We recently connected with Michael Caissie and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I was running restaurants, this was before HANGMAN was filmed, when I decided to take a massive leap of faith. My last day working a day job was October 23, 2013. I worked a double that day, then left the restaurant, and sat at a nearby bar having a beer and watching a Redsox game on tv. I knew the next day I would wake up as a “writer” by trade, and the feelings are hard to put into words honestly.

I would sell another screenplay before Hangman came out that wound up being the Mexican horror film “Sin Origen”, but neither would ultimately propel me into a place where I was making a comfortable living working in the film business. There were many hard years, many years where things were more than uncomfortable for my growing family and I, but I never went back to a day job. I managed to scrape by with ghost jobs I would find online, and through referrals, that helped barely pay the bills until bigger jobs came.

I’ve been fortunate and blessed enough to have worked on several features and television shows in recent years, but I am still constantly hustling to create my own luck, and to find the next job, but one thing I learned through all of this is, that sometimes you just have to take the leap of faith.

Sometimes playing things too safe when you have a dream will keep you stuck, and I wouldn’t trade any of the hardships, because they’ve gotten me where I am today.

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?

Sure. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. The oldest of two boys raised primarily by our mother. I studied business at Boston College, before moving to California to pursue screenwriting and directing, where I’ve written and directed such films as NO TEARS IN HELL, a feature film based on the true story of the Siberian Ripper, along with HUNTER’S MOON, which I also produced. The film stars Thomas Jane, Jay Mohr, and Sean Patrick Flanery, and was released by Grindstone and Lionsgate.

I also wrote THE DEVIL’S TRAP, starring Bruce Dern, and co-wrote HANGMAN, starring Al Pacino, Karl Urban, and Brittany Snow. In 2020 I wrote the Mexican film, SIN ORIGEN for famed horror director, Rigoberto Castaneda, and most recently I was the co-writer for THE ISLAND, starring Michael Jai White, which is currently the number one film on Starz. My feature script MERCY GOOD will be filmed in 2024 with Kevin Lewis directing.

In the television space, I spent time in Armenia, where I wrote and co- directed the 16 episode series PURGATORY for Popstar TV. Previously I did a polish on all ten episodes of the show NOVA VITA, starring Dean Norris and Titus Welliver, along with being the show’s supervising producer, and also co-directing the series. In 2023 I wrote and directed 20 episodes of the soon to be releases show SECOND CHANCES.

My first novel BETWEEN HEAVEN & 42nd AND BROADWAY was published in 2023 by Briley & Baxter fulfilling a lifelong dream.

I love what I do professionally, but I love even more knowing that no matter what I create, ultimately my lasting legacy will be my three children – Gavin, Joaquin, and Lily, who are without a doubt my world.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a storyteller (I’ll use that word because it’s all inclusive of the different mediums I work in, as well as the different hats I wear in those mediums) is being able to take a blank page, and breathing life into it. Creating whole worlds from nothing more than my imagination, and life experiences, will never get old for me, and getting able to share those worlds with others is so surreal.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There are countless stories I could tell, but the two things they all have in common is:

1. They crushed me, really crushed me, and sent me into bouts of depression even.

And

2. I allowed myself to feel what I was feeling, was down, but never out. I refused to let any set back, big or small, be cause for me to give up on a dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember.

I truly believe that in any creative business, you need talent, luck, and hard work, but above all else you need to be resilient. I know for a fact that I have the career I have now, and the one I will have in the future, because I simply refused to have a plan B. There was never another option for me, and I think knowing (and really believing) that puts you in the right mindset to succeed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: michael.caissie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.caissie.5?mibextid=LQQJ4d
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