Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Hoffman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I just want to say thank you for giving me this platform and thank you for giving me recognition, I’m so grateful. My name is Michael Hoffman, I’m 24 & I do a little bit of everything but we will get into that later in the article. I was born in Newark NJ, raised in Philadelphia, PA, and I’m a current Houston resident & have been for about 8 years. Houston is my second home & I love it here, Texas put me on the map & gave me so many opportunities. I moved here my senior year of high school, during the first week. It was very hard for me to just up and leave Philadelphia but clearly, I’ve adjusted pretty well & most would say that I’ve made a name for myself. After graduating high school, I quickly began working different fast food & restaurant jobs, struggling to find my passion & my purpose. I looked a lot different back then & I didn’t believe in myself. I always wanted to model & I was always into fashion but I didn’t have the confidence, support, & the funds to support my dreams. I quickly flipped through different occupations & different ways to make money to invest in my future, I spent thousands on dental assistant school, just to realize that it wasn’t my passion, I left numerous jobs due to disrespect, lack of pay, being degraded & faced quite a bit of racism. Those jobs weren’t all bad though, I learned exquisite customer service, the different types of people & I grew a work ethic. I always wanted more for myself, so I started studying business & working towards getting my bachelor’s in business administration. I took a couple of breaks from college, to work, save & plan out my future.
I got my big break in June of 2021 when I got signed to Neal hamil’s agency, I actually got scouted at a bar on Washington street & the scout set me up with a 1 on 1 meeting with the Vice President, Jennifer Molleda. We had an instant connection & she gave me a chance because she believed in me & saw potential. After a few classes & coaching sessions I was molded into a fashion, runway, print, commercial model & actor. I looked for new ways to express my passion for fashion & began working on my clothing line OG FITS. I launched OG FITS in October of 2021, directed my first fashion show, commercial video, & launch party. The first week most of my items started to sell out & I was overwhelmed with the love & support I received from family, friend & strangers. Around that time, I got an offer to audition for IMTA LA 2022 for acting, modeling & even songwriting. I was so nervous, I did this really corny commercial script, & I wrote l a little freestyle in about 2 minutes, & I did my runway walk. The agents loved my energy & my talent, & I made the cut. I honestly didn’t think that I would make it & I almost didn’t do the audition, I’m my biggest critic & enemy so my self doubt tends to hold me back at times but I’m working on that & I’ve made a lot of progress.
After seeing how much training I needed & how little time I had to mold myself into a professional, I dropped out of the songwriting portion of the contest & put my focus solely on modeling & acting. Songwriting and flowing are more of a hobby for me so I had to prioritize my passion & my strengths. Fast forward to December a few weeks before IMTA I was diagnosed with Covid 19, I immediately lost hope, & I felt like was watching my dreams & the biggest opportunity of my life, slip away. I talked to my agency & told them the news & they were devastated. I fell into a deep depression & I had to isolate myself during the most important holidays & I felt so defeated. A few days before IMTA something told me get Covid tested again and I tested 3 times, and they all came back negative, I couldn’t believe it. I called my agents & they quickly re-enrolled me in IMTA & we were ecstatic.
IMTA was one of the best experiences of my life, I met some of the most beautiful, talented, & creative people from all over the world. I gained a new found confidence & drive within myself. After placing in most of my competitions, I felt on top of the world & I knew that I had a god given gift. A little over a decade ago I was in & out of different foster homes & I couldn’t imagine being where I am today. If you told me that any of this was in my future I would’ve looked at you and laughed hysterically. I am beyond grateful & it’s still unbelievable to me.
These days, I’m busy perfecting my craft, modeling for various brands, auditioning, shooting as much as possible, working on my clothing brand relaunch & trying to save the world, 1 family at a time. My clothing line OG FITS has partnered with different Forster care agencies & shelters all over Houston, to give back & change the lives of children & families that came similar background as myself. Hopefully one day I’ll get to create my own foster care agency, but until then I’ll be working on my career, starting my own non-profit organization, & thriving as much as the Lord is willing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride at all, but I feel like almost everyone who had to work to get to where they are, face different obstacles & challenges. My troubled childhood, my sexuality, & being a black man in America were definitely some of my biggest obstacles. Coping with alot of the experiences that I went through in my younger ages, I kind of built up this internal wall & I have really bad trust issues. I feel like everyone has a motive sometimes & to protect myself I would push people away, & I had very defensive ways. That itself caused me to unintentionally hurt some of the people who were trying to help me & I had to do some self evaluating & accept the fact that there are some people out there who have my best interest and love me for me, the way I am, raw and unfiltered. Being a black man in America itself is already a battle that you’re born & drafted into, but being a gay black man is like having 2 battles simultaneously going on, so it’s like you have to have tough skin & stand up for yourself. So many people didn’t take me serious, until I showed them what I’m all about and I always had to work 10x as hard, in everything. I still do, & I don’t think that will ever change, but I’ll die proving people wrong & I know there are so many other young black queer children who need someone to have a voice for them and to look up to.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a self made entrepreneur, clothing designer, model, actor, philanthropist, ambassador, director & artist. I’m known for being very social, serving looks, spreading love & hustling. What sets me apart from others is my dedication & my passion. When I want something I go after it & I can make something out of nothing. I’m a businessman first, I’m very direct, I go after what I want & I always stand my ground. Any job I’ve ever had, I studied it & I mastered it, & if I realized that it wasn’t for me, I’d step down & move onto the next. I used to be so hard on myself & so insecure & I still have some insecurities that I’m working on but who doesn’t? I feel like I’m never satisfied & I always want more for myself but at the same time, I know my talent, I know what I was built for & I know that I can get through anything & come out on top. I’m my own competition & when I’m in business mode, on set, shooting, directing, creating concepts or anything, I’m unstoppable. It’s like I turn into this beast & it surprises people but they earn a new found respect for me. I’m very passionate & I know how to separate fun from work, but some people are so used to seeing me just having fun & being social so when I get in “Mike Mode” they get taken back, intimated or they’re intrigued & a bit inspired. I learned to accept them all bc I have to take my craft serious & I’m the only one in control of my future. I can’t take this as a joke because it’s really not one, this is my life.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Wow, this is such a good question & I have so many answers. If I sat here I told you all of the lessons I’ve learned along the way, we would be here till 3022. I know I have so many more lessons to learn because if you aren’t learning as you get older then you aren’t growing, and this is only the beginning. However, the most important lessons I’ve learned & that will always stick with me is to believe in yourself, take risks, & don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. If you’re passionate about something & you’re talented at it, go for it & put your all into it. I know it’s hard sometimes & we tend to get into our own heads but I promise, you won’t be disappointed. Of course, there will be setbacks & obstacles but if you want something you have to go after it, & do whatever it is you need to do to improve & excel. Most people don’t post their failures, weaknesses, or when they’re doing bad. We only post the good things & our accomplishments. Most of the auditions that I’ve done, I haven’t gotten, sometimes I don’t always get callbacks, sometimes I feel like I should of but the reality is, that’s just life. There’s so much more in store & someday all of the doors that once closed & told you “no” will open up for you & wish they said yes, but by then it will be too late because you’ll have built your own building.
Contact Info:
- Email: Michaelhoffmanmangum@gmail.com
- Website: www.ogfitsllc.com
- Facebook: https://www.nymmg.com/portfolios/michael-hoffman
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/OGMIKEYMIKE
- Youtube: https://www.thenealhamilagency.com/talent/michael-hoffman?main_portfolio=men-new-faces&portfolio=men-new-faces
- TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdXy8anA/
Image Credits
@frvncisbvssey
@swang_baby_productions
@theredimprint_
@helmvisuals
@jayrockyxo
