Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Gray.
Hi Mike, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hey Good Morning and thanks for taking time to hear a little but of my story. I hope it helps and inspires many others. So I come from a family of intellectuals. My older sister was valedictorian of her high school class and attended ivy league undergrad and law school. My younger sister attended a private college. I however, in the middle of the two, did not like traditional education despite our parents both being very committed educators. I fought about even going to college and almost enlisted in the US Army and what would become the first US Special Forces in 1987. They were heavily recruiting at the time and being strong and fit and a HS athlete, I was a target along with some of my friends. Alas, I gave in and attended a local state college to “try college”. After the first semester I had a 4.0 GPA and loved it. I had a passion to learn and wanted to transfer to Columbia or NYU….BUT, I had met the love of my life (and current wife) and couldn’t bear leaving her. So needless to say, I stayed and just dominated. Sometimes we figure out that the universe kind of guides you.
So long story short, I graduated college and hunted for a job (at a time before the internet so I had to make calls and mail letters and resumes and do drop ins)….SO…I landed at the top Public relations agency in NJ (which is now one of top of the nation). I moved on to a higher level corporate marketing position at a private company and soon after, left that to open my own communications agency at age 24. My company thrived and exploded when the internet grew in the mid to late 90’s. I was psychotically aggressive and relentless in pursuit of new and bigger clients. At one point the agency was ranked as the #1 fastest growing of its kind in the entire USA.
By 2002 I had my 1st child and became restless with my company so I expanded out into start-up / Venture Capital and media deals as that seemed to interest me. I always had a passion for movies and am known for quoting and referencing movies to make a point. One thing led to another and I wound up making my first movie FIGHTVILLE which premiered at SXSW in 2011 and exploded around the globe. It is still relevant today in 2024 with the popularity of MMA and Dustin Poirier. I used that success to embark on a successful and interesting career. I will be directing my first feature, American Summer, this summer in NJ.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As I began the forward motion in the entertainment business, of course there were many roadblocks, failures, “no” answers and bad people. But like anything in life, you have to bob and weave and take your shots and keep moving forward or you’re dead.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a film, television and branded content producer, writer and director. I have been part of making many movies and content pieces and am now involved with several small screen project pitches. A lot of people know me for being part of making FIGHTVILLE, the highly acclaimed MMA film with Dustin Poirier and for making low budget extremely successful horror/thriller movies. I am proud of the choices I have made creatively by virtue of the incredible festivals my projects have played at (Sundance, SXSW, TriBeCa), the amazing reviews my projects have received, the great business they have done and how far the creative partners in each project have gone in the industry. So many great success stories coming off of pretty much every one of my projects.
I am a straight shooter. I tell you like it is. I ask you for exactly what I need. I tell you what is right and what is wrong. THIS is what sets me apart from many others.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My obvious answer is my family. I honor my parents and their parents and grandparents and so on, with good deeds and good work. My wife and children (as well as my 2 sisters and their families) are in my heart and soul with every breath I take, every decision I make, every step I take. Nothing else matters. I give back to my community as a volunteer and I care about those families a lot as well. I am glad that through my work in the entertainment business, my actual name will live on via credits. So someday my great great grandchildren can get a sense of me and remember me. Maybe ha
Contact Info:
- Website: www.americansummermovie.com
- Instagram: relentlessmwg
- Linkedin: Michael W. Gray
- Twitter: @relentlessfilmz
Image Credits
1-Michael W Gray 2-American Summer Movie logo 3- Michael with UFC star Dustin Poirier 4- A Birders Guide to Everything poster 5- Fightville Poster