Welcome!
It took me a while to figure out that I didn’t actually want to go into sales, or medicine, or politics, but that I was more interested in the stories on TV like in The Office, House, or Veep.
After realizing I didn’t want to be a doctor, I wanted to play one, I started to concoct all sorts of other stories I could see myself living in.
It was a short jump thereafter to focusing on writing, and taking someone with me on an adventure, the likes I had seen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Lost, and Pokemon.
In college I would learn more about my culture through the Latin American Student Organization, more about my identity through the fellow queer people I met, and more about my local community through the volunteer work I did. This all culminated in me studying Media and Screen Studies and Theatre at Northeastern University, a degree that allowed me a way to tell my story, and the stories of others.
After that I returned to Austin where I continued to pursue media and my craft, acting in community theater plays, working and taking classes at the Austin School of Film. In 2022 I wrote, directed, produced and worked in post production for two original short films.
In 2023 I decided to expand my horizons of where my stories could go and I took Susan O’Connor’s (BioShock, Far Cry 2, Tomb Raider) The Narrative Department course on video game writing. Here I honed my skills in a new medium after graduating from the course, completing a Twine game (which you can find in my portfolio) and working on writing samples.
I have loved the opportunities I’ve had to be able to share parts of myself through my art. Whether that’s been through film, theater or video games, I’ve had the chance to share little nuggets of my soul with so many, and for that I am grateful.
Reach out today if you’re interested in working together, and finding a way for me to share a little bit of myself with your story!
My name is Michael David Mendez, and I am a storyteller! But it was a journey getting here.
Originally from Austin, Texas, I grew up surrounded by a community of storytellers. In my family I would hear gossip with my tia’s at Saturday breakfast, the history of past relatives and their ranchero exploits, and fantastical parables at church on Sunday. But what stories would I tell about myself one day?