Check Out Eli Bauman’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eli Bauman.

Eli, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ll start from the top. My father was a musician – his stage name was “Bowzer” in a band called “Sha Na Na” that also had a TV show in the 80’s – and I grew up immersed in music. After he left the band, he would produce and perform in shows with acts like “The Shirelles, Sam Moore from “Sam and Dave,” Billy Preston, the Marvellettes etc. – and just being around all that musical history got into my bloodstream. But I didn’t actually pursue a career in music until my mid-30’s.

I graduated college in 2005 and began a career in T.V. writing, until 2007, when a certain candidate with “big ears and a funny name” ran for President and I got inspired. So I quit my T.V. job, moved to Las Vegas, and volunteered for the Obama ’08 campaign, where I worked as a field organizer and did some speechwriting as well. Little did I know that that experience would inform my decision to write my first musical about the man ten years later.

Fast-forward ten years, right before a very different election, I basically BS’d my way into a writing job on a variety show called “Maya and Marty” starring Maya Rudolph and Martin Short. They asked me in the job interview if I knew how to write music, because they needed a comedy writer who could bring that element to the show. I said sure. Then they said, “great, can you send us something.” I said “sure. I just need a couple days to ‘clean it up.’” Which was a lie. I had nothing. But over the weekend, I wrote a song called “White House Love” for Maya Rudolph, plunked out a demo on piano, sent it to a buddy of mine to help me record it, and got the job. Then, every week, I had to create a minimum of two funny musical numbers for the table read, in front of Lorne Michaels, Maya, Marty, all the writers, and about 40 members of the SNL production team.

So really, those two experiences led me to “44 – The Musical,” which has played L.A., Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and D.C. and will be touring in 2027.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been smooth on the creative end, and anything but smooth navigating a Musical Theater industry that is both set in its ways and knows its ways don’t work. As the writer, director and lead producer of “44,” I only have to argue with myself as to what appears on stage. I also have the blessing of my fellow Lead Producer, Monica Saunders-Weinberg, who has given me all the support to execute and finance that vision a creator could dream of.

The business, however, despite all the successes of the show, still doesn’t really know what to make of it. It doesn’t fit in a box – musically, culturally, or spiritually – and because of that it has always been met with confusion and resistance. So we’ve bet on ourselves at every turn, blazed our own path, and let our success and resonance speak for itself.

So far so good.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m the Writer, Composer, Director and Lead Producer of “44 – The Musical,” which is a musical comedy about Obama’s first term in office. It’s my first musical, and not knowing what I’m doing has been one of the biggest challenges and biggest blessings. When you don’t know what to do, you also don’t care about what NOT to do, and it gives you a certain freedom to experiment without fear.

I think what sets me apart is a confidence in what I know how to do and a humility about what I don’t know how to do. My strengths spring from my limitations. I can’t write complicated music, but I can write a hook. I have no interest in teaching people a lesson through my work, but I thrive in telling the truth through laughter and letting an audience take something home when they leave the theater. What’s beautiful about “44” is that it’s a communal experience. It’s a conversation between myself and the talent on stage with the audience. We don’t talk at you, we move with you. Which in my opinion, is how it should be.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Here’s my philosophy on mentoring and advice: Sometimes the most helpful advice is the advice you ultimately ignore. People may have wisdom, but at the end of the day, your gut is the only voice you must listen to, and often advice will crystalize what you already know to be true internally. Nobody really knows anything, and I find that freeing.

You want mentors who don’t want to teach you how to do something, but who will bring out the best in you. It’s important to know the difference.

For me, networking is all about finding your people. And your people can come from anywhere. Most times, when I’m networking for networking’s sake, it is ultimately fruitless. But when it’s about being open to connections and just letting them flow, the seeds begin to sprout in exciting and unexpected ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://44theobamamusical.com
• Instagram: @44obamamusical
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/44obamamusical
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@44obamamusical
• Other: tik tok @44obamamusical