We were lucky to catch up with Michael Joseph Murray recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michael Joseph, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?
Do it!
I was fortunate to see a great show of support for my first foray in film production. I devised my own crowdsourcing campaign for my short film and calling card, Marcel The Muscle Man. I sent many emails and posted all over social media (amusingly, I hope) soliciting would-be benefactors for my modest cinematic endeavor. People came out of the woodwork to open their hearts and wallets to me. The show of support was both touching and game-changing.
While it sure is important, it’s not all about the money. Friends and family watch my work (alway nice!), share my work with others, post about my projects, attend my screenings and festival events, connect me with talent and crew folks alike – often discounting or even donating their services.
It may be a bit obvious, but people like working with people they like, and your people want to see you succeed. Honestly, if you don’t have that support, it’s hard as hell to actually accomplish anything.
That goes both ways, too. Return favors. Even pay it forward if you can.
If these relationships cultivate opportunities that are organic and fruitful, then the going is good, and things are definitely working the way you want.
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?
After years of being an occasionally fortunate, often-misguided auditioner with a series of exhausting, soul squelching survival jobs in the limitlessly expensive New York City – I’ll use the term “actor” moving forward — I decided to develop hands-on skills in filmmaking to establish and expand my then-modest technical skills in the hopes that I might find work within a field I actually liked.
In the years that followed, I developed a freelance production resume of breadth. I’ve been called a film set Swiss army knife: I’ve organized animation audio tracks and I’ve edited interviews; I’ve PA’d and directed; I’ve AD’d shorts and been the cinematographer on features. I value the work.
A long winded sentence in my cover letter might read: My inclination for collaboration and my willingness to wear whichever hats necessary to get the most positive results in a safe and respectful environment make me well-suited for any production; I also believe my acting experiences serve to supplement a well-rounded perspective – plus, I do still certainly enjoy stepping on a stage or in front of a camera.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Ohhh, just one? Ha! While I was pursuing acting, flipping burgers, and serving countless cocktails in midtown Manhattan, I decided I wanted more agency over my income, so I shifted gears and became a certified and insured personal trainer. The pandemic didn’t quite help that venture flourish. Eesh.
I decided to segue toward a steady job at a reputable production company by first getting my MFA in filmmaking. Well, the industry was (and is still) slow to recover from the pandemic, and finding anything close to stable work amidst the ongoing upheaval from corporate cutbacks, streaming disruption, and AI’s impact has removed any semblance of certainty in an already uncertain business. Yikes.
Somewhat recently, I’ve become married, and have very recently become a homeowner, and my wife and I would like to grow a little family, so the idea of some stability sure does sound nice. Oof.
Presently, I still enjoy freelancing in media production, including occasionally acting, but I have also recently taken yet another leap: studying to be a speech-language pathologist – a fulfilling occupation in a field of my interest with a promising outlook. This way, I can continue to do the creative media work that I enjoy, while not so severely subjecting myself and my family to the uncertainties of the media production industry.
With regard to adaptability, I think Bruce Lee got it right: “Be water, my friend”.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, being creative is inherently rewarding. Creativity is our lifeblood. It’s a necessity. It enables progress. It liberates us. It connects us. It’s in the very essence of our being, so you’d better not cheat yourself out of that.
From a sort of pragmatic stance, it’s also an ongoing exercise in overcoming the fear of making mistakes. Make ‘em, so what? Somebody doesn’t like your stuff, so what? You don’t like your stuff? I get it, but you put something out into the universe, which is worlds more than the person who let fear win did.
Plus, not only do mistakes serve as the best learning opportunities, but they also add to the spice of life and can make for pretty good stories!
There’s an old Chinese proverb that really resonates with me, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Even if the most uniquely terrifying sight is that of a blank canvas staring you down, for the love of God take a deep breath and slap some paint on it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://MichaelJosephMurray.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yarrumekim
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljosephmurray/
- Other: https://imdb.me/michaeljosephmurray
