We recently connected with Megan Grabau and have shared our conversation below.

Megan , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success is such an interesting topic. Success is measured in so many different ways and the question is what does true success really entail. I think that in order to be successful in any craft or business, one has to keep their eyes on their mission. Success is truly not a destination but rather when hard work, consistency, passion, and acting with purpose all comes together. This is not a process that happens overnight but instead a way of growing into the vision you have of success.

Through my company, MEG Productions, I have felt success with the logistics of how my company has grown and profited in such a short amount of time, but the moments where I truly feel successful are when I see how others are empowered by the work I am doing. When I set choreography and the students love what they are doing, when an artist tells me what they are dealing with outside of dance, when a parent tells me that their child is more happy when they are dancing, these are the moments when I can look back and feel successful. The moments in which others feel more confident, more loved, more grateful, more hungry for life, that is what success means to me. When my company focuses on the purpose rather than the profit while working hard for the purpose, profit always comes. Success is not a moment in time but rather knowing what your goals are, celebrating the process, and helping and loving others along the way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a choreographer, dancer, and creative director. A couple years ago, I officially started my own production company, MEG Productions, and I am very proud of what the company has done in such a short amount of time. Not only have I put on multiple dance conventions flying in choreographers from out of state, created my own merchandise line, choreographed lots of dances for teams all over the state, but I have worked hard to make everyone in each one of those ventures feel seen, important, and valuable. I am proud of the why and how more than I am proud of the what.

I started dancing when I was 2 and starting dancing professionally when I moved to LA straight out of high school when I was 18. I went on tour in Europe for two years as a dancer and aerialist then moved back to LA and went back to commercial dance work there. Very shortly after, covid hit and the industry went completely silent, as did the world. For that entire first year, I lived half in LA and half in Colorado. I did some huge jobs in LA that year including a movie and other jobs such as being on Beachbody with ShaunT, a music video for the pop-star “P!NK” and a model for F45’s national campaign. However, at the end of the year, I decided to move back to Colorado and travel to LA for jobs.

At this point, I had been dancing rather than directing and choreographing. The pandemic pushed me to start creating opportunities for myself and work hard to figure out an industry that had taken a massive hit by Covid. This was a huge pivotal moment for my career of truly stepping into my artistic expression, not waiting for others, trusting my hard work and creative voice, and this is what began my own production company. It was the challenges and changes that I did not want to happen that have placed me where I am today and looking back, I could not be more grateful and thankful for every turn in my path.

I have learned that with adversity comes resilience and with struggle comes strength. It is not what is happening to you but how you respond. One of the biggest lessons I have learned by stepping into a choreographer/creative director role is your art is never about you. It is about how others feel experiencing it and how your art can inspire others.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

The word reputation is defined as “a widespread belief that someone or something has a particular habit or characteristic.” A habit or characteristic that someone has is not what they present or demonstrate in an instance, but rather what their actions display overtime. Reputations are not built from what one says they have done or what they will do, but the accountability they have to do what they say. My reputation has been built as a business owner and human by being reliable, being prepared, having my word be my word, and continually showing up 100 percent committed to every job with the intention of excellence. I don’t do work to complete work, but rather to excel and take every opportunity by storm. One’s reputation all starts from who they are and who they want to truly be as a person. As a business owner, I show up with the same strength, determination, and commitment as I do as a human in my day to day life. A reputation is not an outfit you put on but instead who you are.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The creation of MEG Productions was a pivotal moment in my life and career. MEG Productions was created through the adversity of covid. As the entertainment industry shut down, and filming and production decreased like never before in Los Angeles and all over the world, I made a conscious decision to not sit back and watch the world unfold, but create opportunities for myself and the artists around me. Prior to starting my company, I lived in Los Angeles and was only dancing for others. The step of opening MEG Productions changed my role into being a creative director and choreographer as well as a dancer. It is when we hit walls in our life that we decide to face struggle with strength or stop unmoved. Every pivot is a point that can highlight someone’s courage or bring to light someone’s fear. Every decision we make is a chance for opportunity, whether we take the opportunity lies in our hands.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @megangrabau

Image Credits
Jasmine Lairsmith Jason Bulla Angelli Nguyen