistence for the things that you can. Those two words have motivated and pushed me through every sing time.”
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