Daily Inspiration: Meet Mike Manor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Manor.

Hi Mike, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was 16 in 2007. There was a website called Machinima.com which garnered a large youtube presence by featuring videos made with-in video games. I made a viral video called Gears of Halo Theft Auto 5 (among many other strange things as some will remember). This surge of random attention got me into making things. Reflecting on it, I basically decided this must be my entire personality forever because it feels like I am not good at anything else. I spent many years working inside this niche eventually feeling stuck. No one was taking me serious because I making videos with Minecraft or whatever. I got angsty and branched into proper animation by working with a freelance animator I found on craigslist.

We made a bunch of parody Fallout 4 videos until I decided I did not want to be funny anymore. I wanted to be a real artist who made people think deeply or something. So I wrote an entire visual film around Flying Lotus album “Los Angeles”. I showed this to my animator. I was like we ain’t doing Minecraft no more buddy, we’re keeping the pixels but we making ART not CONTENT. I leveraged my measly coffeeshop manager salary and got to developing with him. We started with some concept art which almost immediately got Flying Lotus attention through Twitter. Turned out he had some pixel animation he needed for his film “KUSO”. We got on the phone and he told me all about the idea. Completely floored, I hit up my collaborator to give him the good news only to hear that he had just gotten a real job and we’d no longer be able to work together. At this time I could not animate at all, but knew I had four months until I was going to get brought in. Determined to win or fail spectacularly, I decided everyday until I got hit up to work on the movie I would learn how to become a pixel animator.

I am a huge fan of rap. I lived in Boston which has produced many amazing artists, historically and to this day. GangStarr, Michael Christmas, Cousin Stizz to name a few among countless. The city itself has always been brimming with talent it hardly acknowledges. You’d never even know from the overworld of Boston’s majority subpar nightlife that rap even exists. When I was teaching myself how to animate I began animating snippets of songs I loved while developing my style. Through social media I began this slow and steady posting of clips. Catching retweets and getting follow backs became a training feedback loop. I got to connect with tons of artists and thought for a while that I was suppose to work in music.

I had found a more authentic way of being myself through art devoid of parody, connecting with artists of all sizes and building my skills. Eventually Flying Lotus did reach back. I was hardly good enough to animate, but passed well enough. It was a total dream. A snippet of mine made it to the movie, but I was mostly surged by working with someone I had admired for so many years. When Kuso was being released, Brainfeeder teased a production wing of the label. I knew I had to create something to pitch. Around this time music visuals had become a side hustle for me while working in coffee. I had been working with Pierre Bourne, an atlanta-based music producer, who’s production was continuing to ascend at an insane rate. We had been working on visuals for his album Life of Pierre 4. When he said something to the effect of you “you should be out in Los Angeles”. Really meant a lot and became the tipping point.

Six months later I moved out to Los Angeles. I got a job working at a coffeeshop that was a part of an employment law firm. One of the billboard lawyers. A hilarious job worthy of its own interview. On my off time, I was animating, learning how to pitch a TV show, and trying to make music videos. Just before covid, I ran into Zack Fox at the Downtown Ace Hotel Roof Bar (RIP), we worked together a project that never ended up getting released, but in the process of that I met many of the people who would help me break into TV. Lost my weird coffee job in Covid, but used the time to establish myself independently. Since then I’ve been working to sell TV shows. To some success, though as many know it’s an incredibly volatile field. NDA this and NDA that. Currently, I’ve been etching myself into the sprawling Los Angeles animation community, creating shorts, working on projects, etc.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, which is to be expected. In truth covid, being broke, existential dread, the unsustainable TV streaming model, moving across the country, semi-regular rejection middling out your emotional highs and lows, the unpredictability of wondering where and when your next check will arrive. My senile landlord’s large dog that tries to bite me while I throw out my garbage. My senile landlord’s large dog that throws it’s body against my kitchen window to instill fear in me. My senile landlord’s large dog that has turned night time into an indie horror game for the last seven months.
All and all, deeply grateful.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an animator known for my pixel art aesthetic and voice acting. I write, I direct, I’m proud of the web series Beantown I created for Adult Swim Smalls. It captured one of my favorite times in life which was cutting bagels and listening to Young Thug at deafening volumes. What sets me a part? I have no idea. Maybe the art style or sense of humor?

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I have unified all my friends coast to coast through Fortnite. We play most nights. I am completely enthralled. My favorite weapon is driving over people with a car. It’s a completely asinine way to play. Unfavorable by the social norms of the game, and strategically an unintelligent choice. There is a tremendous whimsy to it though.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike_manor
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSgN5vriv2vNHwd4m9o8XKgtsfkyo6qWO

Image Credits
Sam Li