We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michelle Vogel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michelle below.
Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
As an actress and film maker my mission is to truly experience life and enter the lives of others to share truth, to provoke genuine emotion, to inspire and to highlight the beauties of the human experience.
Growing up in a mixed family I never felt like I truly belonged anywhere. I didn’t look like anyone on either side of the family and didn’t fully fit into any one culture. We traveled so much so I was consistently the new girl and was bullied to where my confidence was completely stripped away. At times I felt truly alone. On my journey of self discovery and reclaiming me, I learned every one of my experiences, whether it was light or dark allowed me to learn more about the human condition and be highly empathetic and kind to all people. I never want anyone to feel like they are alone. My mission as an actress was created so I could use myself as a positive vessel to tell stories that make people from all walks of life feel seen, feel heard, to feel validated with what they are going through or open others’ eyes to different perspectives. I partnered with a production company called West America Film Company because they align with these values by bringing diversity on and off the screen and into their stories through the people, culture and morals built into the storylines. Everyone has a story and it is worth telling.
Michelle, 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?
When I was three years old, I would gather my family in our backyard and put on little shows. Whether it was comedy sketches, little dances, or silly acts that made no sense, I knew I had a love for performing because of the smiles I could bring to my family’s faces. But I never pursued my dream because I believed what most creatives are told, that we have to get ‘real jobs,’ or that performing is just a hobby. I did the whole University and corporate job thing, until I almost lost my mom, a story for another day. That traumatic night, as I paced in the hospital waiting to hear news from the doctors, so many thoughts flooded my mind. The thought of losing her and how short life can be, to all the regrets and thoughts of ‘what ifs’ changed my perspective on life. Because of that experience though, I finally began truly living.
I started my journey in entertainment through dance and musical theater. For a number of years, I danced professionally with the San Antonio Spurs as a Silver Dancer (NBA), Stars’ Star Squad member (WNBA) and an Ice Girl for Rampage Hockey. I loved telling stories through movement, so I choreographed and trained dancers of all ages in addition to dancing for the various sports teams in San Antonio. I loved storytelling through dance, but my dream was always acting. With that in mind, I delved into Musical Theater and eventually made my way out to Los Angeles to pursue my passions in filmmaking about 5 years ago. Navigating through all the obstacles created by the pandemic, I found wonderful artists to create films with and I am so grateful for everyone I’ve collaborated with along the way.
To date, I have worked on shorts, web series, voice overs, corporate videos, and feature length films. Most recently, I was a lead actress in the feature film, ‘Momma’s Boy,’ and was the lead actress and producer in the 4x Award Winning film ‘To Matter,’ that just started circulating in film festivals. I am so proud of our award for “Best Feature” from the Ukrainian Dream Film Festival, as well as awards from the London Independent Film Awards and Los Angeles Cinematography Awards. I’m most humbled and honored to have won “Best Actress” from the International Dubai Film Festival.
Shortly after wrapping ‘To Matter,’ I also worked with West America Film Company as a Producer on the feature film, ‘Red Flamingos,’ a drama about love and taking risks on your dreams as well as the psychological thriller “A Sense of Dread.” I’m also excited for the next film we have in Pre-Production called ‘Star Questra,’ which I will feature in as the lead character and lead Producer. We just finished our location scout for Star Questra along the PCH and I cannot wait to share this beautiful story with everyone.
My partner, John Bombay of West America Film Company, and I, look forward to telling more compelling stories and offering more services to help others tell their own stories. We also aim to help actors with reels/slates/headshots, as well as help businesses with corporate videos. We believe in the power of storytelling. Let’s tell yours together!
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
In 2019, I met my business partner John Bombay Gutierrez on his set of ‘All the Difference’. Though he had experience on other sets wearing multiple hats, this was one of his first projects he both wrote and directed. He cast me as his lead actress. Funny enough, I almost didn’t submit to the role because I didn’t think I would get cast, but then was so drawn to the synopsis and morale of the film that I took the leap. I’m so happy I did because I met a lot of wonderful artists and my business partner, John. During the time on set I learned first hand of his directing style and ability to lead, which intrigued me to work with him on future projects. He has such a passion for film-making and a way with pulling his vision out of the actors. He kept a positive energy on set and created an extremely comfortable environment for actors to excel, leading me to have one of my breakthroughs as a performer. As we all know the story, the pandemic hit and we went our separate ways, though our love for film-making brought us back together while working on multiple projects. With John being a Writer/Director first and foremost and business entrepreneur and me being an Actor with a background in producing, marketing and web/graphic design; we learned that we could use our skillsets to make a strong team. I loved that we had aligned visions for our art, our skills complemented each other and honestly that we both saw the importance in spreading kindness. Since then, we have our feature film ‘Red Flamingos’ in post, 4x Award Winning feature ‘To Matter’ circulating in Film Festivals and our third feature ‘Star Questra’ in Pre-Production. We have been hired to work on other projects as well with the latest being a Sci-Fi Thriller called ‘ A Sense of Dread’, which we just wrapped shooting last week! I am so excited for the upcoming projects lined up for West America Film Company and for our Actor Reel/Slates part of the business we are launching. I have felt so grateful for the opportunities and amazing people I have met during this journey. It has been so wonderful finding genuinely good people to make art with and I hope to continue doing so as both an Actor and Producer!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is moving people and starting dialogue. There is so much power in story-telling. As an actress I’ve had the ability to use my being to help others see the world, cultures and different perspectives that otherwise wouldn’t be communicated. Art is a form of expression that helps expand people’s minds and evoke emotion.
The feature film ‘To Matter’, where I was the lead, covered hard topics from taking risks to pursue your dreams to the struggles of making the decision to keep a surprise pregnancy. I loved that the film never tells you the correct answer because there truly is no ‘correct’ answer. Everyone has a different viewpoint based on life experiences. ‘To Matter’ has started conversation putting light on different point of views portrayed by characters from all walks of life and cultures. It has been so humbling that ‘To Matter’ has received such a positive response here in Los Angeles and Internationally, winning 4 awards, one of them being the “Best Actress’ award in the International Dubai Film Festival. ‘Star Questra’, filming this fall, is about two estranged sisters reconnecting and building their relationship on a road trip to the last BlockBuster as a wish from their sick mother. This film is about family, love and hardship. I love that the projects I’ve been a part of makes you feel, reflect, grow and even escape. The power of film is moving people in the ways they need to be. What’s more rewarding than that? 
Contact Info:
- Website: themichellevogel.com
- Instagram: the_michellevogel
- Other: westamericafilmcompany.com
- IG: westamericafilm threads: the_michellevogel
Image Credits
John Bombay Gutierrez Romsha Golos Michael Roud