Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michael Herman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michael, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Honestly….The Call of the Void Podcast. Back in 2020, my wife and I had this crazy idea to make a fully-immersive fiction podcast. We had no sound design experience, no producing experience, no money, but we had this gorgeous story in our heads. So, one lazy summer afternoon in Michigan we looked at each other and said…maybe we make this thing.

Three years later, our trilogy is complete. The show currently has over 900K global downloads and has been heard in over 150 different countries. It has won some major awards including platinum at the Hear NOW Festival (2020 & 2021) and it was just honored this year at the 27th Annual Webby Awards for Best Scripted Podcast Series! Which is insane!

We had NO idea it was going to get this big. We thought…hey, maybe we get a 1,000 listens, if all of our friends listened to the show…like multiple times. But our show has really found an audience. To this day, we get emails from people saying the show got them out of a dark place or really meant something to them, and I think that’s the most meaningful part about the project — it means something to other people too.

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?

For sure! I am a professional writer and actor originally from St. Joseph, Michigan. Over the years, I have worked with some of the world’s largest entertainment companies including CBS, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, HULU, FANGORIA, and YOUTUBE.

In 2016, a graduated from the University of Southern California and the same year I co-wrote James Franco’s award-winning feature film – THE MAD WHALE (starring Camilla Bell and Dominic Rains – who are both so freakin sweet).

In 2017, I worked as a writer for SPOTIFY and assisted with the acquisition that brought podcasts to their platform (a $1B investment). A few years later, I had the chance to be on THE LATE LATE SHOW with James Corden in which he made one of my movies come to life in a Starbucks, which was wildly glamorous.

In 2020, I co-show ran the international award-winning fiction podcast THE CALL OF THE VOID with my beautiful wife Josie Eli Herman and I currently have two feature films in development that are both slated for filming later this year! Which is madness!

I am eternally interested in the works of Anis Mojgani and I find myself looking at Vivian Maier pictures more and more these days (which feels like the right thing to do). Oh my gosh! And I just got back from a trip to New Zealand with Josie! It blew our minds! We cried our eyes out at Hobbiton and we would go back in a heartbeat.

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

I believe art is an act of service. When I am able to put aside my ego, and my pride, and my insecurities, and my financial woes, and just focus on telling a story for a certain audience — that is when I am being a good artist. It’s super easy to make everything about yourself. Especially when the spotlight is on you. But that’s not what makes good art. It is paramount that we remember the responsibility we have as artists. We are here to improve the world and to inspire others to improve the world. That’s what we are good at. When we are lucky enough to make something that does that…I believe that is the most rewarding feeling any artist can have.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Totally! I was watching Bryan Cranston on Hot Ones the other day, and he said artists need to treat art like it’s a relationship. They have to show up and put in the love to make it grow. Okay, he didn’t say all those words exactly, but that’s where he was going. And I think that’s how the best artists I know work. They know not every day is going to be perfect, but they said “I do” to a life of creation. And I think that makes the “artist journey” pretty clear. Artists see art as a relationship in their lives, as a very dear friend. And sometimes that friend looks us in the face and says we suck. But that’s okay. Because a friend, a dear friend always tells you the truth just when you need to hear it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaelalanherman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_alan_herman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.herman.376
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-alan-herman-b3bb28131/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mherman_writer
• Other: IMDb – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4394874/ The Call of the Void – https://www.acornartsandentertainment.com/thevoid

Image Credits
Acorn Photos