We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael “Maku” Ursu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael “Maku”, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I’m relentless when it comes to finding and booking jobs – I bring a little of that NYC hustle to Los Angeles. There is no “Plan B” for me. Acting, doing voice work, writing songs and performing – this is me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I graduated with a B.A. in Music Composition from Occidental College, and I thought I was going to be a composer for my career. But I fell in front of the camera and the “acting” bug got me. Every week I go out for around 3-6 self tapes, and around 50-75 voiceover auditions, and if VO work is slow I’ll audition for audiobooks. Most of this is on my own, with my agent (Daniel Hoff) submitting me commercially for bigger jobs. I’ve been doing this for the past 5 years, and I can safely say this is my full time job now. It took a while to figure it out, but through acting, VO, and teaching music lessons, I’m finally living the life I’ve always wanted. The money is good enough to pay the rent and even save a little. I wasn’t living the life I wanted working as a server, something most creatives have to do when they land in Los Angeles. Serving was turning me into an alcoholic and sucking the life out of me. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
West Hollywood is where I live, and I definitely recommend Jones Cafe. That’s a rock and roll staple, great drinks and Italian food. I also highly recommend Sunset Grill – cheap drinks, and realllly good schnitzel (the best I’ve found in LA). Ken, the owner, is a great guy too. If you’re looking to hit the beach, I recommend the South Bay – El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa. A little closer than Malibu, and more to check out, in my opinion. There’s a great lil Mexican spot in Hermosa called La Playita. Great food and service. Plus if you want to go surfing, El Porto is a great spot to do that.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shoutout all the essential workers during the pandemic. I’d like to shoutout all the healthcare workers, all the servers who had to endure so much and in return received so little. We should be grateful for them.

Website: www.michaelursu.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makumusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMp4ST96KglKlTyvW-qVaIA/videos

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.