After walking away from a successful career in theatre 21 years ago, Manuel has spent most of his life as an entrepreneur evangelizing economic need for creativity in our society. The self-imposed silence from theatre forced him to think about his reasons for art and allowed him to experience the world outside of the confines of the theatre world. In 2003, he established the HBMG Foundation, which integrates theater, technology and business. The foundation has helped hundreds of actors, playwrights and directors become successful creative entrepreneurs by providing them tools to live and develop new plays. In 2014, Manuel and his wife Ann established the HBMG Foundation’s National Winter Playwrights Retreat in Colorado. In its first three years, 85 playwrights have accepted the invitation of the Retreat to write in the mountains of Colorado.

In 2017, at the urging of colleagues from his theatre past and his wife, he decided to send one of his plays out for the first time. The unfortunate recipient of his action was the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. To his surprise, his play, Stroke, was accepted and he spent two weeks at the conference rewriting and work shopping the piece.

While never planned, Manuel has picked up again where he left of in 1996 but this time with the enthusiasm of a new artist and the life experience of those 21 years. As an advocate for artist, in our economy, he has often told playwrights to stick your neck out and let people know you exist. Don’t every stop, just make sure you know what you are saying---even if it does take you 21 years to figure it out.

Manuel is honored to be a member of Actors Equity, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and Dramatists Guild.