Today we’d like to introduce you to J. Michael Hayes
Hi J. Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
There’s a line in my recent short film, “Transition leaves nothing behind.” I didn’t think about it this way when I wrote it, but it is very much true of my creative journey.
I’ve loved storytelling as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of movies that I watched with my father, or songs that he would play when he was around the house, which wasn’t that often but the memories stand out. When I was in elementary school my room was practically wallpapered with newspaper and magazine clippings about upcoming movies like ‘Batman’ or ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, alongside posters of musicians I loved like Prince and Jimi Hendrix.
As I started to think about my future, movies seemed like a dream, something amazing but just out of reach. I started to play the bass and an incredible musician I knew took me under his wing. I felt like I could see my way to a career in music. And I did for a while. And I put any dreams of movies to the side.
I ended up writing songs for other artists and doing session work, both things I loved and still a kind of storytelling. I admired songwriters that told stories that felt like little films in themselves, folks like Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Gil Scott-Heron.
My experience in the music industry lead to a career in graphic design and marketing and while I raised my children, that kept us all fed and a roof over our heads.
About 6 years ago two things happened, I started dating my now wife and I introduced my sons to Jordan Peele’s films. My youngest in particular took to all the little details of the films, the use of color and music. He’d look up other films that had influenced those films and he’d want to watch those together. It helped reignite that childhood love of movies and movie making. My wife, Nekeshia, is incredibly supportive but also a really disciplined and focused person. She knew I was interested in diving into writing and filmmaking and encouraged me, but I was also inspired by her focus to not just see this as a hobby but to take daily steps to bring my ideas to fruition.
Within a year I had found myself, through my creative agency, working with a number of people in the film and writing/publishing world. All of a sudden those dreams of telling stories through films or TV, that once seemed so away, started to not seem so impossible. I guess it’s the idea of alignment. My wife always talks about “speaking things into existence” and for what it’s worth, combined working your ass off to develop your skills and understanding of the craft, I believe it’s true.
Last year with the encouragement of two of my writing mentors Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, I made my first short film – co-produced by my wife, co-written by author Z.Z. Claybourne and with the involvement of friends and collaborators of mine from the music business and my career as a designer and creative director.
I realized, all my experience and all of my passions were coming together, with some of my favorite people involved. And that line in my film “Transition leaves nothing behind.” had an even more personal truth than I realized.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I never expect a smooth road. My 15 years as a creative director has taught me to be prepared for as many contingencies as possible and training in Jazz has taught me the importance of improvisation.
This helped immeasurably when making our film, ‘Submerge’. Dealing with unpredictable weather or shooting a real bonfire on a remote beach and running out of wood, we were lucky and our problems were small. But one of the keys is to know how to pivot and lose as little time as possible.
Another key, and I can’t stress this one enough, is to build a team that you trust. With my production company Cast Iron Rocket, I was so blessed to have the cast and crew we did for ‘Submerge’.
The Director of Photopraphy, Emerson Mahoney, has such a great eye, a steady hand and an incredible sense of adventure. He’s worked on some amazing documentary films like Cat Gund’s ‘Meanwhile’ and I was excited to see what he could do in a narrative environment, creating a fantasy world. Working with him was a gift and I can’t wait to do more.
Our narration was done by Mela Lee who, aside from being just one of the most sensitive humans I know, is the consummate professional voice actor. Her voice work includes voicing Tiki for Netflix’s ‘Ladybug and Cat Noir’ and Jade from ‘Mortal Kombat’.
The score was done by UK based artist and songwriter Oli Rockberger. He has written for and recorded with artists like Gregory Porter, Laura Mvula, Chaka Khan and so many more. I’ve worked closely with Oli for over 25 years and we have a short hand that’s second to none. Not only do I trust his instincts but he understands my vision. The score also includes contributions from an incredible young saxophonist, Asa Peters, and the incomparable Kellindo Parker, cowriter and guitarist for Janelle Monaé.
Our production company logo and open titles were done by Keef Cross and Michael Van Huffel. Keef is one of my favorite artists, who also has a comic series I love called ‘DayBlack’. It was his look that I wanted so there was no need to have anyone else. He had my full trust. And Michael Van Huffel, whose been a friend for nearly two decades, worked for Prince’s Paisley Park along with our sound mixer Fafu the Great. I’ve been reading their names on liner notes for some of my favorite albums or credits for music videos since I was a teenager.
Really everyone in the film credits would be on my list. Having all their involvement meant there were that many fewer things to worry about in the process. I am forever thankful and excited for what this team can do next.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think all art, if authentic, is about perspective – the creator’s unique perspective. So that’s what sets us all apart. I guess the trick is learning your craft enough to convey that. I’m certainly trying to do that. I want to create things, whether as a writer or filmmaker, that give a glimpse into how I see the world.
My world and circle is predominately female, predominately black and indigenous. While those are not categories I’m a part of, that is the world I live in, so I feel everything I create should reflect that both in story and behind the scenes. That’s what I want to do with my production company Cast Iron Rocket. That’s the only for me to be authentic.
I write and create in genre – horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. Genre is an amazing space where you can play with important themes relevant to our lives in a way that can potentially open people minds and hearts. The writers and filmmakers I admire like Jordan Peele, Rod Serling, Octavia Butler, Sterlin Harjo, or Mariama Diallo, all do that brilliantly.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Ah! I want to say a sort of purposefulness or resolve, but maybe it’s simply consistency. Doing a little something everyday (or almost everyday) toward your goals. Nothing I’ve done has been easy, but I love most what I do and I understand the bigger picture, so I see how even the parts I don’t love as much still help move me toward my destination.
Also, my wife and I were just talking about this tonight, you should have confidence in what you know. But knowing is based on experience, that’s in the past. If you can get comfortable with the not-knowing, realizing that we’re all perpetually students, perpetually learning and discovering, it opens up a joyful and exciting world.
Loving the journey as much as the result, I think that’s success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://castironrocket.co
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/castironrocketproductions
Image Credits
photography by Nekeshia Hayes