WHAT I DO
Usually I'm retained as a hired gun, although, some may say cannon. I work with clients both in-house and in my own studio. I can produce end-to-end solutions as well as team oriented projects. I'm highly conceptual drawing upon my experience in entertainment, advertising and interactivity to create compelling stories. My tool set includes all of Adobe CS5, Cinema4D and related apps. As a fine artist, writer and musician I utilize those analog skills as often as I can.
EXPERIENCE SUMMARY:
Sr. Motion Designer, Microsoft Retail Stores
Sr
Motion Designer UE development, Microsoft Zune, Redmond, WA
Motion Designer/Director, Publicis, Seattle, WA
Design Director, Rivet Design and Production, Venice, CA
Artist in Residence, Kidmo, Nashville, TN
Lead Designer, Paramount Studios Digital Design, Hollywood, CA
Lead Designer/Director, KARZEN LA
Visual Director, Razza Digital, Redondo Beach, CA
Designer/Art Director, The Designory, Long Beach, CA
Designer/Art Director, Truth and Advertising, Santa Ana, CA
Designer/Art Director, Shafer & Shafer Advertising, Irvine, CA
CURRENT/RECENT PROJECTS
I just finished a commission to create a series of fine art posters celebrating life in the historic Snoqualmie Valley.Over the last year I worked with the Microsoft Retail Group to create a series of motion graphic branding ID's for display on a giant video wall in their retail stores.
Last summer I designed and produced a series of TV spots for Sound Transit Authority's "Ride the Wave" campaign.
Microsoft Zune: created user interface motion graphics for the next generation Zune Mobile Device.
T-Mobile: animated a series of graphic intensive videos for the Google G1 Phone Launch.
Kidmo: designed a multi platform visual identity program, including packaging, collateral, user interface, and motion graphics for “Johnny Rogers” the popular children’s interactive TV series with over 1.5 million weekly viewers worldwide.
Def Leppard; lead designer on a project to create 100 minutes of visual mayhem for the band‘s 2009/2010 world tour. The videos, synced to the music, are shown on a 20’ X 80’ LED video backdrop.
I worked with Novocom and Academy Award winner John Ridgeway in Malibu, CA to create complete on-air identity packages for BSFUJI television in Japan, SHOWBIZtv in India and RTL network in Germany.
PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Michael began his professional career as a Designer working for Ad Agencies in Southern Ca, where he was principal designer on memorable print campaigns for Isuzu, Western Digital, Apple and Burger King. Of note is his role as lead designer on the first and now Legendary Intel Inside campaign. Transitioning his skills into the digital realm began in 1994 while at The Designory designing showroom books for Mercedes Benz he introduced the revolutionary idea of creating a Digital Press Kit that would include Quicktime VR movies of the MB product line, interactive specification charts, and running footage. The project proved success garnering several awards and industry praise.
Into the late ‘90s Michael served as the Visual Director for RAZZA, a group of evangelists for the emerging technology of digital video. The team included musicians Herbie Hankock and Todd Rundgren, artists Peter Max and David Carson, filmmakers Tim Burton and Terry Saunders. Companies such as Sony, Apple, Adobe and Radius hired RAZZA to work with their products to create music videos, short films and broadcast graphics. The group then showed the work and the technology behind it to universities, industry trade shows and insider events with the ultimate goal of digitally “Reinventing Hollywood”. It worked.
After RAZZA, Michael stayed in Hollywood working as a highly sought after Motion Graphics Designer creating a long list of main titles and graphic identities for film and television, including a season leading a motion graphics design team on the lot at Paramount Studios. Two Emmys and three Tellys soon followed.
In 2001 Michael signed on as Design Director with Rivet to help create Kidmo. With a team of educators, writers, actors, artists and musicians Kidmo was shaped into what is currently the most successful Children’s Edutainment series in it’s market. Seven years later, with over 120 episodes in the can, Kidmo combines music, performance, animation and interactive experiences to inspire children to become “World Changers”.
Since relocating to the Puget Sound in late 2008 from Nashville, Michael has been freelancing at various top-tier ad/design firms throughout Seattle creating visuals for T-Mobile, Microsoft, Sound Transit, and Snoqualmie Valley Arts Community.