​After working crew on a handful of Indie-features and producing my first Indie The Lower East Side Stories, I found myself at twenty-one-years-old living on a blow-up mattress on the floor of a friend's kitchen in New York City, and decided it would be a good time to go back to school.

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I graduated from The University of Southern California with a degree in English Creative Writing and went on to spend years learning and working in different disciplines in the entertainment industry, from independent feature-film production to Late-Night TV at The Late Late Show, interning at The Walt Disney Company, working in content development at Zucker/Netter alongside producer Gil Netter, and four-years as a motion picture talent agent executive assistant at Creative Artists Agency, handling A-list actor and director talent.

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When I turned thirty, it felt like the directing thing was "now, or never." So, I quit my job, liquidated my 401k, and I called on my friends. Actors, writers, film crew folks, and started asking people if they had content they wanted to make. That year with a Canon 5D and a dream, I directed 50 short films. A year later, I was a full-time writer, director, editor and content creator at a burgeoning young media company called BuzzFeed, making and ideating original entertainment-driven branded content concepts, where I directed and produced hundreds of videos per year.

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I am grateful for all of my experiences and privileged to have learned from some of the best in the business. I remember in my younger years, feeling like the road to directing was taking a really long time. Looking back now, the road I took was simply the road I needed to travel for me to be ready to meet the demands of this job, and do it exceptionally well.

 

I am thankful to all who have shown me support  and leant a helping hand over the years, from my friends and fellows who made content with me for the love of the game, to my teachers at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools who allowed me to make videos instead of write papers. Thanks to the directors and producers I've assisted over the years who have shown me what, and what not to do. A huge thanks to Lifetime Movie Czar (and friend) Richard Switzer, for giving me my first feature-length directing opportunity. TV-director Ed Bianchi (Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men) who offered me mentorship, and invited me to the set of The Killing in Vancouver to shadow him. To this day, I still use some tricks I picked up from Ed. And to my family, espeically my grandmother Mary, who bought me my first video camera. You are always and forever in my heart.

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The latest chapter of my creative journey has led me to directing Vertical Micro-Dramas. This exciting new format has carved out a new way of delivering feature-length content in micro-bites on a micro-screen to everyone with a smart phone in their pocket. I am truly excited to see what innovation and evolution this new medium will bring to the art of visual storytelling.

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From Chicago, Illinois, Michael is an award winning video director and creative content producer. Michael's most successful vertical micro-drama title, ReelShort exclusive DADDY HELP! MOMMY'S IN PRISON! topped all the release rankings at ReelShort, and has amassed over 100 Million views in just a few months, along with a profile piece in New York Magazine featuring leading man Marc Herrmann and behind-the-scenes stills from the production. The stars Marc Herrmann and Samantha Drews were also recently featured in People Magazine.

 

His short-form original branded content has garnered over 300 million views on social digital channels, and over twenty mentions on the YouTube Ads Leaderboard listing the "top ten ads that people choose to watch."

 

Michael is recognized with several awards, most notably for "Dear Kitten" as the #1 top ad by a YouTube content creator in 2014, winner of the Digiday Best Creative Award in 2014, a 2015 Webby for Best Branded Content, and a nomination for "favorite YouTube ad of the past decade" from Google's YouTube.

 

Michael was also awarded a 2023 and 2022 DAYTIME EMMY® AWARD for his contributions as a Senior Digital Video Editor on the Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show winner The Kelly Clarkson Show on NBC, and was a 2020 semi-finalist in the Commercial Director's Diversity Program. In 2018 he won a ThinkLA Idea Award for Best Video Campaign, a 2017 Summit Emerging Media Visionary Award for Best Internet Video Campaign, and a 2014 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Best Video / Projection Design for THE WRONG MAN, a live theatrical stage performance that became an off-Broadway production and a published recorded album. Michael's work in scripted entertainment has premiered at prestigious festivals and venues, from Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah to the Modern Museum of Art in New York City.

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Michael's comedy shorts have been mentioned in the media including The Huffington Post, especially the comedy web series “The Best Of Craigslist” launched on www.funnyordie.com. Best Of Craigslist was nominated for BEST WEB SERIES by LA WEEKLY at the 2013 LA WEEKLY WEB AWARDS, and was broadcast as a recurring segment on "Rachel Dratch's Late Night Snack," on TruTV appearing as "Classified Comedy."​ Michael has worked across multiple genres and categories, including music videos for artists as varied as DAFT PUNK and MUMFORD & SONS.

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With over two decades of professional experience across production, development, business, and creative, Michael has cultivated a well rounded industry experience both on and off-set.

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