Meet Michael Gribble

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

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I fell in love with movies and music at about the same time, but it was a fairly gradual process for both. Around third grade, my mom began taking me to piano lessons and my dad bought me my first camera — a Flip camcorder. Not that either parent was trying to nudge me in one direction or the other; they just always had a feeling I would be a performer and/or artist of some kind, and they were always open to me trying new things. In the beginning, I only made silly single-take action videos with my best friend (lots of flipping over furniture, vocalizing sound effects, etc.). It wasn’t until years later that I became interested in stories and storytelling. I can’t pinpoint an exact moment, but I do clearly remember walking out of the movie theater with my dad, having just watched “Inception”, and thinking, “How did someone think all that up?” I knew I wanted to have that kind of effect on an audience, not just wowing them with my not-so-graceful stunts.

As for music, I was joining every ensemble I could at school. When my middle school band director mentioned that the high school marching band was recruiting eighth graders and I could potentially join the drumline, I showed up to the first rehearsal not expecting it to be a pivotal moment for me — but it was. I was in the drumline for five seasons and I learned not only how to be a way better musician, but how to be dedicated, disciplined, and detail-oriented. By my senior year, I was even allowed to implement some of my own choreography ideas into the drumline’s performance — I was just one small component of an ensemble that needed every member to be at the top of their game to excel, but I was still able to exercise my own creativity and individuality. That felt cool.

In a lot of ways, film sets are the same. I am now a Film Production (directing emphasis) major at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, and I’m minoring in Film Music. I split my time pretty well between directing for film and composing/orchestrating for musical theater, having recently completed both my Junior Thesis film and my debut stage musical. Just as everyone needed to do their part for the marching band to succeed, everyone needs to do their part for a film set or musical production to run smoothly, and that is why I appreciate everyone so much just for showing up and wanting to make something cool. I feel so lucky that I am in a position where I can work with such talented and kind creators — whether they are helping me with my story or I am helping them with their’s — and I hope to keep that a reality as I graduate college, though the venues will change.

Has it been a smooth road?
I’m extremely fortunate to be where I am today, and I credit many mentors, programs, and projects along the way — but none more than my dad. My mom passed away suddenly when I was eleven, and my dad turned his life upside down to support me alone in the way that two parents would support their curious, art-loving kid. He got me to any and all rehearsals, lessons, and performances, and even became a major volunteer and supporter of the programs I loved — he became Treasurer of my hometown’s music association and an essential member of our marching band’s “Pit Crew”, building props and transporting equipment everywhere we went. Grief was and always will be a struggle, but I make sure to count my blessings, and my dad is behind most of them. Beyond that, I tend to struggle with my fair share of impostor syndrome and performance anxiety (I’m still half-convinced my school is going to tell me at some point that I didn’t actually get in and this was all one big prank), but I have a great support system of people who believe in me, as I do them.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I’m a filmmaker, composer, and lyricist. I split my time pretty well between writing/directing movies and composing/orchestrating for theater, and my goal is to continue that workflow professionally in LA and New York. In film, I specialize in personal dramedy stories. In music, my style is a hybrid of rock, jazz, and classic musical theater. When it comes to my projects, I am currently most proud of my debut song cycle, “A Summer In Madtown”. It’s an eighty-minute musical piece following various college students navigating some difficult moments during their summer vacations, and I wrote the music, lyrics, and orchestrations. It was supposed to premiere on stage in May of this year, but we canceled due to COVID-19.

For several weeks I thought the production was over, but then I decided to try my best in creating a virtual, “quarantine version” of the musical to release online. It’s been a long and time-consuming process (I’m handling all the audio and video post-production, something that wasn’t part of my job description for our planned stage production), but one that I’m incredibly proud of and excited to release online on September 5th. My cast, band, and creative team have been unbelievably generous with their time and talents in virtually learning, rehearsing, and recording their parts for the show, and I’m so happy we adapted to this new format rather than letting the opportunity pass us by. Beyond trying my best to be adaptive, driven, and detail-oriented on all my projects, big and small, I really just try to be kind to everyone as much as I possibly can. That was the number one piece of advice I heard from one of my biggest inspirations in show business, Christy Altomare, while at a Broadway stage door, and it always stuck with me. It’s simple, but sometimes people tend to forget it in stressful situations while working on projects they hold close to their hearts, myself included. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to create something we’re proud of, and I believe that a respectful, comfortable, and happy working environment is the best way to achieve that.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I don’t claim to be an expert, but here are some thoughts — there is so much film and TV content these days, which is incredible and inspiring. Also amazing is that more and more Broadway musicals are becoming household names all around the country and the world. However, so few shows make back their investments on Broadway that producers are much more likely to back a popular adaptation or jukebox musical than a small-scale, completely original idea. However, with the recent success of shows like “Dear Evan Hansen”, I’m hopeful that there will be more of a market for original stories on Broadway, though I would be thrilled and grateful for any kind of composing gig in theater.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaelgribble.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_gribble/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/michaelgribble

Image Credit:
Jacob Carpenter, Zane Vieira, Jason Yamamoto, Rose Mikula, Logan Binstock, Shelbyann Malcolm, Aly Ashford

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