Have you ever known someone then read their bio and been like, “somebody had to tell them to parse it down!” Honestly though, I feel like the countless hours, hard work, and dedication it takes to achieve an inkling of success gets lost in translation to words on a page. Luckily, we have a platform and an opportunity to give people their just due. With that, I’d like to introduce one of the hardest working men in the creative space, Mr. Michael Oloyede, as our November Wkender Feature.
British born and southern raised, Michael is the son of Nigerian parents who now calls New York City home. He’s a graduate of Georgia State University, where I had the pleasure of meeting him and got to see first hand how more seasoned creatives collaborated. My context for Mike was as a fashion guru. He was the president of a fashion organization at our school and was integral to the planning of its annual fashion show. Did I mention that he also modeled in it?! Fast forward, he, amongst others, saw fit to allow me to enter the illustrious Zeta Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and so goes the bond of brotherhood.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and working in the corporate world for a couple of years, thoughts of his childhood dream slowly began to bubble back up. He enrolled to train at both the Stella Adler School of Acting and Anthony Meindl’s Actor’s Workshop, and has since worked steadily in film, television, and stage. Simply put, when the stars align. there’s no stopping what comes next.
Michael Oloyede is best known as the title character ‘Blue’ on BET Digital’s award winning “Brooklyn.Blue.Sky.” and the New York Times Critic’s Pick play, “Inanimate” at The Flea Theater. Additionally, Michael was named “New Actor of the Year” at 2018’s Igrushi Black Excellence Gala in Atlanta.
Michael considers himself lucky to spread his love of storytelling both in front of and behind the camera. In addition, he is passionate about his position as Head of Community Outreach and Digital Strategy for The Creative Collective NYC, the driving force behind #CultureCon. If you haven’t heard of Culture Con check out their website (https://www.theccnyc.com/culturecon2019).
It’s bigger than the names they had on the ticket; it’s really about carving out a space for creatives of color and inspiring the next generation of world changing doers! However, I can’t not mention the names: Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina King, Kofi Siriboe, Keke Palmer, Sanaa Lathan, Quincy, Lena Waithe, Dave East, and that’s just a few of the heavy hitters.
Honestly, we could go on about how dope all of the creative things that Mike is doing are, but what’s most important is that even in all of this, he has still retained his sense of self. It’s easy to get a smidge of shine and completely flip the script, (see what I did there… he’s an actor…nevermind)
but what shows the truest representation of a man’s character is his actions over time regardless of success or failure. Thank you for being authentically you Mike. It’s an honor to feature you for the month of November and we can’t wait to see what’s next for the incomparable Mr. Oloyede!
To A Life Worth Living,
The Wkender!