51社区

Four years after earning his bachelor of fine arts in theater performance from 51社区 in 2010, Michael Korte moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to reinvigorate his career, take a stab at dreams he put on the back burner, escape the frigid Chicago winter and soak up some California sun. 

It鈥檚 now 2021. Korte has almost 60,000 subscribers on YouTube and 10 million total views since his first project in 2015. 

鈥淚t's been a wild, emotional ride,鈥� said Korte. 鈥淚 somehow, miraculously hit lightning on the first go round. I was hellbent on creating this mashup of 鈥楬amilton鈥� and Beyonc茅 鈥� known now as 鈥楬AM4BEY.鈥� I will never forget the day I released the video. I was getting a good response from friends and family and then that same night I got a call from my friend Emily saying that HAM4BEY was the on Entertainment Weekly. The next day, the video went completely viral, including a massive endorsement from Lin-Manuel Miranda (the creator of Hamilton).鈥�

That video was a prelude to much bigger things. It was his opening scene. 

鈥淭he climb has since been steady,鈥� Korte added. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for every single view.鈥�

A Dayton, Ohio, native, Korte is a content creator, producer and director. His work combines musical theatre, gospel and R&B music, and digital media. Though most of his work is on YouTube, he鈥檚 looking to create work on stage and screen. 

鈥淲hat I do blends a few genres and social media platforms,鈥� he explained. 鈥淲ithin my creations I get to take on other roles like stylist, editor, casting agent and more. It's about infusing new joy and energy into existing work and developing new work through fearless casting, earthshaking voices and intriguing visuals.鈥�

With recent accolades from and CNN, Korte鈥檚 work has swiftly become known as the foremost singing content online. He said it鈥檚 an honor to amplify Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and Queer voices in all of his work. 

鈥淚 get to work on my own terms, with my own team, on our own time, propelled by collective points of view,鈥� he noted. 鈥淚 love that I've stopped waiting for permission, and in taking incredible risks, I've gotten to collaborate with some of the most talented and celebrated artists in the world.鈥�

The OHIO alumnus launched his with his talk show, 鈥淐ity of Michael,鈥� in which he was on camera interviewing celebrities. Korte interviewed MYA, Mykal Kilgore, Tahj Mowry, Ashley Everett, Tess Holliday and 鈥淗amilton鈥� star Jasmine Cephas Jones, just to name a few. 

People very quickly assumed Korte鈥檚 dream was to be the next Ryan Seacrest. In reality, his dream lives at the intersection of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Whoopi Goldberg. We鈥檒l just say he aspires to be Michael Korte, because no celebrity mash-up, no matter how iconic, can compare to what the OHIO alumnus has created. 

The idea of being his own boss wasn鈥檛 a new concept. As a student at OHIO, Korte鈥檚 professors often told him: 鈥淚f the work and auditions aren鈥檛 rolling in, make your own work.鈥� 

鈥淚 can still hear my professor鈥檚 voices in my head,鈥� Korte said. 鈥淚t became my truth. It remains my mantra.鈥� 

Korte embodies what all 51社区 theater professors hope for their students, according to Shelley Delaney, emeriti professor of theater. He followed his passion and created something utterly unique and utterly himself. 

鈥淢ichael鈥檚 current work is so inspiring鈥攈is fabulous mash-up music videos celebrate the artists responsible for the source material as well as every artist engaged in his vivid re-imaginings,鈥� said Delaney. 鈥淢ichael was a curious and questioning student and a truly supportive collaborator, so it鈥檚 no surprise that his work embodies the essence of collaboration. At the School of Theater, the last thing we want is for a student to try to fit themselves into a mold or predetermined idea of where a theater education might lead them. I couldn鈥檛 be prouder of him or excited to see his next creation.鈥�

 

Korte said Delaney was one of those professors who never failed to encourage him to give more, feel more and be more. In addition to finding that support in OHIO鈥檚 faculty, Korte met some phenomenal friends at the University.

鈥淭hey also remain some of the most talented humans I've met in the world. I would not be where I am artistically or personally without their friendship,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 would not have met them without having attended OHIO.鈥�

One classmate in particular helped shape Korte鈥檚 time at the University and him as an artist. He met Sheldon Andrus on his first day, and they bonded over their both attending OHIO on scholarship for the Speech and Debate team. 

鈥淜orte is a once-in-a-generation creative,鈥� Andrus noted. 鈥淗is over-the-top personality and creative confidence stem from a different dimension; it鈥檚 honestly something to behold. His work speaks perfectly to this. Our time at OHIO was spent discovering our creative voices. OHIO provided both of us a place to try, fail, succeed and everything between, in a place that we felt comfortable being honest and authentic.鈥�