From the sunny sands of West Palm Beach, Florida, to one of the biggest social media personalities around, Michael Le’s rise to fame has been swift and unwavering. He’s spent the last seven years perfecting his craft and cementing his position in the social sphere, and is now one of the most influential figures on TikTok with over 1 billion likes.

Through his focus on inspiring others and spreading positivity, Le heralded his brand as Shluv, which stands for self-love. He entered the world of NFT and Web3, tapping into its potential and taking it to newfound heights. He has made a cameo in Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, has worked with brands like Disney and JBL, and has collaborated with his family, Terry Crews, Jason Derulo and Charli D’Amelio amongst others.

We had the opportunity to chat with Le, dissecting how he built his social media following, his business ventures, and maintaining his multi-faceted nature.

Read the full interview…

Hi Michael! How are you?
I’m great! I’m feeling extremely excited and eager for the next half of the year.

Out of all the different sectors of your career, what was your first love?
My first love was definitely dance. I believe that dance was the beginning and the core of everything for me. It enabled me to open up as a person and helped me figure out who I was and what I truly wanted to do with my life.

How did you build your audience on social media and what is your mission with your platform?
I built my audience through viral videos, dance classes, and dance videos. Consistency was key. My main mission with the platform is to truly inspire others to follow their dreams, just like I did, and to take the risk of pursuing whatever passion they have and turning it into a business.

How did you start working with Robin DeFay?
I met him through a mutual friend during the Web 3.0 craze, and we had a conversation. I was expressing to that mutual friend that I wanted to start an esports team and giving him the whole rundown of my aspirations. He ended up connecting me with Robin and the team, who also had very similar aspirations. Once we connected, it was a wrap from there.

What was the inspiration behind Joystick and how does it differ from other gaming platforms?
The inspiration behind Joystick was to really seize the opportunity in gaming and the new technologies of Web 3.0, which couldn’t be done before. I think that the main focus now is to truly cater to the creators and leverage the opportunities that this new technology offers. We want to create the tools that will help creators interact and engage with their fans more effectively, and simply have an overall better experience as creators.

You’ve also worked with many brands — what draws you to a collaboration and makes you excited to do it?
What draws me to a collaboration and excites me is the freedom and creative expression that I’m allowed in every single brand deal I engage in.

You work across so many disciplines! Are there any areas of the entertainment, technology, or gaming industries that you want to try out next?
I think for me, my focus is definitely going to be on entertainment and technology in terms of building new tools and creating new avenues for what people can expect from dance content in general, and how that is going to evolve over time.

Do you have a career highlight thus far?
Definitely. Spider-Man: No Way Home and being the head representative of TikTok.

What are you looking forward to in the future?
I’m excited about the dance empire I want to create, along with the content that surrounds it, and am eager to see the significant impact it can have on other aspiring artists and the dance community.