We recently connected with Mike Anderson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mike thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

My answer of what I would do differently may be slightly contradictory, or at least abstract, because what I will say is I wish I had learned much earlier to trust and be more confident in my instinct; to recognize that the feeling of ‘this just seems right’ or ‘this doesn’t seem right’ may be the path I’m supposed to take or not take. And that the easy route is not always the path to success. And struggle is good. And that as mystical as it may seem, everything really may happen for a reason. But, then the contemplation of ‘what I may have done differently’ actually becomes a bit silly; irrelevant. Things happened they were supposed to, I guess.

I guess I would tell myself then (as I try to tell myself now) – remember to have fun every moment you can.

Mike, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was always a jokester kid. Doing impersonations. Making up stupid parodies of songs. Pretending I was someone else. These were all just coping mechanisms for being super shy and ADHD – hiding behind characters to not expose how terrified I was in my own skin. This is the kid I wish I could go back to and tell, “Hey, dude. It’s alright. These other people are dealing with stuff too. So keep being the part of you that makes you happy and not try to be someone else and things will fall into place.” When I graduated from high school, I went to school for business marketing, which became an emphasis in advertising. That sliver, ’emphasis in advertising’ being the sudden awakening at the end of my college career that my time (and money…debt) that I had spent there had actually been to prepare me for the next phase of what I was to do with my life.
Perhaps like many other kids, particularly at that time, I had this really simplified version of life that was like a dreadful board game: You’re a kid playing. Go to School. College. Graduate. Job. Marriage. Kids. Retirement. Death.
It’s a really scary and bullshit way of looking at life that’s kind of funny in retrospect. But, you only see the word through your own eyes and perception, so this hilarious paint-by-numbers, it was.

I worked as a nearly free grunt at an ad agency for a bit, subsidized by doing some nearly free social services work, while trying to hustle my way into the very small at that time Atlanta film business, which was primarily commercials, very few shows, and music videos. Got into a niche of making low-budget videos for emerging hip-hop artists in the Dungeon Family – Outkast, Goodie Mob, YoungBloodZ, which lead to other emerging artists, Mystikal, and a super nice young kid who called himself Ludacris.

I started writing little wacky stories, with my friends being the characters, that I would send in a group email every Friday.
(pre-social media). I called it the ‘Friday Shout Out’.
The stories evolved to making weekly videos, using my friends as actors or characters. There’d be reoccurring series that were ridiculously absurd like ‘The Adventures of Captain Jim Overpeenus’ complete with commercials for fictitious products.

Many in my group of friends were either improv actors, aspiring actors, writers, or none of the above. Everyone was just trying to figure out life. How to make some money to not be broke as hell, find someone to love, find meaning of this experience; grow up.

When it was released, I became intrigued by The Blair Witch Project and the hype around it. It was the viral conspiracy theory hype before the zillions that we daily now on social media.
I didn’t think much of the movie at all. I didn’t ever buy that it was “real”, per se. But the marketing, perception, and hysteria of it seemed extremely powerful to me, so I made my own version – a documentary of a man in rural Alabama who claimed to be a vampire, called ‘The Redneck Vampire’, which was circulated on vhs tapes, hand-to-hand via college students and via the band STS9.

During this time, I met artist, R.Land. We shared an uncanny connected appreciation for the obscure documentaries Vernon, FL, and Sherman’s March. We shared ideas, none of which seemed to have the goal of making money, but more of making ourselves or friends laugh. Ronnie was and is a tremendously inspiring person. He seemed to have the ability to block out all of the noise of perception and do things simply because they were good and made him happy. At some point, he offered to illustrate one of the stories I had written about a weird dog that could fly.

I got married to an amazing actress and artist, who was an Atlanta rock star in her own right, and in truth felt that between us, stardom was simply inevitable. But the universe has a way of reminding you that success is not the fairytale that you wrote for yourself and that life is not paint-by-numbers.

Health, healthcare, and capitalism suddenly became unexpectedly woven into our lives, so I had the great fortune of taking a job I had never wanted to provide my small but soon-to-be-growing family with medical insurance.
Angels might not have wings but they may have a software company that will give a friend a job for insurance, knowing he doesn’t belong there.

I pedaled software and learned valuable lessons about people, and how to be a character actor from 9-5, and how to shake off sadness at 5;01 to try to be a good dad.

The sand from the hourglass of that experiment finally ran out in 2010, which opened a window of uncertainty and opportunity. I legitimately had just been mercilessly fired and was standing outside of the building, somewhat in a daze of ‘what to do next?’ and I envisioned every single small business that was in my view, which had previously been unable to afford it, would soon need some type of creative content for business that could be distributed via the web.
That week, along with musician and photographer, Brian Bice, I founded Lords of Sapelo, a creative production agency to specialize in providing creative video and musical content to small to mid-sized businesses.
And as much as we could, we wanted to try, try, try to only work with organizations that we supported both in business and philosophy. We got the opportunity to work with the Atlanta Beltline, and then helped SweetWater Brewing grow and expand nationally. We started working with non-profits in community development, education, and environment. Purpose Built Communities, Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative, YMCA, Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Atlanta Public Schools.
Lords of Sapelo is now not only a leading creative content producer in Atlanta, but also a consultant and conduit to connect like-minded people and organizations.

In 2022, R.Land and I published our children’s book, Bucky Wall (weirdo hero) and made it first available at Atlanta local brick-and-mortar locations, Junkman’s Daughter, Homegrown, Little Shop of Stories, and others. We now distribute both the book and Bucky Wall merchandise worldwide.

In 2023, I began producing and co-hosting the podcast ‘Drop the Check, with Napa winemaker, Robbie Meyer, where we have intimate discussions with awesome folks across the spectrum of food, wine, and entertainment.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 202o and 21, during Covid, I had a creative production company that was unable to work; film, travel, be in schools, to gather in communities. I had a book that I had finished but needed art to be completed, which I had no control over. In my personal life, I was in the process of a separation, which would soon be a divorce, while doing my best to be a good father; contemplating what the future would look like for my daughter
All of these things, I know, look similar but different to everyone that was going through the same thing. The details may be different, but everyone was going through this – maybe still are – maybe always are – but Covid kind of amplified this.
When separation became divorce and the adjustment to that necessary but very challenging process started, I was for a short period of time, essentially homeless.
The word ‘homeless’ had previously been associated with this negative stigma that, along with a lot of other untrue stuff, had learned. But, it was kind of a magical time. I didn’t have the choice to decide on what to let go of. Things all kind of purged at once. So, I would say to anyone, the fear of ‘what’s the worst that can happen’ is actually the worst that can happen, because when it does, you get the opportunity to start over without the burden of contemplation of what you might lose.
And I found that something mystical or magical happens too. When you are seemingly vulnerable; you’re not hiding behind an ego to shield you, both people and opportunities that you could have never expected to happen, suddenly materialize. The stuff of religious allegories becomes your own story. Perhaps this is the origin of faith.
No matter what is was – I’m still thankful that all of this perceived “bad stuff” gave me this opportunity.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

This is the credo that I try to maintain with everything I do:

1. Be honest in everything you do. To others. To yourself.
2. Do everything with good intentions. (Contemplate how your actions will affect others – and thus the ripple effect that will have back on yourself – good or bad – and choose good).
3. Try to maintain a positive perspective at all times. (This can be very challenging. Wonderfully challenging. Fear and anger are very powerful emotions and easy to latch on to personally, or find community in collectively. Whether it’s a rainy day or having to wash a sinkload of dishes, try (try try) to appreciate the moments you have, no matter what it is, in this blip of life we are given.
4. Treat people with kindness. (Here’s a secret I’m happy to share – This selfless act can be incredibly self-serving because it always comes back.
Try it! Smile at everyone you make eye contact with at the grocery store. Open the door for someone. Say something nice. It makes grocery shopping, or just life, way more awesome!)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://buckywall.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikewanderson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.w.anderson/
• Other: Lords of Sapelo: https://lordsofsapelo.com Drop the Check podcast: https://www.dropthecheckpodcast.com/