THE SARGE UNSTOPPABLE: From the Stage to the Classroom to the Comic Page — Building an Empire in Colorado Springs
"I'm done playing around." — THE SARGE
That's not a threat. That's a promise — to his family, to his community, to every artist watching him from the crowd wondering if it's too late to go bigger. Michael K. Ung, the Colorado Springs artist, producer, and promoter known as The Sarge, is pursuing higher education in Music Business and Innovation, and brick by brick, he's building an empire. Not someday. Right now. In the classroom, on the stage, in the studio at 2 AM. The wheels keep turning, and he keeps thinking of better ways to serve the community with the tools he has. But most importantly — he's just having fun with it, grateful for the opportunity to create as much as he possibly can.
Here's what "unstoppable" looks like.
The Foundation: Earned, Not Given
Before the empire, there was the grind. The Sarge is a performing music artist — hip-hop and pop-punk-rock — and he earned his bachelor's degree in Audio Production from Full Sail University. That degree wasn't decoration. It turned him into a music producer, an engineer, a sound designer, and a Foley artist. He doesn't just make songs; he builds entire sonic worlds from the ground up.
The industry noticed. He's been published in Billboard and featured on HipHopSince1987.com — milestones most independent artists only dream about. But those headlines don't tell the full story: every credit, every feature, every stage came from showing up and outworking the room. Nobody handed him anything. He took the long road on purpose, because the long road teaches things shortcuts never will.
That degree also built his studio. From Colorado Springs, he runs full audio production services — recording, mixing, mastering, production, and sound design for artists who need radio-ready records without the major-label invoice. His sound design credits include the horror shorts PEEK and THE DEVILS BEND, plus production for Hazadis, Austin Toker, and more. Every session makes him sharper, and every artist he works with becomes part of the family.
Back to School: Music Business and Innovation
So why go back to school when the career is already moving? Because the artist was never the ceiling — it was the foundation. The Sarge is now pursuing higher education in Music Business and Innovation at UCCS, studying the machinery behind the music: how deals work, how catalogs build wealth, how innovation reshapes the way artists reach people.
Most artists learn the business by getting burned. He's learning it in the classroom before the fire starts — and then turning around and teaching it to every artist coming up behind him. That's the whole mission. Knowledge nobody shares is knowledge wasted.
And he's not walking that campus alone — his oldest daughter is a UCCS student too, fifth-generation Army carrying the family legacy forward. They're building side by side. That's what this empire is really about: family first, everything else second.
The Comic Book Line: Teaching Artists to Win
This is the one that gets him fired up. THE SARGE comic book line is live and growing — a full universe built from real stories and real situations he's lived in this industry. Issue #0 "The Assembly" introduced the world. Issue #1 "Local Music Hero" is out now. Issue #2 "The Distribution Dilemma" drops October 11. New episodes land every week, and this is only the beginning.
But comics are just the doorway. The plan is an entire line: collectible trading cards, a full CCG (collectible card game), and even a role-playing game — every piece designed to teach artists how to navigate the music industry. The contracts, the distribution traps, the promo game, the money moves — all of it, taught through play, through story, through a universe artists actually want to live in. Imagine learning the music business by playing it. That's what's being built.
Picture it: you sit down with your crew, open the RPG, and your character is an independent artist with a dream and a demo. Every session throws real scenarios at you — a shady contract slides across the table, a distributor offers a deal that looks sweet until you read the fine print, your single blows up and now you need a tour budget. You learn to read the paperwork, count the money, and protect your masters — all while rolling dice with your friends. That's education disguised as the best game night of your life. The trading cards and the CCG extend that universe to every table, every backpack, every collection. These aren't just stories about the industry. They're training the next generation to own it.
Read the comics free on GlobalComix or grab Issue #1 on itch.io — the links are at the bottom of this article. Come for the story, stay for the education.
BUBBY & GRANDPA: Manners, Taught With Love
Now the other side of his heart. The Sarge is a father of four daughters, all in college, and a proud grandpa. So he started a cartoon short series for kids: THE ADVENTURES OF BUBBY & GRANDPA — wholesome, funny, heartwarming stories that teach kids manners and etiquette.
Episode 1, "The Magic Word," is live right now. It's a simple lesson with a big heart: PLEASE and THANK YOU open every door. Bubby learns it the fun way, and your little ones will too. These are Disney/Pixar-inspired 3D animated shorts, made for toddlers, preschoolers, and the whole family — little lessons, big adventures, lots of love.
If you're a parent or grandparent, this one's for you. Watch Episode 1 on YouTube Shorts or Instagram, and subscribe — new episodes are coming every week.
The Food Reviews: Because Joy Is a Strategy
And then there's the most fun he has on camera: THE SARGE's Totally Awesome Food Reviews, his food review show on YouTube. No script, no pretense — just him, good food, and honest reactions. It's become its own little community, and honestly? It reminds him why he started creating in the first place. Not everything has to be a business plan. Some things just have to be fun.
The Residency: BUST OUT THE BOX
Through all of it, the monthly mission continues. BUST OUT THE BOX — his multi-genre music residency at the Wagon Wheel Sports Bar & Concert Hall in Colorado Springs, co-run with AntiFamouz Ent — keeps the local scene fed. Every month, a different genre, real artists, real stages, real community.
October 30 brings BUST OUT THE BOX #12: THE DEVILS NIGHT — an all-horrorcore Halloween bash headlined by Assassinate. Then November 21: BUST OUT THE BOX #13, UCCS Music Night, a charity showcase where 100% of proceeds benefit the UCCS Music Department, tied to the $25,000 GoFundMe for UCCS Music. The stage builds the community, and the community builds everything else.
Why All of This? Because the Tools Are His
People ask how he does all of this at once — school, shows, comics, cartoons, food reviews. The answer is simple: the wheels keep turning. He keeps thinking of better ways to serve the community with the tools he has. Every skill he picked up — the degree, the engineering, the stagecraft, the business classes — is a tool. And tools are meant to be used, not shelved.
But most importantly: he's just having fun with it. He gets to create as much as he can, every single day, and share it with people he loves. In his words: "The wheels keep turning. I keep thinking of better ways to serve the community with the tools I have! But most importantly — just having fun with it, and having the opportunity to create as much as I can!" That's not a workload. That's a blessing.
So here's the empire, all in one place. Come be part of it.
Stay Different. — THE SARGE
THE SARGE UNIVERSE — ALL THE LINKS
Comics: Read THE SARGE free on GlobalComix · Get Issue #1 on itch.io
BUBBY & GRANDPA: Watch Episode 1 "The Magic Word" on YouTube Shorts · Watch on Instagram
Food reviews: THE SARGE's Totally Awesome Food Reviews on YouTube
Music & videos: THE SARGE on YouTube
Follow the movement: Instagram @thesargellc · Instagram @thesarge10 · Bust Out the Box on Instagram
Everything in one place: thesarge.net · Popl link hub
Support the mission: GoFundMe — $25K for UCCS Music · BUST OUT THE BOX #12 tickets
Media contact: THESARGE10MHX@GMAIL.COM · (719) 229-5212
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