Bio

Being born in Fairbanks, Alaska, to a career military man and his wife, allowed Michael, at an early age, to understand that the world was HUGE, and that somehow, he would leave his mark in it. “Surely, we don’t come here without changing the world, or contributing to it in some way”. By the time he was in the 1st grade, Michael and his family had already lived in three states, and now found themselves in Germany, on a 2-year tour with his father, a sergeant in the Army. He would grow to learn that the lifestyle of an Army brat, would shape and mold his ideas and approach to life...forever. “After you’ve been out of the box and witnessed the vastness of life, it’s very hard to think small”. Michael’s father, a veteran of two wars, encouraged him to dream big and instilled in him the idea, that anything is possible. He and his father would grow to form a special bond. A bond that was necessary, as his father, the sergeant, began to fight his final battle...a battle known as ALS, a disease that would take his life, at the early age of 46.

“I felt like he left me in charge, even though I was only 13 when pops died. I had a responsibility to respond to everything he had meticulously drilled in me my entire life. I realize now, he was leaving HIS mark, teaching me how to be a man, and laying the groundwork for me to be the rock that my mother and three sisters could lean on”.

“My pops gave me the gift that keeps on giving. As I navigate through life his words ring in my ear”………”You can do anything you want if you just put your mind to it”. #BEAST MODE ….#Letters To my Father

#Award Winning Film Maker

Directing for me, was born out of a need to stay busy. My passion has always been acting, however, that does not mean you will always have a place to put that passion. So in the gaps of time when my passion was not being utilized, I created my own projects. I have always been a technical person, with a thirst for not only seeing the finished product, but to know how that project was put together. So every time I got a chance to get on a set, I watched, listened, and strategized on how I could do what they were doing, without having a million dollar budget. Thankfully, not long after I got started, the digital age was born and the type of equipment used to create a film project, has greatly changed. My goal is to duplicate what the "big boys" do, for a quarter of the cost. I drill down deep, and study every move made on a lot of projects, so I can master them on a budget. I generally wear a lot of hats to see a project to completion, but at the end of the day, the work is very gratifying. The advantage for me of Executive-Producing and Directing my own project, is it allows me to inject my passion of acting, right back in the front door, when it fits. My last two projects, a documentary, "The Helen Lindsey Story", and the episodic feature, "The Productive Lie", are finishing up their Film Festival Tour this year. And more projects are currently on deck.

What started out as a creative release and a ton of fun, has turned into a necessary means to start a project. If I write it, then I’m not waiting for someone to do it for me. And writing the project from a director’s perspective, helps me consider how it will be shot, and what locations I can use to make it all look real. The days when the words are hopping out of my head faster than I can write them down, are the best. When things aren’t moving as fast, I don’t push it. • "Currently, I am developing two sitcoms, a feature, and a webisode...GOD is good."

#Journey To The Motherland-The Board Game

I wish I could say that my mind gets a lot of rest, however, most nights, it doesn't. Many nights I go to bed praying for GOD not to give me anymore "bright ideas", and that’s when He goes to work. This time, it was a board game, “Journey To The Motherland”. After navigating through life not feeling like I knew enough about my history, I decided to do a little research. A "little research" turned into a lot, and a lot turned into manufacturing a board game. Who does that, right? This is what generally happens when I ask for no more bright ideas. • After months of research, it totally blew my mind, that I only knew about 10% of the information that I was digging up...digging, being the key word. After years of school, a bachelor’s degree, and a career, I all of a sudden felt like I knew nothing. The information I was sitting on was priceless and I needed to figure out a way to get it out of the libraries and patent offices, to the masses. So I thought, hmm...why not put it into game form?..........Although the game was manufactured many years ago, the history is still the same and the take away is priceless.

How do you play the game?

The game is played by acting out or drawing (with a pad and pencil or whiteboard), whatever instruction is on the playing card. There are four card categories: Sports, History, Entertainment, and Miscellaneous. The cool thing about the game is, you don’t have to know a thing about black history; you just need to be able to guess what your teammate is acting out or drawing. The knowledge you gain happens when you leave the game, not when you begin.