Meet Michail Eggelhoefer | Screenwriter

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

Hi Michail, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
When I was 18 years old I was attacked and hung, impaled on a fence, by a group of racists. At the time, I’d just started university in Edinburgh (in Scotland) and had been there a week. My classes hadn’t even started yet. One inch saved my life. Literally. Had they impaled my just a few centimetres to the left, I would have died.

What followed was a trip deep into alcoholism, self pity, and pain.

And then one day I got sober. I got to listen to all the stories around me from other alcoholics. And slowly, I started to revisit stories from my own life. Painful, traumatic stories. And something strange happened. As I dove back into my past, I got to finally look at them through a new lens. I started seeing the funny side of when I was hung. The way it changed my outlook. And I began to realise all the wonderful things that had sprung from this singular terrible moment.

The story changed. Not the events, but their impact on me. The way I moved forward. And as I explored that more and more, I realised I wanted to be able to tell stories that would let others see my experience, and maybe, explore their painful stories in a way that let them change the narrative. So now when I try to decide whether or not to start a new project, I think about what I’m exploring, and how it can change the way we think about things. It was such a helpful moment for me, so why wouldn’t I want to try see if I could do that for others as well?

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.
So I write scripts. Features and TV pilots, though I tend to lean more towards television. I’ve ben fortunate enough to spend most of my life moving and living in different countries and cities, which has let me encounter people from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Getting to see the differences, but also the similarities all over the world has, for me, done wonders for my perspective.

It’s funny though. I didn’t plan on going into screenwriting. I was living in London, and had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. And my mum and dad sat me down, and said to me: “why don’t you try actually doing something you enjoy for once, instead of just looking for the next logical step.” They suggested looking into screenwriting, and I did. I moved out to LA to do an MFA, and after the first few weeks of class, I called them and said “did you guys realise you could actually wake up excited about what you’re doing?” They laughed, but it was such an alien concept to me at that point. I’d been living four twenty four years and had never experienced that before.

Don’t get me wrong, trying to succeed in this field is hard. I’m in a new country, on a limited visa, far from most of my support network. My field is littered with thousands of talented hard working people who are encountering failure after failure. Not to mention it’s so subjective that you’re never sure if you’re making progress or stagnating. But whenever it gets hard, I think back to how unexcited I was about life, and how I was sleep walking through, unable to get even remotely excited about what I was doing. Suddenly the difficulties don’t seem so bad.

I’ve learnt a lot of lessons along the way. Some are the bog standard ones you pick up. Work hard. Be nice. Look after yourself mentally and physically. Others are a little less obvious. Know your worth, but don’t be too proud. Be genuine. Learn to redefine success. Help others succeed, and celebrate their success. Those are all good lessons. But the most important one to me is that first one I learnt when I moved out here. Love what you do. Everything else is secondary to that.

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.
Hm. Where would I take people? Honestly, climbing gym would be one of the stops. I climb at Verdigo boulders in downtown Burbank, but they have gyms all over the city. That would definitely be one of the spots. Tacos Fiesta, a taco truck on Magnolia Boulevard, is one of my favourite eating spots in the city, especially after a good climb. Oh, and The Last Bookstore! That place is amazing. Such a cool book shop. I can spend hours in there just browsing. That and Collector’s Paradise, the comic book shop on Lankersham Boulevard. Lovely staff who are always happy to give recommendations if you’re looking for a new comic book. Maybe also stop at Porto’s for lunch.

But in a weird way, I probably wouldn’t plan anything else. One of the beautiful things about LA is you can find something amazing on accident. I feel like every time I go somewhere new I get to find something else that’s awesome. So maybe just drive around and see what you find.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are an infinite number of people who helped me get to where I am. It’s absurd. A million things had to go right for me to get where I am today, and a million more will happen to keep me moving forward. I would be nowhere without the people in my life.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have an incredibly supportive family. My parents and my sister have been there to sympathise with my failures, challenge me when I stagnate, and provide me with more love than I can quantify.

Similarly my partner and friends have been the same. My professors at school. The people I’ve been fortunate enough to work with and learn from.

One that is perhaps a little different than usual is the organisation “Lagartijas” (@lagartijascc on insta). I like to rock climb in my free time, and they are a climbing crew created for People of Global Majority. Climbing is a place I go to let my mind relax, and they’ve made such a wonderful community that is so open and welcoming, while working to break down the barriers that often can prevent diversity in climbing. Their regular meet ups often leave me refreshed and recharged.

Instagram: @michail_a_e

Twitter: @MichailEggs