A screenwriter, film educator, and full-time “nomad” passionate about helping people wake up to their potential. Let's work together to tell your story.
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I'm an award-winning screenwriter, story consultant, and film educator wandering full-time as a "nomad" in search of different cinema traditions, perspectives, and adventures.
After graduating from NYU Tisch and freelancing in NYC for several years, I ran Lights Film School, a popular website and thought-leader in the indie filmmaking space through which I taught 1000s of students from 90 different countries how to make movies on their own terms.
I've lived and traveled across five continents, bringing a uniquely global perspective to my writing, which has been featured in places like The Black List, Austin Film Festival, The PAGE Awards, and Vimeo Staff Picks. My latest feature screenplay is in advanced development in LA.
Read a short writing sample (or watch one below).
"Let me start by saying this: Michael is the best writer I know. As a director myself, my work is only as strong as the stories and screenplays that serve as its foundation... Which is why I've returned to Michael again and again for nearly a decade. He's written original screenplays (for which we've won awards), we've co-written feature films, he's provided indispensable notes, and has done some top notch copywriting for some of my commercial clients as well. There's little he's not capable of, and he's one of the nicest, most thoughtful and compassionate people to boot. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better collaborator."
- Noah Wagner (Writer/Director)
"Mike's passion, talent and work ethic brought no question to my mind that he would be the person I would want to collaborate with on my project. While I had a rough idea of where I wanted to go with this script, Mike was the one who built out the scenes and brought the characters to life through his relentless research (300+ pages of notes, on top of our script). Finally, he also took the baton for the last stretch of the race and hammered out the final screenplay to produce something that even surpassed my own expectations!"
- Cliff Hartono (Set in Stone Gallery)
"Michael is who I turn to when I am looking for honest, on-point, and professional feedback on a script. He has helped me elevate my writing to levels I did not imagine I could reach. The standards are high, the feedback, honest and professionally delivered... Self-critique and self-assessment have their limits and having that extra pair of eyes has helped me clearly establish where my project stands in terms of potential and strengths, as well as weaknesses and pitfalls to look out for. And of course, critiques always come with suggestions as to how shaky areas may be solidified. So, if you are genuinely looking to hone your craft or want to pull off a script that you would be proud of, I would say you have come to the right place!"
- Fara Johana Rasoanindrai (Filmmaker)
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