Introducing Mikey Rae's Talent Show: A New Weekly Series

Mikey Rae, the braintrust behind Mikey Rae's Talent Show, is an artist at Meow Wolf, but for who he really is his own words sum it up much better, “I draw poodles and muse on the nature of life. Um, I guess that’s kind of it.” That explanation feels accurate. It feels very Mikey.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Mikey and his canine companion Snoopy. We talked about his upcoming animated series “Mikey Rae’s Talent Show” which is inspired by his animal heavy, single frame, one liners that he conjures with ink on watercolor paper. “We’ve got 16 weeks of programming, each episode is basically like a slice of a sketchbook animated and brought to life. They’re very short vignettes that are equal parts philosophy and humor.” This is the thematic mixture that gives Mikey’s work a truly unique and honest feel.

Mikey Rae's Talent Show is a collaborative effort which consists of Mikey Rae writing and creating the visual assets, Adam Drucker (AKA Dose One) cowriting, and Brad Wolfley animating. The show debuts today, May 16th on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube with new episodes every Wednesday for a 16 week run.

The pre-existing Instagram page for MRTS has reached nearly 1300 followers and continues to grow. “I’m just so used to pouring my whole being into something that 12 people see for 30 minutes on one night,” says Mikey, “so I still can’t believe the platform and exposure that Meow Wolf has granted this project. It’s surreal.”

Being born and raised in Santa Fe is always conducive to becoming a creative type. The beauty of New Mexico has long been an inspirational fountainhead for artists.

When I asked Mikey about his creative inspiration this is what he had to say, “Creating stuff, for me, is almost just a knee jerk reaction. It’s one of my fundamental outlets for absorbing and understanding reality. That’s kind of my inspiration, the fact that I exist. I also just like drawing funny dogs and weird looking people in really sincere moments.”

Once you see Mikey’s work you will want a little piece of it to take home to love and keep forever.

With a new line of merch featuring Mikey Rae designs you'll be able to do just that. “We're creating really cool apparel that features our favorite characters from my work. We have shirts, sweaters, patches, stickers, hats, and prints. We’re going to have original artwork available as well.”

Watch every Wednesday over the next 16 weeks for new episodes of Mikey Rae’s Talent Show presented by Meow Wolf. Join us to celebrate the launch of the first episode (’Talking Dog’) Wednesday, May 16th from 4-6pm in the David Loughridge Learning Center (Directly to the right when you enter the lobby at The House Of Eternal Return).

With the MRTS episodes running about one minute apiece, it’s likely that you’ll be hungry for more. Don’t fret, Season 2 is already in the works. “For Season 2 of MRTS I’ve been doing a bunch of work with diorama-style shadow box puppetry. I envision [Season 2] in a rather cinematic sense. We’re going to transition a little bit from predominantly animals to people musing on the nature of love and romance.”

Sounds good to me! So make sure you get acquainted with Mikey’s wonderfully weird world on the official Mikey Rea's Talent Show website and join him on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.

‍Oh yeah! Check out this Talking Dog meme generator. Click the image below to create your own.