Blog January 29, 2021
Michael Mahin is a man of many talents. As our Senior Copywriter and Account Executive, he holds down strategy and collateral development while managing client projects.
But when it comes to Michael, there is so much more beneath the surface!
Did you know…
Ready to meet the mad genius whose award-winning work includes an NCMPR Gold Paragon… and making the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2017? Then read on!
A SoCal native, our senior copywriter grew up singing. His father was a Methodist minister, so the church played a massive part in Michael’s musical life:
“It gave me a great gift in music—churches are great places to grow up if you like singing.”
His grandmother gave him his first piano lesson at five. But by college, Michael had ditched Mozart to rock out to Great White on the guitar.
For 12 years, he would shred it as the lead guitarist for the all 80s cover band, Neon Nation:
In 2008, Michael earned his Ph.D. in American Literature from Claremont Graduate University. His dissertation title? “Resting in Change: The Early Works of Ronald Sukenick.”
Ever hear of Sukenick? 😕
Yeah, we didn’t think so.
“There’s a reason you write your dissertation on someone obscure,” confides Michael. “There’s less research to deal with. This is kind of a joke but also kind of true.”
Shakespeare would have required reading all of the major scholars. And there are a lot of scholars on the mastermind of Macbeth. So, Michael chose a little-known and little-researched luminary of postmodernism, avant-pop, and autofiction.
According to Michael, Sukenick was interested in pushing literature to better reflect the fractured nature of postmodern reality. He did this by challenging the structural assumptions and expectations we bring to our experience of what a novel or short story is supposed to be.
“Still, my dissertation ended up being a 350-page tome that no one, not even my dad, would read,” jokes Michael.
Ironically, here is a quote from Up, the most underground of underground classics by Sukenick:
“All these years writing ad copy, and I still haven’t learned how to sell myself… Advertising is a kind of poetry. It’s the perfect expression of popular desire, it discovers our heart’s profoundest images, and it creates a gratifying dream world whose power seduces the imagination.”
Ronald Sukenick, “Up“
Now that Michael writes marketing copy for a living, he has a lot to say about the author’s excerpt.
“Sukenick is talking about his own tenuous relationship between creating art and making money,” says the Ph.D. And basically, it’s about how most advertising is artful deception.
But the student of Sukenick says that thankfully, his marketing material isn’t at all about tricking people into buying things they don’t need.
“The work I do at Interact feels closer to truth-telling than it does to advertising,” explains Michael. He’s here to tell students the truth about the fantastic opportunities that await them at community college.
As the senior copywriter explains, “The difference is, we’re not selling a ‘gratifying dream’ but a truly gratifying and attainable reality.”
Take that, Sukenick!
For Michael, his first dream job was to be a college professor. The reason? Because he’s a super bookworm.
“I see books as artifacts that tell us about a culture’s obsessions, self-deceits, hopes, and dreams,” says the past professor. “I wanted to give students the tools to unlock these mysteries on their own.”
Michael taught as an adjunct for several years at National University and San Diego State University where he was selected as Professor of the Year by the SDSU chapter of Pi Phi Sorority.
While in grad school, Michael dabbled in screenwriting. “Over time, I developed an interest in children’s books, foolishly thinking it would be easier than breaking into screenwriting.”
Indeed, it would take 15 years for Michael to overcome the tough odds for success. But when he finally published? He took off, to the delight of young readers everywhere.
His debut picture book was Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters, published by Simon & Schuster’s prestigious imprint, Atheneum. It won coveted spots on such “best of” lists as the New York Times’ Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2017 and NPR’s Best Books of 2017, among other distinctions.
His second book, Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band, is based on a true story from 19th century New Orleans. A group of hungry, homeless kids build their own musical instruments from garbage and become a successful band. Now, they’re considered an essential part of the evolution of jazz.
“What’s really cool is that the great grand-daughter of the real Stalebread Charlie contacted me recently,” gushes Michael. “She loves the book and is giving a bunch to her family for Christmas this year. How fun is that!?”
His third book, When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, won a Robert F. Sibert Honor from the American Library Association, given to the five best non-fiction picture books published in the United States in a given year.
Michael’s books have been recognized by
His secret?
“In the end, the key to artistic success is persistence,” says the rockstar author. “How long it takes depends on a lot of things. But ultimately, the fact is you simply have to raise the level of your craft to the level of your dreams… and that takes practice.”
And keep your eyes peeled! His next book, Gizmos, Gadgets, and Guitars: The Life of Leo Fender, is due in Summer 2021.
When asked what inspired him to work in community college marketing, Michael responded, “Really, it was Interact that inspired me.” When he saw a position open up, he said to himself, “This is me. This is what I should be doing.”
And the rest is history. For the past two years, he’s been stoked to make a difference in the lives of learners. And for him, the most incredible thing about community colleges is the students: “They refuse to be defined by their circumstances no matter how challenging they may be.”
Michael’s work for an NOCE/NOCRC article won an NCMPR Silver Medallion for “Excellence in Writing.”
And, his efforts on the “Raising the Game” booklet for Santa Ana College Foundation earned a Gold Paragon from NCMPR, as well as a regional Silver Medallion, and a Silver Award from CASE.
What made the 40-page, full-color booklet so successful? According to Michael, it tells a compelling and emotional story with engaging visuals.
“The book is not just a fundraising document but something that hopefully inspires action, investment, and change.”
For Michael, writing isn’t just his passion and his profession. “Reading books is also a form of travel,” he says.
But then, he’s also road-tripped to the center of Venezuela and hiked rainforests. And, he’s spent six months studying Buddhism and Kung Fu in China.
Most of the time, though, when Michael’s not writing or reading? He’s polishing his guitar or skateboarding with his kids. And sometimes, he gets back to his roots with singing!
Blog written in collaboration with Rachel Rosen-Carroll, Interact Copywriter. For fun, Rachel reads style guides and the dictionary. (She prefers The American Heritage Dictionary… We wouldn’t make this up.)
When she isn’t writing feature stories about inspiring community college alums, she’s working on her YA novel, short stories, and poetry, and she has been published by various lit journals. Ask her questions or suggest word nerd blog ideas at rachel.rosencarroll@interactcom.com.
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