Who I Am

Michael Valdes is a singer, actor, activist, author, and content creator based in New York.

He is an AMDA Los Angeles BFA Music Theatre graduate and studied Method Acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York. Michael is currently studying at The New School in New York and is on track to receive an MFA in Contemporary Theatre & Performance.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Michael's theatrical credits include Subterranean Memories at Westbeth, EastLine Theatre's world premieres of This Play Was Never About Noses (A New Cyrano) and An Oresteia, or What We Have Seen; AMDA's Songs for a New World; Edges; and Ordinary Days. He has also been featured in three cabaret series at the famous Don't Tell Mama's and Triad Theater, which include Seth's Talent Showcase (produced by Seth Bisen-Hersh), The Comeback Cabaret (presented by The Drama Company NYC and produced by Sara Laursen), and Bound for Broadway (produced by Andy Crosten.)

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Michael’s ambitions expand outside of the performing arts. As the founder of Hot Jewish Media, he runs the social media account @hotjewishenergy (with a combined audience of over 25,000 followers.) Michael also hosts the This is Hot Jewish Energy Podcast and is the co-author of Hot Jewish Hanukkah, an adults-only Hanukkah companion book reimagining the story of Hanukkah for a modern audience. He was a co-chair for Birthright Israel Foundation in 2024, an ambassador for Jewish on Campus from 2021-2022 (one of the largest student-led Jewish organizations in the United States), and is currently a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow and ISRAEL21c Digital Ambassador. In May 2024, Michael joined TikTok’s Delegation to March of the Living in Hungary and Poland. Most recently, he was selected to be a part of Voice of the People, President of Israel Isaac Herzog’s initiative for a shared Jewish future.