Biography

Michael is a two-time Emmy® Award nominated filmmaker and founder of Thoughtful Robot, a film production company committed to sharing stories that inspire, connect, and galvanize change. .

Michael's most recent film, Almost Sunrise premiered on PBS in November of 2017 and was nominated for an Emmy® Award in for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary. Almost Sunrise, chronicles the transformative journey of two Iraq war veterans who set off on a 2,700 mile walk in order to save themselves from suicide. It's a story of hope and solutions, revealing the promise of holistic practices for healing. Almost Sunrise is the first film about "moral injury" and its connection to the suicide crisis. The film premiered at Telluride Mountainfilm in 2016 and has had more than 500 screenings across the U.S., winning 6 major awards including the Cine Golden Eagle Award. In recognition of the positive impact the film has had in society, it has been honored with media awards from government organization SAMHSA and the National Association of Social Workers.

In 2017 Michael directed Voices of Resilience, a 15-minute standalone short film that serves as a companion piece to Almost Sunrise. Voices of Resilience aired on PBS in November 2017 following the national broadcast of Almost Sunrise. Voices of Resilience follows the struggles of a diverse group of veterans - that of a young man from Colorado, and a young couple in Saipan (one of many remote islands in the Pacific) where enlistment rates tend to soar higher than any other community in the U.S. population. Ultimately, Voices of Resilience offers inspirational examples of veterans who are opening up to ancient practices of yoga and meditation, warriors who are searching - and finally finding themselves - on a path towards inner peace.

In 2011 Michael's film, Give Up Tomorrow, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Best New Director. The film went on to screen in over 75 festivals in 40+ countries, winning 18 major awards including seven Audience Awards, four Human Rights Awards and the Activism Award at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival. In 2012 Give Up Tomorrow was selected for the Puma Impact Award and was nominated for an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in 2013.

In 2005 Michael directed Caught in an Injustice, a one-hour documentary broadcast on Spanish National Television that received Special Mention at the 15th International TV3 Actual Awards. In 2010 Michael's short film, Gerthy's Roots, won the Belief Matters Award and was selected for the Media that Matters collection.

In September 2018, Michael served as the President of the Jury at the Flahertiana International Film Festival in Perm, Russia. They presented a retrospective of his work and he gave a workshop on "Impact Distribution." In May 2019, Michael served on the Telluride Mountainfilm jury where his film won the Moving Mountains Award 3 years earlier.
- IMDb mini biography by: Thoughtful Robot Productions