Meet Michael Todd Wynn | Film Producer / Actor / Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Todd Wynn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael Todd, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?

Never give up!

My dream to act started as a child.  I did my first “play” (The Nativity Scene) in kindergarten.  Ever since, I’ve been pursuing my acting dreams, in some form or fashion. The “dream” doesn’t  look exactly the same now as it did then, and I’m ok with that. God gave me the dream and by my faith in Him, I continue my pursuit. I have wandered astray, missed the boat, and been a complete failure in some ways, but I will never stop. When I was younger, I made the mistake of thinking I had to accomplish my dream in only one way, I refused to think that I could do anything other than just be an actor.  Now, I’ve acted, directed and produced and I love it all!  Truth is, I’m “living the dream” and the journey is so worth it.  By not giving up, I’ve been able to go to Europe, see myself on TV on Mother’s day, be in a film and have my mom act in it with me and be in the room when Al Pacino was doing a staged reading of Oediups, a role I portrayed in college.   None of that would have happened if I had ever given up.  The odds against me are overwhelming.

That being said, you MUST know your own limitations or else you’ll be running in quicksand. For example; no matter how much I learn, no matter how hard I try, I train, I workout, I’m NEVER going to be able to play quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs. That was a dream of mine when I was growing up, but one that I necessarily had to leave behind because of my lack of qualifying skills and talents. I just don’t have what is needed to make that happen. I think Coach Smart would agree that I made the correct decision long ago when I decided against pursuing that dream.  Go DAWGS!

Never give up!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My company ShedHouse Pictures was born from the Hollywood struggle . For around 9 years, I lived in a shed that was built out in the backyard of a house in the San Fernando Valley in L.A. Trust me when I say, my living arrangements in L.A. were anything but glamorous. At the same time though, I made the best of a less than desirable situation. I went through a “season” of getting by.

It wasn’t all bad… I tried to make the best of the situation. Because I lived in a walled-in backyard, I could and did grow a garden. I love to cook so having fresh vegetables to cook and enjoy helped me feel a little more like I was at home. There was a fire pit right outside and I would invite friends over to play some guitar and sit around the fire and have a cold beer. It was located in an area that was close to everything going on in the Entertainment industry so I could stay connected. For almost the entire time I lived there, I was the lead singer for two different AC/DC tribute bands that played all over Southern California.

Given that experience, it led me to develop my first potential TV show and get into producing. It was called Tribute to Rock and was a concept that combined reality competition with music. I tried to get it made, but alas, to no avail.  Win some, lose some.

So, now ShedHouse Pictures is an Entertainment Production company that I founded as a way to pay tribute to my journey. We just premiered our first short film Wreckage at the ATL Thriller Shorts Film Festival that we also founded. The festival was a success and highlighted short Thriller, Horror and Suspense films from all over the world.  Also, we are developing other stories to be made into films and working on music videos and business promo shoots.  We’re different in that we’re here to tell stories and not to tell people how to live.

Personally, I’m certainly glad to not be living in the shed anymore, but I would not trade the experience for anything. I appreciate so much more of life now and can’t wait to see what God’s plan is for me next.

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?
Ok, things have changed a lot over the years, but here are some of my favorites…

Concert in the park at the Historic Marietta Square.

Centennial Park

Downtown Woodstock, GA also has live music, drinks and food. (Do you see a pattern here? Lol)

Athens, GA for a Saturday DAWGS beatdown of some stinkin’ foe.

Wisteria restaurant in the Inman Park area for a nice dinner and atmosphere.

Daddy D’s BBQ near the capitol in Atlanta.

Locals night at Sidelines in Holly Springs.

Sunday at His Hands Church.

I grew up near the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield park… a great place for hiking and history.

Blue Ridge Mountains.

I could go on and on for way more than a week!

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?
My shoutout is dedicated to many people who believed in me (or at least faked it very well) even when I didn’t believe in myself. I’ll stick to a short list here.

First and foremost is my Mother, Brenda Deese. She has been my rock for my entire life. She was a single parent who worked her behind off to make sure that we could survive and thrive. I could not have done anything that I’ve done without her.

Along with my Mom was my step dad, Sam Deese. He passed while I was living in NYC and attending the Actor’s Studio Drama School . He challenged me to think differently, always had my back and would do anything for me. He is dearly missed.

Coach Friday. My Marietta High School football coach. God put it on my heart to reach out to him and because he said yes, we are currently working on a project to honor him and his legacy. He taught me how to always strive to BE SOMEBODY.

Sally J. Robertson the Department Chair of the Fine Arts Department over at Georgia State University Perimeter College Clarkston. When I was having one of those times in life where I wasn’t sure how I would be able to continue to pursue my dreams, she helped guide me, let me earn opportunities to act and direct, and encouraged me to keep going after leaving school.  She was also the director who cast me as Oedipus the King as mentioned above.

I am forever grateful to those folks and many others who have encouraged, supported and cheered me on. We all need that and I do especially.

Email: contactus@shedhousepictures.com , mtw@shedhousepictures.com

Website: www.shedhousepictures.com

Instagram: shedhousepictures

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeltoddwynn/

Twitter: @MichaelToddWynn

Facebook: @michaeltoddwynn, @ShedHousePictures