Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Bruins.
Michael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been fortunate to be blessed with many talents. These gifts are the element of music, voice, comedy, dance, theater, film, screenwriting, photography and public speaking as well as working in youth development. With these gifts, I decided to find a way to share them all with the world. It can sometimes be very difficult to find the balance with all of my passions but I have a sense of serenity when I’m working within their realms. This is what inspired Calvin Michaels Entertainment. I figured why not just do it all as opposed to trying to center on one thing. This has led to many projects and positive outcomes over the years. Some include choreographing for two productions at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, as well as serving as creative director and head choreographer for 11 dance teams between 2006-2016 (Hip Hop & Jazz Choreography).
I’ve also performed stand up comedy for the past nine years, as well as launched a comedic Web Series entitled “Generation Black”. In 2018 I launched my podcast entitled “Comedically Hardheaded”. It’s a comedic storytelling podcast. The podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, IHeartRadio, & Soundcloud. Music has been a passion of mine and I served in my components from being a choir director to performing for events. I also love music and have two self-produced albums “Symphonic Euphoria” (2017) & “The Hardcover.” (2019). These projects are available on all digital music outlets.
I also am in the process of shopping around a few scripts for a full-length comedic feature film. Even with all of these projects I also work in the community and have been the director of a Community Center for the past 8 1/2 years.
Great, 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?
It’s definitely been a journey. Working in the community is a responsibility that comes with much sacrifice. You oftentimes put everything and everyone before yourself because you’re so connected to the work you’re doing. I had to learn how to balance everything remember that it’s ok to dedicate some of my time and energy to personal entities I’m also passionate about. It can be very difficult to work with kids until 7 pm and then rush home to do a studio session, record a new podcast episode, or have the energy to choreograph a new piece for a dance troop. What keeps me going is knowing that I’m leaving a legacy and that I have a divine purpose.
Please tell us about Calvin Michaels Entertainment.
Calvin Michaels Entertainment is the hub for all of the projects and creative content I work on. It’s grown to a following of about 31,000 people through support on YouTube. With this company I do everything. All the production, editing, writing, performing, prepping, as well as publishing.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I love road trips. I grew up as a military brat and we were stationed in Vicenza Italy in 1996. Before we left my father and I did a father and son road trip across the United States, we stopped in so many places. We started in Washington State and trailed the coastlines and wrapped up in New Jersey. We drove through Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, DC, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It was a great experience that took about two months. We took many breaks and visited family as well as saw many tourist attractions.
Contact Info:
- Email: CalvinbMichaels@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/gimmieabeat
- Facebook: Facebook.com/CalvinBMichaels
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