Catching up with Michael Oloyede
THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO
BRETT STANILAND
A British-born Nigerian pivoting into the creative arts, inhabiting many roles both in front of, and behind the camera
In true renaissance-man style; actor, producer, director and now writer, Michael Oloyede has made some significant transitions throughout his life, following drive and intuition along the way.
4 MINS READ TIME
Performing had always been part of who he was; he recalls at a young age wanting to be in the school shows, regretting not having the courage when it was time to raise his hand, but after that, jumping at the chance when the opportunity presented itself. However, a lack of visible role models created a disconnect between dreams and reality, embedding the notion that a career in the arts was not a viable option for him.
When it came to the perception of his career-defining college years, he set his sights on biology and finance majors before settling on marketing. Upon reflection of that particular time period, he remarked, “marketing offered the option of satisfying my creative side, as well as stability in terms of a career prospect”. Post college, after a couple of internship roles, a job offer was presented and he was now settled in the city he had always dreamt of, New York.
As Michael embarked on his professional journey, there was still a feeling of unfulfillment working a full time job as an e-commerce marketing manager.
It wasn’t until one day after work whilst walking down Broadway, he stood still and reflected on his day, “I can’t remember a single thing that happened today” he recalls. “That’s when I admitted to myself that starting over is what I had to do. I enrolled in acting school and prepared to tell my parents too.”
In many cases, familial pressures play a major role in young adults not taking chances and pursuing alternative careers. This too, was the case for Michael, though not directly from his parents, it came from within himself, what he thought his parents expected of him. To his surprise, they were more than supportive and accepting of his choice to pursue this new route.
He uncovered a resonance within his parents and his dreams, and they shared things they were passionate about in their youth too. He recognized how tough it must have been for them during that time, “It's strange to think about your parents having an entirely different life before you were born,” he says. “They had dreams and ambitions similar to mine too.”
Michael being open with his parents allowed for a space for them to learn more about each other. His father was a DJ, but he also used to produce videos for events, and his grandfather was a photographer, something he only more recently found out.
At this point, three elements of what Michael retrospectively described as significant factors had been achieved; moving to New York City, admitting to himself that his career must be in the arts and getting his parent’s support. The next step, he said, was surrounding himself with the right people within that environment.
Michael enrolled at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting where he could fully witness the inside workings of the industry, and work closely with established actors. But it wasn’t all coasting from there, he still had to prove to himself that he could do this, “Before I told my parents, it was hard to fully admit to myself that I wanted to be an actor, because I had no idea what that path looked like. In my eyes, you’re walking in a mall and someone spots you and tells you you’re going to be an actor. That’s how it worked - in my mind.” Even after some of his triumphs, there were still times where he questioned what he was doing and whether it was going to work out.
His mindset, focus and passion is ultimately what carried through. Michael’s resilience is one personality characteristic that allows him to stand out. He says, “Very quickly, you have to be ok with hearing ‘no’, and I take that as it not really meaning ‘no’, it’s just a no for this one thing, or at this specific time. Once you can recognize that you can keep moving forward.”
Michael’s immediate future sees him working in a producing and directing capacity, whilst he also writes his own pilot. This is something he has feared in the past, but sees the potential in his writing to expand and grow further, as well as collaborate with other people and places.
With recognizing the power he has in being able to influence the next generation, he consistently emphasizes the need for the next generation to witness the things they want to do; “I want to be the representation for those without a voice, I want to tell the stories that are not being told.” He continues, “The world is too big to say ‘I’m only going to grow in this space’ there’s so much to be learned from different people and places.”
It’s clear his passion from his youthful days still reside within him, and hence Michael’s recent move to L.A will no doubt see him succeed in the next challenges he pursues.
A future goal of Michael’s is to create his own production company which incubates and nurtures new talent, for people who have their own ambitions, but don’t see a pathway to them, just like he did.