Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Egbert.
Mike, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Today means 24 awards and nominations on my directorial debut for the film “Dollhead” I created. I think it all started for me when I took to heart a motto I learned while serving in the United States Marine Corps “leave it better than you found it.” This phrase was used to motivate young Marines to leave a place cleaner than we found it, this usually meant getting on our hands and knees and scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush, No not the same toothbrush. Now as I sit here in my dirty cluttered office I clearly don’t apply this to all parts of my life, but somewhere along the line, it translated to me as a vision of leaving the world a better place than I found it. Yes I know that sounds grandiose like world peace and ending world hunger, but I figure I could do my small part with the little resources a starving artist, twice divorced with four kids, like myself had available. So I decided to give back and start with my local community of Spring Valley.
I did my small part as a volunteer youth football coach for 12 years, which included the Los Toros Bulls and Monte Vista High school where I was fortunate enough to all also coach my two oldest boys. After my boys graduated high school and having the fever for helping out I decided to try stand-up comedy. I was always one to make people laugh but this is where I could turn that skill set into something positive on a bigger scale. I wanted to make the world smile and laugh a little more. I was mildly successful in having performed all over San Diego, and even in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. I even won Nick Cannon’s international talent search competition for my stand-up set. wanting to be a better comedian I got into improving and trained at the National Comedy Theater here in town and ended up working there for a year.
That’s when the acting bug bit me hard and hasn’t let go. So after that, I was acting in every student film and independent project I could get my hands in. One of my 1st big breaks was being hired as background on the MTV show “Teen Wolf”. I fell in love being on set and soon it didn’t matter if I was acting or getting someone coffee, I just had to be there. I eventually joined the SAG-AFTRA union and took my career to another level. Lately, I’ve had success being cast on shows like “Brooklyn 99”, “Lethal Weapon”, “Animal Kingdom” and movies such as “The Happy Time Murders”, “The Clapper”, and the upcoming movie “Mainstream”.
If you haven’t heard by now acting is a tough business and waiting around for work is not my thing. I do have a great agent but I decided I wanted to create my work. Having gained some experience writing screenplays and doing allot of assistant directing I decided to write and direct my film. My film “Dollhead” took me two years to complete from conception to completion. This film is all shot locally in San Diego (Ocean Beach and Escondido) with all local talent. “Dollhead” is the story of an overprotective mom with a mute son, and when bad things happen and she is sent away she continues to control his life and communicate to him through a childhood doll head. So this is how I plan to make the world smile, laugh, and maybe even cringe a little more. 🙂
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth road? Is that an R&B song? My road is more like a country song, broken relationships, unsupportive spouse, late nights waiting for two to three hours in a dive bar to hope you get a three minute spot, raising four teenage children, changing your career to flexible work for little money just to be able to chase your dream. I even lost my dog. RIP Shinobi. I went from having a very successful 9-5 m-f computer career to driving for Uber/Lyft and working as a bouncer in bars in Pacific Beach on weekends so I could be available to audition and act during the week in Los Angeles. I went through a messy divorce from someone whom I once loved who didn’t believe in my dreams. Even though I had some successes early I didn’t land an agent till recently. Before that, every audition I got was through hustle, hard work, and being a network ninja. I loved every second of it.
Please tell us about your work.
Dollhead is a Mike Egbert film in collaboration with Metal Pixel Foundry Productions. Length 33mins, Not yet rated. Not yet released. SAG-AFTRA. Horror-Comedy or Dark-Comedy. An overly protective mother with an abusive past communicates to her mute son through a childhood doll when she is no longer around.
At Mike Egbert Films I pride myself on bringing the funny. No matter what the main genre is we add a dash of comedy. We live for the laugh. Dollhead is our first film and our flagship product. We couldn’t be more proud of the overwhelming love and support the film is getting from film festivals. This is my directorial debut and never in a million years did I think I was going to be recognized with 24 nominations and awards.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
So blessed and so motivated by Dollhead’s success that I’ve begun writing the prequel titled “Momhead: Dollhead Zero” where we find out how mom became the person she is today. I will also follow up with the unnamed sequel to Dollhead to complete the trilogy. The plan is to secure distribution for Dollhead to pick up and finance the complete set.
I am also 60+ pages into a feature film that is an anti-Disney, male Rom-Com where at the end of the movie the guy is single and happy. I wont say how loosely or unloosely this is based on my real life experiences. 🙂 And of course audition, audition, audition…
Contact Info:
- Email: TheMikeEgbert@gmail.com
- Instagram: @dollheadmovie
- Facebook: @egbertworld
Image Credit:
Jonathan Medel, John Freeman, Mike Egbert
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