Actor · Writer · Storyteller
Shay Michael
Shay Michael writes unfiltered dispatches from several lives at once — the auditions, the adoption, the dogs, the decade abroad.
Seen on CBS and Hulu. Read in McSweeney’s.
Shay Michael writes unfiltered dispatches from several lives at once — the auditions, the adoption, the dogs, the decade abroad.
Los Angeles-based actor and writer. A decade as an international journalist in South Korea and Germany before that — Deutsche Welle, Arirang TV, sports radio. Now: network TV credits, a feature screenplay collecting semifinalist finishes, satire in McSweeney's, and a short film of his own — written by him, starring him — going in front of cameras this December.
“To finally feel like family, an adopted man hires a gig doctor to extract his kidney for his dying niece, only to learn from the company's death-predicting machine that this is exactly how he'll die.”
A short film written by Shay Michael, starring Shay Michael. Shooting December 2026, Los Angeles.
5'9″ · 180 lbs · Brown hair / Blue eyes · Athletic build · Non-Union · Passport & driver's license in hand. Tapes auditions from wherever he is in the world — phone only, no gear.
Television
Film (selected)
Training — Margie Haber Acting Studio (on-camera, commercial) · The Groundlings TV/Film Acting Masterclass · Andrew Wood Acting Studio · The Second City & Flappers (stand-up) · Actors Improv Studio
Special skills — Firearms & gun handling · Stage combat & stunts · Stand-up comedy · Improv · Hosting · Voiceover · Piano & guitar · Southern accent · Baseball, basketball, boxing, rugby, soccer, sailing, kayaking, rock climbing, and most things with a ball or a pulse
Full credits: IMDb — Shay Michael
“A man suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's sets up his own kidnapping to avoid life in a nursing home — only to discover the people he hired to ‘rescue’ him are more dangerous than the fate he was trying to escape.”
Shay spent a decade as an international journalist in South Korea and Germany, bylined as Shay Meinecke: multimedia journalist at Deutsche Welle, travel reporter for Arirang TV, editor at Gwangju News, and sports radio host on GFN 98.7. He founded the Athletics Supporters charity sporting events in Gwangju.
Selected work
The HoliShay Anthology — his interview podcast archive: conversations with Avi Loeb, Scott Dikkers (founding editor of The Onion), Steve Kaplan, David Peisner, and more.
For acting and writing inquiries: holishaymichael@gmail.com
Represented by:
Tracy Anbiya — The Wayne Agency (Theatrical & Commercial)
Dani Williams — Avail Artists Management (Theatrical & Commercial)