EXPERIENCE

2020 - Present

HERO COLLECTIVE

Creative Director
As an in-house scriptwriter and commercial director with Hero, he conceptualized and developed conceptually smart, clever campaign work that established and expanded an indelible brand voice for a diverse roster of clients. He created a post-ironic cast of "insulation superheroes" inspired by He-Man and Hanna-Barbera cartoons for Owens Corning, a comic take that drafts off the signature pink color of OC's product and establishes them as a leader in construction materials. He conceptualized and led a design team in a comprehensive branding and creative refresh for the world’s largest toy brand, Mattel. He leads and mentors a growing design team developing new campaigns for clients including FX, HP, J&J, and more.

2020

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

Art Director
Led the design team in executing creative direction for the 2020 Tribeca International Film Festival campaign that included development of the brand design system, execution of video ads, print ads, AR filters, Out-of-Home, and social media for the 2020 festival.

BASS STUDIOS

Creative Director
Developed and won new business for commercial photography and video studio lead by Anna Wolf. Michael wrote treatments, prepared and designed pitch decks, and consulted on narrative and cinematic storytelling conceptualization and technique.

MEDIUM

Creative
Collaborated with Medium's art direction team on a high profile series for Laura Vanderkam, developing editorial strategy, a stylistic look-and-feel, and executed a series of conceptual ideas.

2019

MIKE PERRY STUDIO

Creative Director
Partnered with the creative team at Mike Perry Studios to conceptualize and produce a docu-style branded video campaign.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Creative Director
Produced a branded short and directed a series of interviews exploring architecture and environmental design's impact on ecological systems.

ELEVEN FILO, 2X4

Art Director
Collaborated with the creative teams of Eleven Filo and 2x4 to produce an animated docu-style short for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Coinciding with the reopening of the newly renovated MoMA building, the film project told the history of MoMA's architecture.

2017

!MELK

Landscape Designer
Led pitch proposals for a range of architectural activations, including a major new park in downtown Shanghai.

2016

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION

Creative Director
Produced and directed branded docu-style short film on the future of environmental design.

2014

PLANTA - RASCOVKSY JOSELEVICH ARQUITECTOS

Designer
Competitions, pitches, and marketing for all-women architecture studio in Buenos Aires.

2009-13

PARTIZAN, MJZ, LUCKY 21, THE DIRECTOR'S BUREAU, MORE.

Assistant Production Designer
Set design, fabrication, and art direction assistant. Projects include: "Jonah Hex" (Starring John Malkovich), Sprite "Fusion" (Director: Antoine Bardou-Jacquet), Cheetos "Observation" (Director: Mike Maguire)

2009

CLEAR VALLEY REPORT

Film Director
Clear Valley Report is short film that follows Mr. Tom Gomm, Director of Accounts for the Northeast Region of Clear Valley Foods, in the midst of the financial crisis of 2008.

2007-09

THE OBSERVER MAGAZINE

Editor-in-Chief
Served as EIC of the Bard Observer where he managed a team of over 50 contributing editors, writers and designers to produce a weekly print news magazine.

2006

MARTHA COLBURN

Assistant Animator
Set design, fabrication, and art direction assistant.