We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michele Gangale. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michele below.

Michele, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Our mission didn’t start with me, it started with my husband, Dino Gangale. Although we both shared a love of film (especially independent film), he was the one with a vision. To be honest I don’t know how he got involved with the film festival circuit, I just remember one day he told me he was remote judging for one in Atlanta. I thought it was cool. Shortly thereafter, he made the connection that we lived in a college town and should have one of our own. While he was working to see that happen, he passed away unexpectedly on April 17th, 2021. Our family changed dramatically, in a second.

A few weeks after his passing I was having a discussion with our son who wanted to know what the anniversary of his death would be like, and what we would do. Long story short it was that moment that we decided we would carry on and bring his dream of a film festival to life. We did just that. The More Than Decent Film Festival has been running for the last 3 years and we are already working for our 2025 festival.

From that, I have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful, hardworking people in the independent film industry and his passion was now my passion. I wanted to see those who pour of themselves into a medium that they love, be able to have their work seen by others. To that, now not only do I run the annual festival, but I have opened an independent movie theater in our hometown, MTD Arthouse Theatre. I focus on films made local to South and North Carolina, but I have shown films from around the world.

The vision grew too and now includes all forms of art. We have local artists photography and graphics displayed around the theater. We have had local musicians, comedians, poetry writers, and acting groups all come to share their talents with our community. We have involved the community with a monthly event called Artistry Alcove where we open the floor for anyone wanting to share. We love seeing our community be a part of our mission.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

How I got my start in this industry to strongly tied to how we got started as previously shared.

One of the things I didn’t mention that in our small town, we don’t have a traditional movie theater. No Regal. No AMC. We don’t have a bowling alley, miniature golf, etc.

While we are different than those larger companies, we seek to fill some of that void for our community while also offering something different from them. For example, when I am working with a filmmaker to procure a film for screening, I always looking to have them attend the event so our customers get to meet and greet with those that made the movie they just watched. Our space is small and cozy which makes it an even more intimate experience.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

While I choose this particular question, I think my answer will also illustrate my resilience, has well as highlight supplementary revenue to keep our doors open.

How did I put together my initial capital? The simple answer is I didn’t. I stumbled and fumbled my way to where I am right now.

After our first film festival in 2022 I had the amazing opportunity to meet with groups of those in the local filming community. At one such meeting, I just knew I wanted to help them more than one weekend I year. I knew I could do more. It was in that instance the concept of the arthouse was born. Luckly I already had a meeting scheduled with another artist in town just a few days later. When I broached the subject of an independent movie theater, he was all for it.
As a matter of fact, he offered his NFT Museum as a place to hold a pop-up theater to gauge interest. Before I left that meeting, we had the date set for the movie night a month later, and I was walked to his neighboring business and secured my first sponsor. We saw success with that first pop-up and made plans for 3 more before looking into a permanent facility.

We all know plans often change. Within a week of holding that first event, I discovered what I knew was the perfect location for my vision and it was just going on the market. I jumped. I met with the owner about the potential to rent the building and before I left that meeting, we had already gotten initial approval for a movie theater from city officials. Two weeks later I signed the lease.

I literally had no capital, no time to raise capital, I just knew what I wanted, and I jumped. I used what little personal funds I had to get us up and running. I will be forever grateful, because I had so many in the community step up and help with getting some of the things I needed, through donated seating to a concession stand and a popcorn machine. Some were long time friends; others were new friends; other business owners wanting to help and see me succeed.

A month later we had our grand opening and we have been running ahead ever since.

I still don’t have capital in the traditional sense. I still often pay business related expenses out of my personal funds. I work outside of the arthouse just to be able to keep that going. And I am nowhere near ready to give up.

I see expansion as a real possibility. We have what I originally had as my office; I don’t use it. We want to turn that into an arcade, another thing we don’t have here locally, thus another potential form of revenue. We also hold game days/nights and there is an unfinished basement that I would love to convert into a room for those events.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think it was the death of my husband and caused the largest pivot in my life, in my career too.

While my husband was alive, I was a stay-at-home mom. While I had worked on and off through the years, being a mother was my main priority. I was also homeschooling my children.

I kept that lifestyle for a bit after he passed, it was ultimately unsustainable. While I still homeschool two of our children (in addition to running the festival, the arthouse, and working as a caretaker), our oldest now attends private school and is getting ready to enter his senior year.

Life looks very different.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mtdarthouse.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtdarthouse/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094274784908