Rising Stars: Meet Miguel Corado of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miguel Corado.

Hi Miguel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I made a decision a long time ago that forever changed the trajectory of my life. I grew up on the southside of Atlanta, specifically in Clayton County. When deciding which High School to attend, I had the opportunity to choose between the school I was already zoned for and a school with a magnet program for the performing arts. For anyone else, this probably would’ve been an easy decision to make. All of my friends were going to the school I was zoned for, and it was also very close-by. I hadn’t even imagined a life beyond my original dream as an astrophysicist or marine biologist. But because of my absolute love for movies and acting– instilled in me by my mother in our ritual of watching anything and everything under the sun– I chose the magnet program.

Before this decision, I was a bit of a recluse. I was the type of kid that sat in the back of the class drawing and not saying a word. But discovering theatre propelled a version of myself I had never seen before. It saved me. I was finally able to express to the world who I really was inside, and it was liberating.

13 years later and I have had the privilege of gracing many stages and screens in both Atlanta and countrywide as well. Every day I think about that young man standing firm in his self actualization, and I couldn’t be more thankful. I am quite literally living the dream.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m pretty sure the term “struggling artist” is just synonymous with “artist” at this point. At one time I was attending school for acting but sadly had to drop out due to a lack of funds. I hardly made it a month. This was hard to recover from, especially since it felt like I let down not only myself but my family as well. But time really does heal all wounds. Now I look back and understand the divine timing of it all. I just wasn’t meant to attend school at the moment. Because I dropped out and moved back home to Atlanta, I was able to build a name and career for myself solely off the drive I had within me. And those opportunities I accepted have opened doors for even greater things that I am currently working on. I just had to stop beating myself up about the situation. There’s a certain masochism that comes with being in the arts. We love to revel in our pain sometimes because we think it will justify the gratification of finally “making it”. But the reality is that these negative thoughts won’t do anything for you other than slow you down.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actor, writer and director. I’ve had the honor of being in theatrical productions such as ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ (Barefoot Playhouse), ‘18 Steps: The Journey to Justice in Education’ (Leona Tate Foundation for Change), and most recently in Sherri and the Unfairies (National Center for Civil and Human Rights) which was written by Peter K. Hirsch and Elliot Thomson. During the pandemic, and while exploring new ways to find work as an actor, I discovered my love for directing film. This new passion of mine started off small with music videos and smaller short films. In 2025 I debuted my first short film ‘Hurry Up & Wait’ and first pilot episode of ‘Sister 4 Sale’ at the Plaza Theatre to a sold out premiere. Hurry Up & Wait has gone on to be nominated for awards and has won “Best Dark Comedy” at the Couch Film Festival in Toronto, Canada. My next big goal is to direct a feature film of mine that I have been writing for the past couple of years, titled ‘Noise’.

What were you like growing up?
The house that I grew up in was about two blocks away from MLK’s house. I’m about as ATL as you can get. The last of my kind, really. Movies played such a huge part in who I am. Early Saturday mornings, I would be so elated to turn on our vhs player, pop in a tape, and watch a movie over and over again. I could quote The Lion King and Shrek line by line. It’s no wonder that I developed a knack for impressions as well. If you ever want your kid to get into acting, maybe let them watch their favorite movie a couple hundred times.

I am born to an African American mother and a Guatemalan father. In my youth, identity was a huge struggle for me. I don’t have much of a connection with my father, and therefore not much of a connection to my Hispanic side as well. I’m what they call a “no sabo” kid, i.e. someone who is Hispanic but doesn’t speak Spanish. Even as an adult, not speaking Spanish and having this connection to a community is something that vexes me. But I am learning. It can be such a challenge to not only establish a network for yourself, but know how to look for it as well.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miguelwhatthehell
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/UiDzQddntcU

Image Credits
Michaiah Edwards