Meet Mike Gauyo

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

Mike, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Port Au Prince, Haiti and immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts with my family when I was four years old. My parents moved us to the US for a chance at a better life and more opportunities. Growing up, my parents did so much for my siblings and I. We didn’t have much, but my parents did everything they could to provide us with the best upbringing. All they asked is that we chose one of three professions; doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Needless to say, they were not too happy when I ended up doing none of the above. Yep, I chose to become a writer.

Soon after college, I moved to LA to pursue a writing career, which didn’t start right away. First, I worked as a production assistant in reality tv, working for shows like American Idol and So You ThinkYou Can Dance. I didn’t cross over into scripted work till I met Issa Rae, who gave me my first paid writing gig on her scripted podcast, Fruit. After writing on Fruit for two seasons, I went on to work on TNT’s hit show, Claws, as a writers’ assistant and later got my first staff writer job on a new Netflix series called Ginny & Georgia. I never became that doctor, lawyer, or engineer my folks wanted me to be, but with some time my Haitian parents were able to widen their idea of success to include tv writer. Emphasis on, with some time [lol].

Great, 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 wasn’t always a smooth road. I don’t think I can equate my career to how comfortable the ride has been. I think it’s been more about the detours, u-turns and dead ends I’ve had to overcome. It’s been a winding road for sure. I was originally a pre-med major in college. Then I left school and worked a day job for three years, trying to find myself, I guess. That’s the short answer. Then the earthquake in Haiti happened and I nearly lost my parents, who were there at the time, so needless to say that was life changing. It made me realize how short our time on this earth could be and I started thinking about what I wanted out of my future. I knew immediately that I wanted to go back to school, but not for medicine. I wanted to write. And if getting to that self-realization wasn’t a winding road enough, I got to LA, and well…drove off a cliff.

Please tell us about your business.
I’m a writer. That’s my business. But aside from that, I launched a mentorship program called the Black Boy Writes Mentorship Initiative. I’m most proud of that because it allows me to provide young black men with pathways to a career in writing for tv. For the first year of the program, I’ve taken on 4 mentees; Joshua Myers, Nathaniel Charles, Reed Douglas, and Blake Williams. These four men are really going to make an impact in this business and I’m just happy to be a part of their journey and help them however I can. Ultimately, I want to build a community of black men that are present for each other and willing to pull others up behind them.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Work hard, be kind, be driven, practice gratitude, and have faith.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @B.L.A.C.K.B.O.Y.W.R.I.T.E.S
• Twitter: @mikenotmichaei

Image Credit:
Personal photo by photographer Jack Wallace

Suggest a story:VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.