Meet Mike Axe | Producer | Visionary | Creative Operations Pro

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Axe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
A famous – forgetful fish – repeatedly said, “Just keep swimming.” I think that is a good mantra to have in life – giving up should never be an option. Changing course? Sure! Starting over? Absolutely! But giving up? Nope. We must take everything that comes our way as an experience to learn and grow as people.

We are built through adversity. And no matter how challenging that adversity might be, it’s not an excuse to give up. Let’s be real for a second — having hopes and dreams will require losses and failure. Many times over. And if our mindset is that these are learning experiences, these experiences will very quickly be turned into gains and growth.

Keep going. Never give up. You’ve got this!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Los Angeles in 2013. I knew from a young age, LA is where I wanted to end up.

I followed my dreams and with the help of many people along the way, I’ve been able to accomplish so many things that I am very proud of.

I was lucky enough to have my friend Robert in my corner, but my family and friends from Pennsylvania supported me on the journey as well. It’s difficult moving a whole coast away and jump into something unknown, but it absolutely was worth it.

I’m a passionate visionary who loves to help creatives bring their ideas to life. Working in the entertainment field has allowed me to grow in my own creativity and has honestly help shaped the way I look and view life.

Anyone who knows me well, knows I love a tool called Smartsheet. With the tool, I have been able to build transformative systems that have made our creative processes easier and more transparent. And most importantly, it allowed creatives to stay creative rather than be so worried about so much of the processes.

In my time in LA, I’ve helped to produce some incredible content:
– 1,500 animated shorts
– 500 live action shorts
– 750 digital book spreads
– 100 educational infographics and articles
– 25 graphic novels
– 500 social media graphics
– 50 email campaigns
– 50 social ad campaigns
– 25 buying guides

Too many lessons to count have been learned along the way. Mistakes and losses have helped strengthen who I am professionally and personally.

One of the most important things I’ve learned in my career is persistence. Keep going when it seems impossible, because you’ll almost always find that things will work out the way they need to and you will have accomplished great things.

Give yourself more credit and be kind to your mind. I know sometimes we become our own worst enemy. I spend time each night reflecting on the positive things I’ve accomplished in a day — no matter how small. This helps keep things in perspective.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We have a tourist trip route mapped out for all of our friends and family that come to visit.

The Warner Bros. Studio tour is absolutely outstanding. I’ve done it at least a dozen times and each time has been different and worth every penny.

Dinner at the Smokehouse right across the street is something that should also be done. Their cheesy garlic bread lives up to the hype.

Visiting Hollywood Blvd to see the Hollywood sign and then driving up the Sunset strip into Beverly Hills and ending in Santa Monica. This is the usual route we take our family and friends on when visiting.

One of my favorite spots in Burbank is a little bar called The Snug. The name fits perfectly and the service is always fantastic.

Of course, most people always want to try In-N-Out burger, too, but — and I know this is controversial — I don’t think it’s all that good. However, I’ll always make sure visitors get to try it out.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Most importantly, I’d like to shoutout my mentor and good friend, Robert Zappia. I’m a horror movie fan — and Robert wrote Halloween H20 which came out back in 1998. Somehow, I found his email address and wrote him a fan email. This was long before Facebook or LinkedIn. To my surprise, Robert responded. We stayed in contact for many years and in 2013, I moved from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles and was able to work as his writers assistant before getting into producing in 2018. I’ve learned a lot from him and value our friendship greatly. He’s got a new movie that he wrote coming out called The Devil’s Light on October 28. Be sure to check it out!

Website: MikeAxe.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/mikeaxe

Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/in/mikeaxe