Michael was born in San Francisco and raised in Toronto, where he studied fine art, acting and theater directing before focusing his creative talents on filmmaking.
He attended Ryerson Film School and created two shorts,
"Clean–Rite Cowboy"
and
"Why Don’t You Dance?",
which were screened at the
Toronto International Film Festival
and nominated for two
Genies (Canadian Oscars).
This success led to a scholarship to attend the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, where his thesis film,
"Fine", won a Student Academy Award for 'Best Director'.
It was screened on
Independent Lens
and at the
Palm Springs Film Festival.
With multiple award-winning shorts and years of film school under his belt, Michael launched a career in commercial directing.
His work is defined by a subtle, observational comedic style with an emphasis on performance.
He has crafted memorable, award-winning spots including
Samsung’s "The Next Big Thing is Already Here"
and
"Wall Huggers"
which upon release received 2.4 million views on YouTube,
Science World’s "Boardroom", Bud Light’s annual Top 20 Super Bowl spot of all time "Sky Diver",
and the famous
"Pep Talk" for Netflix.
Michael has gone on to direct for a diverse range of clients in the US, UK and Canada including
Stride, ESPN, Subaru, Toyota, Whole Foods
and
Timberland.
Based in LA, Michael is represented by
Sweetshop
in the USA/UK and
Partners Films Company
in Canada. His first independent feature,
"The Threeway",
and
"Clean Rite Cowboy"
are due to begin filming in Spring 2024.