Michael Holman (filmmaker) facts for kids

Michael Thomas Holman is a talented artist, writer, filmmaker, and musician from New York. He was a big part of the downtown New York scene in the early 1980s. He created the famous Hip Hop TV show Graffiti Rock.

Holman also helped start the experimental band Gray with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. His important works and papers were collected by the New York Public Library in 2016. Some of his items are also at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He has performed his unique shows at places like Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art.

Holman has also directed big events. These include the We Are Family Foundation's 10th Anniversary Gala for Nile Rodgers. He also directed the Tommy Boy Music 30th Anniversary show at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Michael Holman's Career Journey

Michael Holman studied economics at the University of San Francisco. He earned his degree in 1978. Later, he went to film school at New York University.

While dancing in California, he was asked to join a rock band called The Tubes. In May 1978, Holman moved to New York City. He started working on Wall Street. There, he discovered the famous Fab Five graffiti group. He became friends with Fab 5 Freddy.

Forming the Gray Band

In April 1979, Holman helped organize a party called Canal Zone. This event showed off the new hip hop culture to a downtown audience. At this party, Holman met a young Jean-Michel Basquiat. Basquiat was known as the mysterious graffiti artist SAMO. They decided to form an experimental music band called Gray.

Gray played music at many famous places. These included Hurrah, Mudd Club, CBGB, and The ICA in London. Their music was featured in movies like Downtown 81 and Basquiat. It was also in Boom, For Real, The Late Teenaged Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

In the 1990s, Holman and Nicholas Taylor, another original Gray member, created sound performances. They played at clubs like Club USA and Nuyorican Poets Cafe. They even opened for Todd Rundgren at The Ritz. Gray released their first album, Shades Of..., in 2011. A new version with remixes came out in 2019.

Since 2010, Holman and Taylor have brought Gray back to life. They performed at the New Museum in 2011. In 2012, they played at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. They even performed with Questlove from The Roots.

Work in Film and Television

Holman made short art films. These films were shown at places like The Mudd Club and Tier 3.

In 1984, Holman produced and hosted Graffiti Rock. This was a short-lived but important hip-hop television show. Holman also helped with the story for the 1996 movie Basquiat. This film was about his friend and bandmate Jean-Michel Basquiat. Holman also appeared in the movie.

He also wrote, produced, and directed children's TV shows. These included Blue's Clues and Eureeka’s Castle for the Nickelodeon Network.

Michael Holman's Hip Hop Contributions

Holman was one of the first writers to use the term Hip Hop in print. He used it in the East Village Eye in January 1982. He also had hip-hop TV shows around 1982. These shows featured graffiti artists, DJs, rappers, and B-boys and B-girls.

Holman introduced Malcolm McLaren to the music of Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation band. He also opened for McLaren's group Bow Wow Wow in 1981.

Holman created and managed the B-boy dance crew New York City Breakers. He also started the first company called Hip Hop International Inc in 1983. This group toured the world. They performed for important people like President Ronald Reagan and the UK's Prince Andrew.

Holman helped produce the movie Beat Street (1984). He also created and hosted Graffiti Rock, the first hip hop TV show. He later wrote a book about Hip Hop Culture called Breaking. His voice was even sampled on a Beastie Boys song.

In 2000, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Brooklyn Museum had a show. It was called Roots, Rhymes + Rage: The Hip Hop Story. This show featured many of Holman's hip hop items and writings.

Journalism and Teaching Roles

As a writer, Holman has written for magazines like the East Village Eye and Artforum.

Holman has taught courses at several places. These include Howard University and The New School For Social Research. Since 2011, he has taught screenwriting at the School of Visual Arts. He also teaches media courses at the City College of New York.

He often gives talks about modern urban culture and art. He has spoken at places like The Whitney Museum, Yale University, and the Brooklyn Museum.

Fine Arts Work

Holman created art installations at the Mudd Club. One famous one was The Soul Party in 1980.

As a fine artist, Holman creates paintings that explore social and political ideas. His paintings have been shown at the Massey/Klein Gallery in 2018. They were also at Art Basel in Miami in 2007 and 2008.

Holman's important papers were collected by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in 2016. In the same year, some of his items from the 1980s were acquired by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Awards and Recognitions

Holman has received several awards for his work.

• In 1987, he won the Paulette Goddard Award for Best Film from NYU. This was for his film Head's, You Win.
• He won Best Video Of The Year from Rolling Stone Magazine in 1987. This was for the Run DMC music video Christmas In Hollis.
• His show Eureeka's Castle won the Cable Industry Ace Award in 1990.

Filmography

• Graffiti Rock (1984)
• New York Beat Movie (1981)