Media
Michael creates digital work at the intersection of culture, identity, entertainment, and contemporary Jewish life. Across social media, podcasting, video, digital storytelling, and live conversations, he brings a distinct point of view to stories that are personal, cultural, and unapologetically curious.
Hot Jewish Energy
IDENTITY. POP CULTURE. JEWISH LIFE.
Founded by Michael Valdes, Hot Jewish Energy is a digital media platform exploring pop culture, identity, entertainment, and contemporary Jewish life through an unmistakably personal lens. What began as a social media platform has grown into a multiplatform creative brand encompassing commentary, original video, interviews, podcasting, and collaborations.
Hot Jewish Energy: The Podcast
Hosted and produced by Michael, Hot Jewish Energy: The Podcast is the audio extension of the Hot Jewish Energy platform, bringing its perspective into long-form conversations and personal storytelling. Across two seasons, Michael explores Jewish identity, culture, entertainment, Israel, diaspora life, advocacy, creativity, and the complicated intersections between them through candid interviews and solo episodes.
Reach & Impact
Across Hot Jewish Energy and Michael’s creator platforms, original social storytelling has reached audiences in the millions.
43K+
8.6M+
500K+
Followers across platforms
Platform performance, May 2025–May 2026
Combined views
Views on a top-performing post
Creator Work & Collaborations
Michael partners with organizations, brands, and cultural institutions on creator campaigns, digital storytelling, social strategy, and original content built around authentic audience connection.
Brand & Organization Partnerships
Digital Content & Storytelling
Media Strategy & Creative Work
Paid and collaborative creator campaigns with organizations and cultural institutions.
Original social video, commentary, interviews, cultural programming, and editorial content across Michael’s platforms.
Social strategy, campaign development, audience engagement, and multiplatform storytelling.
Selected Collaborations
Selected creator campaigns, partnerships, and collaborative projects.
Creator Campaign · 2025
RootOne
Commissioned Social Video · 2025
Created a multi-part Instagram campaign promoting RootOne’s Israel travel opportunities for Jewish teens, combining original short-form video, carousel storytelling, and social content.
AJC — Translate Hate
Created an original short-form video for AJC’s Translate Hate initiative, using accessible digital storytelling to address contemporary antisemitism.
Creator Program · 2026
J250 Foundation — Irving Berlin
Creator Collaborations · 2024–2025
Created an original short-form video exploring Irving Berlin’s Jewish immigrant story and impact on American music as part of J250 Foundation’s celebration of Jewish contributions to 250 years of American history.
Hillel International
Partnered with Hillel International across multiple paid creator projects, developing original social content for initiatives including Yallapalooza and Campus for All.
Creator & Ambassador Work · 2024
Birthright Israel Foundation
Digital Ambassador & Team Lead · 2024–2026
Created commissioned social content highlighting Pride in Israel and served as a co-chair of Birthright Israel Foundation’s Alum Ambassador program, supporting digital engagement and alumni storytelling.
ISRAEL21c
Served as a paid Digital Ambassador before returning as a Team Lead, guiding a student creator team through ideation, development, and social storytelling. Under Michael’s leadership, the team produced the Ambassador account’s highest-performing piece of content, which became the team’s case study for its winning final program presentation.
Programs, Delegations & Recognition
ADL — Heroes Against Hate Honoree · 2026
Recognized by the Anti-Defamation League as a 2026 Hero Against Hate and featured across ADL’s social platforms.
ISRAEL21c — Digital Ambassador Program · 2024–2026
Served as a Digital Ambassador from 2024–2025 before returning as a Team Lead for the 2025–2026 program.
March of the Living × TikTok — Creator Delegation · May 2024
Invited to join a creator delegation to Hungary and Poland in partnership with March of the Living and TikTok.
Philadelphia Jewish Film + Media — Unapologetically Jewish Finalist · 2025
Selected as one of nine finalists in PJFM’s national Unapologetically Jewish social media competition, creating an original summer-long content campaign celebrating Jewish identity and positivity and participating in the culminating Mazel Tov Moment at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
OpenDor Media — Amplified Program · Fifth Cohort, 2025
Selected for OpenDor Media’s Amplified Program, receiving a year of creator strategy, social media, editing, design, and brand-development support. The Amplified team helped guide Hot Jewish Energy’s 2025 rebrand.
StandWithUs — Emerson Fellow · 2024–2025
Selected as a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow and collaborated organically on social content during the fellowship.
A Wider Bridge — Be’er Sheva Pride Mission · June 2024
Participated in A Wider Bridge’s Pride mission to Be’er Sheva and created independent social content from the experience, with selected posts accepted as Instagram collaborations.
