Meet Michael Feldman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Feldman.

Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and always wanted to be a standup comedian… until I got to NYU where I studied theatre at Tisch School of the Arts. I learned about solo performers like John Leguizamo, Deb Margolin, and Danny Hoch and realized, ‘Oh wait, THIS is what I want to do!” I took a class called COW (Creating Original Work) where I wrote and performed my first full-length solo show called DIAGNOSIS: JEW PAIN about growing up gay in my conservative Jewish family. Incidentally, performing this show was also how I came out. I got accepted into the NY Fringe Festival, and many articles about me were being published, so I thought I better come out to my parents before they read about it. My next one-man show, MUSCLEBOUND — about male body image issues and steroid abuse — brought me my first steady living as a writer/performer, as I toured colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Since I was on the road so much and would be flown out from wherever I happened to be, I decided to use that opportunity to relocate to Los Angeles, wanting to get more involved in T.V. and Film.

I moved out to LA in 2007 and while I liked it more than I thought I would, I still found it difficult to find my footing and fell into the trap of doing what I THOUGHT I was supposed to be doing — i.e., get the headshots, do the auditions, go to the industry mixers, etc. I was very unhappy (I’m HORRIBlE at auditioning, which is why I started writing my own material). Then a friend mentioned that he thought I would really enjoy The Groundlings, and so I started attending classes there. That place completely changed my life. I met so many friends there that I still work with to this day. Writing and performing at The Groundlings helped me remember what I enjoyed the most– writing and performing my own material — and so I figured out a way to do that here in LA. I wrote a show called FAIRY TALE THEATRE: 18 & OVER, which is a collection of original fairy tales with morals and lessons for grown-ups, told with a mix of actors in animal costumes and puppets. When I originally conceived the show, it was just me and one puppeteer. I enjoyed working on the show so much that I just kept with it, and over the years it grew into a three-puppeteer show with a rotating cast of special guest stars. My life kinda exploded from there. I landed my first TV staff writing job from the show in 2011, and I’m still a TV comedy writer to this day, most recently writing on Season 4 of AP BIO which has been an absolute blast. I love being in the writer’s room and bouncing ideas and jokes with wildly talented and hilarious people.

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?
Oh man, absolutely not smooth. They say you have to get used to rejection in this business, and they ain’t kidding! In my ten years of being a TV writer, most of the shows I’ve worked on haven’t lasted more than a season. You always need to hustle and always need to be searching for that next gig. You have to find the fun in it, or it can be soul-crushing. I’ve written so many pilots that have never been sold or shot. The key is to just keep going, keep writing… And to try to produce things for yourself. For instance, my husband (who’s name is also Michael) and I always thought that our married life would make a great TV series. It’s VERY hard to sell a show from two unknowns, let alone a show that would be considered ‘LGBT-themed’ from two unknowns. So we wrote a webseries – called Michael and Michael Are Gay – and raised the money to shoot it ourselves. So at the end of the day, even if nothing ever comes of it, we still created something we’re very proud of, that actually exists, instead of waiting for a few gatekeepers to say if our work can exist or not.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a TV comedy writer and have written many features, though none have been produced. Fingers crossed, I’m on the verge of my first feature being shot in Italy early next year! I have to say I’m most proud of my adult-themed fairy tale show — it will always remind me of a time in my life when I was just being creative non-stop and fully immersed in this world that I created for myself. During that time, I was probably financially poorer than I’ve ever been in my entire life, but I didn’t care, I just felt so creatively fulfilled from doing that show.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Hmmmm… I guess the first thing that popped into mind was performing in my high school production of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM. I was playing Hysterium, a neurotic nervous wreck of a human, which is my default these days. I remember thinking during that show that I wanted to be entertaining people and making people laugh for the rest of my life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeljfeldman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaeljfeldman
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/michaelandmichaelaregay

Image Credits:
People other than me in the pics: Tina Huang, Greg Worswick, Sheila Carrasco, Burl Moseley, Matt Cook, Jess McKay, Jason Currie, Jason Rogel, Cloie Wyatt Taylor Pics taken by Jeff Lorch