1. Social Media and Websites
1.1. Youtube
1.2. Facebook
1.3. Website
1.4. Twitter
2. Personal Details
2.1. Name: Lin Manuel Miranda
2.2. Born: January 16, 1980 in New York City
2.3. Parents: Luz Towns-Miranda and Luis Miranda, both from Puerto Rico
2.4. Spouse: Vanessa Nadal
2.5. Children: Sebastian Miranda
2.6. Award-winning composer, lyricist, and performer
2.7. Awards
2.7.1. 34 total awards won and 69 nominations
2.7.2. Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2.7.3. 3 Tony Awards
2.7.4. 2 Grammys
2.7.5. 1 Emmy
2.7.6. 2015 Recipient of The MacArthur Fellowship for his creative pursuits in theater production
3. Examples of Work
3.1. In the Heights: Writer and Performer
3.2. Hamilton: Writer and Performer, Debut at White House Poetry Jam
3.3. Moana: Songwriter and Performer
3.4. Behind the Scenes of Moana
3.5. White House Performance: Miranda's Interpretation of George Washington's Farewell Address
3.6. Tony Awards Performance from Hamilton
3.7. Martin Luther King Jr's "Beyond Vietnam" Speech Performance
4. Recommendations
4.1. Exposure to New Cultures
4.1.1. From watching the behind the scenes interviews on "Moana", it seems very clear that his exposure to South Pacific culture was very inspiring for him. He can put himself into the culture surrounding him and use it to create. Exposure to cultures new to him would expand his knowledge and give his mind more to work with and new ideas to explore.
4.2. Exposure to Music
4.2.1. His work with different artists from all over the world from many different musical backgrounds also seems to give him ideas and direction in his creativity. It would benefit Lin Manuel to seek out opportunities to work with musicians outside of his comfort zone, because he would invest himself in learning and utilizing different styles.
4.3. Exposure to People
4.3.1. In the same way that exposure to new cultures and styles of music inspire him, Lin Manuel has also been inspired creatively by people of the past that he reads about. When he wrote "Hamilton", he was inspired to tell a story that he felt had never really been told. Reading more biographies of lesser known individuals could drive him to tell more of their stories in a new way. Meeting people from all walks of life in person and hearing their stories could also be a source of material for him to create new productions.
5. Education, Environment, and Turning Points
5.1. Education
5.1.1. Hunter College High School, a public charter for gifted and talented students
5.1.2. Wesleyan University, major in theater studies
5.2. Environment
5.2.1. Music was an important part of family life growing up
5.2.2. Says his parents were there for the important things, but entertaining himself was up to him
5.2.3. Feels his parents encouraged him to follow his interests and to make his own path in life
5.3. Turning Points
5.3.1. After a long car ride as a kid with a friend that entertained himself with only a stick for the entire trip, he decided he needed to work on his expanding his imagination.
5.3.2. Wrote his first play as part of a club in middle school
5.3.3. Wrote a musical in college to make a place for himself in theater
5.3.4. Read a book about Alexander Hamilton while on vacation, and decided it was story that had to be told.
6. Creative Characteristics
6.1. Childhood
6.1.1. Independence built through childhood experience of working parents
6.1.2. Obsessive and detailed interests as a child, such as Hollywood stunts.
6.1.3. Fantasized he was in different situations as a kid and came up with strategies for what he would do in those situations.
6.1.4. Wide variety of exposure and interest in different musical genres from rap to Broadway cast recordings
6.1.5. Performing in stage productions since his preteen years
6.1.6. Wrote plays as part of a school club
6.2. Adulthood
6.2.1. Interview
6.2.2. Spends time alone thinking, both now and as a child
6.2.3. Is very aware of his own creativity and his personal creative process
6.2.4. Had a clear vision for what he wanted for himself, and wrote and produced a musical to make it happen
6.2.4.1. Writing his own future:
6.2.5. Enjoys artistic expression of music and acting
6.2.6. Used a new perspective to make rap into musical storytelling on Broadway
6.2.7. Takes his time writing, because he wants to analyze every detail and wants his work to be perfect
6.2.8. Rejected critics that said his musical was too long by refusing to shorten the running time to their norms
6.2.9. Works with a variety of artists for new perspectives on already created works, such as creating a "mixtape" for a Broadway musical.