We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Pollack a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I have ever worked on is my New Haven Pizza Club art collection. (newhavenpizzaclub.com & @nhvpc on instagram) After 20 years of working as a commercial creative director for many different brands I wanted to do something where I had complete creative control and something that truly represented who I am and where I am from. I chose pizza as my subject since it is a universal symbol of joy and bringing people together which is exactly what I wanted my work to do, and represents the Pizza Capital of The U.S. Even more importantly I wanted my work to have real purpose and give back which is why I partnered with a 501c3 charity called Feeding Families Foundation who would allow me to convert every dollar I raised into pizza and drive it into the local Yale New Havens Childrens hospital to people who really needed it. Everything about my project is deeply rooted in New Haven, the pizza culture and authenticity. This project allowed me to create anything I wanted across many different mediums including a 13.5ft / 9,000lb self funded landmark known as The Pizza Capital Monument. (appraised at $175,000 which puts me in the top 1% of any artist worldwide to debut a sculpture with a six figure evaluation) I also formed dozens of strategic partnerships and commercial collaborations with legacy businesses and organizations from my city and state. Circling back to why this is the MOST meaningful is very simple. From day one at my first Art Exhibit onn Sept 6, 2024 until now I have formed a very close relationship with the longest standing member of the house, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro who proclaimed New Haven as the pizza capital. After hitting several bureaucratic speed bumps at the hospital while working with Feeding Families, I asked Rosa if she could make a call and she did. All of our problems went away immediately and the growth of my work with the charity exploded. We immediately started an initiative driving 20 pizzas from Modern (the number one spot in The Pizza Capital) into the Childrens Hospital every Friday FOR LIFE for parents and nurses with critically ill children. This initiative garnered national attention on my art and the cause I am working closely with. Seeing my artwork motivate a congresswoman to take action and call a Ivy League world renowned hospital to effect immediate change showed me a whole new purpose in life through everything I love: art, culture, pizza and philanthropy. In just 9 short months I have personally helped the charity raise over $75,000 using the hype and attentions on my project to help draw attention to the Feeding Families Foundation’s cause. Effecting strong tangible social impact was my main goal and now we are in talks with expanding to several different hospitals around the country.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a multidisciplinary artist, creative director, and the visionary behind New Haven Pizza Club, with a 20-year career spanning art, film, production, and commercial storytelling. Before launching this groundbreaking cultural movement, I built a storied career as a commercial cinematographer and creative director, working with globally recognized brands and agencies across tech, automotive, entertainment, and consumer goods. I have a deep understanding of visual language, branding, and human connection which has made into a sought-after creative force capable of bringing ideas to life from concept to execution across virtually any platform. I knew I needed an outlet to exfoliate all of my different technical skills and art seemed to be the most pure form I could think of. Every place I look and every collaboration brings a new fresh way for me to approach the art. My range and unique perspective is what sets me apart. Most artists have their one medium and style and thats it. My goal was to leave no box un-checked. I knew my history of commercial work, photography, painting and sculpting, networking, collaborating and forming strategic partnership to reach bigger audiences and platforms could all be used collectively to my advantage for a more comprehensive approach to art. Pair that with a storyline of being in the Pizza Capital at a time when pizza culture is red hot, this seemed like the perfect, most serendipitous moment to lean into pizza and my city as its in the global spotlight and cultural conversations for the first time. I wanted to unite people through a universal symbol of pizza, something that could transcend cultural boundaries and bring people together. I am a very matter of fact guy and my result in the lats 9 months speak for themselves. I just wanted my work to be seen so people could see the real beauty of my city and all the amazing talent and businesses we have here. First you have to get peoples attention and engage them through human experience and then you can get your message and mission across, which for me is my work with Feeding Families Foundation and using pizza, culture and art to solve a very serious problem (food insecurity for parents and nurses)

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

GET OFF YOUR PHONES and go interact and experience art the way it is intended. Leave your phones at home and go out into the world and look at everything around you because there is art and beauty in absolutely everything and I am speaking from experience. EXPERIENCE is where I draw almost all of my inspiration from. If you want to support artists, then go out there and experience what they are putting out. Learn and understand their stories and the meaning behind the works, DONT just go take a picture of it and post it. I have poured my heart and soul into everything I have created and the attention and support I have received from my community, industry leaders and state representatives says it all. The biggest problem I am facing is that I have a very in depth story with many layers and the only way to understand it fully is to dive in. Everything I have designed is to enhance the experience of my artwork for the viewer but simply scrolling and giving it 5 seconds just isnt enough. The value of art goes way beyond the canvas and that has been my main focus, however just giving it a quick glance will never allow you to appreciate it for what it is. Art was never intended for phones.

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

The moment I became a true artist – I had been hired for my dream job as an art director for a startup company in Los Angeles within the collectible art / music licensing space. It had great promise and upside and would allow me to use many different skills I had acquired over 20 years. Every creatives dream is to be in a position to execute every cool and fun idea that comes to light and I thought thats exactly what I had. Unfortunately after several months I quickly realized that because I wasnt the boss, many of my great ideas would go un noticed or simply be shut down. I had so many amazing ideas that I wasnt able to execute on, and I identified many problems that could have helped but were overlooked. In a weird twist if fate, the company ran out of money and I was forced to move back to the east coast. However, this was the best thing that every happened to me. I knew I had learned everything I needed to know from that experience to take my own project on. Now I could combine all of my art skills with everything I learned in LA and finally be able to bring all my visions to life without anyone telling me the word “no” and IT WORKED! I was very ready to take full responsibility for all my work and actions and start leading the life I knew I could have with full creative freedom. Most times people cant understand your vision until its already completed and right in front of their faces. I wanted to show the world what I was capable of artistically and as a multi disciplinary entrepreneur!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://newhavenpizzaclub.com
• Instagram: nhvpc
• Facebook: new haven pizza club
• Other: My website is the bread and butter of my project and showcase the full scope of my work aswell as all the press I have received. My IG is a close look at the project in real time and everyone that is connected to it. I have been blessed to land my work in prominent locations around the city and have a permanent gallery and clubhouse inside of District NHV