Michael Shawn Lewis
Director, Writer, Producer
The Creators Society’s Member Spotlight this week focuses on Michael Shawn Lewis. Michael, who has worked as director, writer, and producer on hit shows Splash and Bubbles and Word Party, was born in LA, raised in the mountains of Tennessee, and went to college in Florida (his father worked for McDonnell Douglas at the NASA space center), where he got his Bachelor’s in Music, before getting a Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory. Starting as a performer, Michael had a successful career on the Broadway stage in productions of Phantom of the Opera and Woman in White before touring Western Europe with productions of Les Miserables and Elisabeth. “I spent from 21 all the way to 30 in Europe, in Germany, and a little bit in Belgium and a little bit in Austria. I loved living in Germany”.
His bout with facial cancer led him to take a hiatus from the stage. “It took me about 6 months. It changed my mindset. I have always, even as a kid, been a writer and wanted to be a lot more creative than just a performer of other people’s stuff. I always had my own little creations that I was working on, my own little fantasy world that I would flesh out, whether it be through painting and visual arts or whether it was through writing because I loved to write. I was always wanting to create, to express, and to not just express other people’s stuff, but my own.”
Michael started producing and presenting theatre while also founding The New York Children’s Theatre Festival. One of the shows he produced off-Broadway, ImaginOcean, was Drama-Desk nominated . Seen by Brian Henson, it was successfully adapted into the kids television series Splash and Bubbles on PBS.
He has since directed 3 seasons of Word Party on Netflix, and it’s spinoff, Math Party (which is currently in editorial), and he continues to develop new projects including a collaboration between The Jim Henson Company and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, where he is executive producing.
He has worked extensively on Preschool and Bridge TV, experimenting with HDPS animation motion capture & animatronic interfaces. “It’s a different form of animation than people are familiar with because it’s really motion capture animation. So when you direct, you direct live performers, and you’re directing everything on set. It’s a lot of fun! It’s not like being on a live shoot, it IS a live shoot! I think because I come from the world of theatre, I bring a certain sort of theatrical storytelling to my director’s eye that serves me well sometimes. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all! (laughing)”
Outside of his main job, Michael spends time developing and writing personal projects, while also settling into life as a new parent. This new stage of life has led to a balancing act with Zen, his husband. Michael admits it’s considerably easier working for The Henson Company and Dr. Seuss Enterprises: “I can have my Baby Bjorn on my chest, with my baby in editorials, or in production meetings or in development meetings, or working on new shows. It’s been great being in a working climate where there are a lot of moms who have empathy and understand where I am coming from.”
Michael first joined The Creators Society as an early member. Working in a writer’s group, he wanted to expand his circle of creativity to the animation community. Through his research, he found The Creators Society. “This is more of a social organization, but I do like that it’s changed, and now it’s purpose has grown. I like where it’s growing. I like the support network that’s there for it. I like that it IS a support network for others in the industry.”
Michael’s advice for people working in or moving into the animation industry is: “Keep at it. In these creative fields, there is such a large amount of rejection that’s involved. There is a good amount of acceptance in it too, once you get cooking and rolling in it, but there’s also a lot of rejection that has to get you to that point. That’s only part of the process. When I say stick to it, I mean just that. Don’t let the disappointment of the “didn’ts” discourage you from the possibilities of the “coulds”.
To learn more about Michael, be sure to check out his company, MSL Media Inc., as well as his upcoming website under development.
