LGBTQ+ Americans may not have heard of Mike and Sebastian yet, but that is all about to change. The extremely handsome duo is currently living in Vienna, Austria but planning to relocate to Palm Springs in 2023 to start a new life together with their 7-year-old daughter Mia. They will be featured on one of Germany’s most highly watched reality television show called Goodbye Deutschland.
Mike and Sebastian are local celebrities in German-speaking countries, having been involved in numerous entrepreneurial ventures and frequent guests of the media especially when it comes to speaking about two dad families.
Before we talk about their latest endeavors, here is a bit of background information. Mike was a singer who won Austria's first TV band casting at the age of 21 and was a member of the pop band Sugarfree, with which he also won Austria´s national music prize "Amadeus". He then passed the bar exam and in 2011 purchased a facility management company, restructured it, and had a successful business exit in 2022. After that he published the international bestseller “Blake the Drake and the enchanted Egg” which became a #1 bestseller on Amazon.
At the age of 24, Sebastian won a major national competition to develop an app for politics. He won €100,000 and was dubbed "the €100,000 man" in the media. He took over a small family business with a turnover of $250,000 dollars, which he, as sole owner, was able to develop within only a few years into an international player on the prefabricated house market bringing in over $7 million dollars in revenue.
Courtesy Mike and Sebastian
Mike and Sebastian first met in 2015 at an event hosted by friends. Neither of them had planned to attend that night but as fate would have it, Mike immediately caught Sebastian’s eye. Mike had failed to read the invitation carefully and was wearing his provocative Life Ball outfit in the middle of a black-tie affair.
On their third date, Mike broke the news to Sebastian that he was about to become a father to a little girl, which he had made possible with the help of an egg donor and a surrogate mother. Mike’s daughter Mia was born on July 2, 2015. Much to his surprise, Mike received a loving and deeply touching letter from Sebastian, but it wasn’t addressed to him. It was addressed to Mia.
When Mike returned with baby Mia, the couple embarked on life together—not in a cozy, romantic relationship for two, but as two young dads getting used to everyday life with a small child. It wasn’t always easy, but the bond grew stronger, and their love stood the test of time. A deep understanding for their partner’s struggles and mutual, unconditional support of one another are integral parts of Mike and Sebastian’s life together today. With Mia by their side, Mike and Sebastian were married in Bora Bora in 2021.
The dynamic duo is invested in making the Mike&Sebastian brand just as successful on the American market as it is in German-speaking countries. “In concrete terms, this means bringing a critical mass into contact with our family concept so that it is anchored as normal in the public eye. We're talking about 10%-14% of society. Dream BIG,” Mike says enthusiastically.
Courtesy Mike and Sebastian
“As role models for gay men who want a family, it is important to us to bring this understanding of family to the public,” mentions Sebastian. “Goodbye Deutschland has a reach of 1,600,000 viewers in German-speaking countries. This brings our vision of normalizing 2-dad families a long way.”
The couple is also in the process of turning their social media and media activities into their full-time job. Being on such a successful and popular show is a great step in that direction.
Mike and Sebastian have committed to producing one season, however, there are couples who have been on the show regularly for 15 years and the production company has already indicated a long-term partnership. The show will visit Mike and Sebastian once they arrive in Palm Springs to follow their surrogacy journey also be present during the birth of their second child. They were planning on welcoming him in August, but nature had other plans. “After a long search for a new egg donor (unfortunately, Mia's egg donor was no longer able to donate) we found our perfect match and now have 4 embryos again, although the first transfer just didn't work. Of course, this is disappointing for us, but we are still in good spirits, knowing that the baby that is meant for us will come to us.”
Two successful gay men can move anywhere in the world, so why Palm Springs? “Palm Springs is like a dream come true for us,” mentions Mike. “Same-sex marriage has only been legal in Austria since 2019, so you can imagine how the population is attuned to homosexuals. We are not confronted with violence there, but with disregard, ignorance, and exclusion. Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear a whisper behind our backs.”
The couple has learned to live with it, but suddenly it began to affect their daughter Mia because nearly none of her friends have ever heard of the fact that same-sex couples can have children. Children don't mean it badly, of course, but Mia grows up with the suggestion from those around her that it's not ok the way her family is. She was even called a liar because she confidently said that two men can of course have a baby, which is how it is with us. “One of the things we want to do with the move to Palm Springs is to take the pressure off of this situation.”
Courtesy of Mike and Sebastian
They also wanted their second child to grow up in a more inclusive environment and thought Palm Springs would be the perfect location.
“Because of our second baby, we considered taking part in the surrogacy process in the United States and moving to California,” Sebastian explains. “We checked out a few places but fell in love with Palm Springs immediately when we visited. We had a very special feeling there, we couldn't classify it at first and then we were able to name it: Hey - nobody whispers behind our backs. We are "normal" here - we do not belong to a minority but to a majority. It was unbelievable for us, and we want the same for Mia and our second baby, so it happened that we made long-term plans to emigrate, and now the time has finally come.”
The couple will hit the ground running as soon as they land. They have a temporary place to live but will immediately begin looking for a home and office. In fact, Mia begins school just two days after they arrive in the city.
To follow their journey, please visit https://mikeandsebastian.com
Joey Amato is a travel writer and publisher of Pride Journeys.
