We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Don Michael Mendoza a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Don Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I connect with younger people, (I am still a young-ish person!), in my industry, I always tell them not to fear asking for what you want and to push past anyone who tells you “no” because to me, “no” means you just knocked on the wrong door.

Starting my cabaret production company in 2012 – LA TI DO Productions – and eventually my own company in 2021 – DMH Mendoza Productions, LLC – did not happen without taking a risk and asking for what I wanted out of my career. Both of these decisions were filled with risk: Who will come to my events and shows? How much funding is needed before I even produce an event? Will anything I do make a profit or will I be a so-called starving artist for the rest of my days? Would my identity as a Filipino-American affect the way people see me and want to work with me?

All of these and more questions filled my head on a regular basis, but the key was pushing past those fears to see what the results will be, and I am so grateful that I did.

Were there disappointments? Yes. However, were there numerous rewards achieved had I not gone out on a limb to seek the fruits of my company and my labor? Absolutely. Now more than 11 years later, I am making my producer debut on Broadway with the first Filipino musical with an all-Filipino cast in Here Lies Love opening in the summer of 2023 and none of this would have been possible if I played safe and stayed home dreaming.

Don Michael, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Washington, DC-born, Pittsburgh-raised, and East Coast based Filipino-American producer. I went to American University in DC and graduated with my my B.A. in Musical Theatre and Broadcast Journalism in 2010 and my M.A. in Strategic Communication in 2017. In 2019, I attended the Commercial Theatre Institute in New York City.

My involvement in the arts started early in my childhood, which lead to participating in performing arts in high school. I struggled to be an Asian American actor after undergrad and fell into producing when I found that I have a knack for organizing events and maintaining both personal and professional connections. From that came my productions companies, my podcast and blog called Producing While Asian, and the additional capacity to be a consultant in the marketing industry.

I spend most of my time between Pittsburgh where I live, DC, and NYC, but you can also definitely catch me on the west coast between LA and Las Vegas and in Texas where I have productions in residency as well.

Personally, I like spending time with my dog Barry (short for Barack) and supporting my family in whatever ways they need as they’ve done so much to support me. I enjoy traveling, even when it involves work, and there’s rarely any food I won’t say no to!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s the connection to so many amazing people over the years that you get to be active within the industry. I am thankful for all the artists ad individuals I’ve worked with, whether we’re still connected or not, as I would not be where and who I am without my experiences with them all. I also have a lot of joy in referring people to opportunities and/or involving people in opportunities that I have that I am able to share.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I “build” my audience by following genuine connections. To me, it’s quality over quantity, which I know is blasphemous in the social media world and I don’t judge those to whom numbers matter, but I think if an influencer or personality sees something I post and shares it, that is way more beneficial to my brand. Frankly speaking, I may have thousands of less followers than most, but the quality of the people who follow me and who I follow is miles above AND most likely, I know the follower or person I follow personally and that matters more to me.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dmhmproductions.com
• Instagram: @donmikemendoza
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LATIDOProds
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/latidodc
• Other: www.LATIDOProductions.com www.ProducingWhileAsian.com

Image Credits
Ain’t Most People, LLC – Benjamin Zenker LA TI DO Productions DMH Mendoza Productions, LLC Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign