Today we’d like to introduce you to J. Michael Hayes.
Hi J. Michael, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For the last 13 years, I’ve been the creative director of Anansi Hayes Media, a boutique creative agency focused on project development, branding, web, marketing, and consulting. Before that, I worked in the music industry as a writer-producer and briefly as a journalist. In all three of those situations, I’ve focused on projects I feel passionate about, projects that mean something beyond just the commercial venture of it all.
As I look back, there is one word that seems to thread its way through my journey: story.
Recently I’ve been writing more and more, developing screenplays and short films with an amazing circle of creative kin including my wife Nekeshia, my co-writer ZigZag Claybourne, and cinematographer Emerson Mahoney. For me, all of these different areas of expression are connected. Whether it’s a new business, a love song, an interview, or a movie, it’s all storytelling. My belief that the best storytelling is created through collaboration. I love what happens when we share ideas. I wouldn’t have achieved any of the things I have without developing real relationships and collaborating with other gifted artists and storytellers who are also just dope individuals.
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 don’t know about smooth versus bumpy… I always assume any path is going to require adaptation and improvisation. I grew up playing blues and jazz. A lot of the folks I worked with had more chops than I did, but I always made the most of what I had and just tried to listen and stay ready for the changes.
This way of thinking has helped me immeasurably over the past 13 years with Anansi Hayes Media, when working with clients on developing their brands and strategies. Same thing with a short film I directed recently. We did everything we could to set ourselves up for success, putting the right people in the right places, laying out plans and contingency plans. But at the end of the day, getting the best shot or best performance was about paying attention and improvising along the way.
Being a father of three is remarkably similar. You have your vision, your story, but every day your children are going through something new, and you need to improvise. The details may change but the core of your story is what keeps you grounded and connected. My wife and I have been together for the last four years, and working with a shared core story of what we want out of life and for our family has made those last four years the most successful and creatively fulfilling of my life.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think I’ve become known for the quality of my work and being someone that knows how to collaborate; rather than fitting into some specific niche, style, or genre. My ability to adapt and understand a number of different perspectives has helped me to create work for artists as broad-ranging as Carly Simon and Digital Underground or organizations as disparate as NAACP and MIT.
With Anansi Hayes Media, we look for projects with bold vision and deeper stories. Many of our clients are Black or Indigenous, Queer or Woman owned and operated businesses and organizations. Their stories need to be heard by more people. We love to do whatever we can to help raise the volume of those voices.
As for what I’m focused on? My family is always number one, but creatively I feel like I’m in the middle of the most amazing period right now. It’s a good place to be when you’re always the most excited about the project you’re working on. But I can’t say too much about the specifics of that project right now. Give me six months.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Hmmm. I have lots of memories from growing up in the south, laying on the floor of our log cabin with all the windows open to get a cross breeze and stay cool on scorching summer days. I remember the smell of burning grass or sawdust on my father’s shirt when he came in from working. I remember the sounds of him playing slide guitar on the front porch or my mother’s sowing machine. But so much of early childhood is just a collection of sensory experiences like that.
When I was 16, I attended a program for young musicians from all over the world. That’s where I started to put my visions together into a story. And while my life now looks very different from what I may have envisioned then, the spirit of it is the same, and the people I met at that program have become integral to that story. One has been my business partner for over a decade, and two of the others are a large part of my most recent creative endeavor. So I always come back to the memory of that summer. 5 weeks, running around with all these other 16- and 17-year-olds with wild creative ideas like mine, making music, eating terrible pizza, and dreaming about the future. That’s probably my favorite childhood memory.
I believe that as a creative professional you have to keep that child spirit alive. Let the adult in you handle the business, the calendar, the invoicing. When it’s time to dream or create, prop up the child in you, make them as comfortable as possible, and let them help you tell the story.
Contact Info:
- Website: anansihayes.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/designerjessehayes
Image Credits
Anansi Hayes Media
