About Mike
Hello!
Thank you for checking out my website, hopefully you found something you were looking for. Regardless, I think of myself as a highly creative person with excellent project management skills.
I’m also used to working side-by-side with other creative types. When I directed live games, I’d often have to wrangle a crew of freelancers from set up to strike down. I’m also no stranger to running a production department, as I have been the Senior Production Manager in my current employment since November of 2020.
Early on I realized I had a knack for being creative. Like a lot of young people, I thought I’d like to be a filmmaker. In the early Eighties, my first movie camera was a Super 8 format movie camera. This was before video cameras were affordable or common, so I considered myself ahead of the curve. My friends and I made a few 5-minute movies, and I was hooked. I learned the value of shooting to edit and storyboarding. I also spliced film to make edits, so that's as old-school as it gets, lol.
After a couple of years, I switched to video cameras, and I always had one around, always documenting whatever was going on in our lives.
It wasn't long before I started to shift my focus to music, and I started playing guitar. I started to become more interested in the recording process, and all forms of recording and broadcasting audio.
My first real job was in radio, but I didn’t want to be a deejay. I wanted to be behind the scenes, so I gravitated to talk radio. I was a board operator/producer for news talk radio. It introduced me to opinion content and how news gathering worked. I found that I was intrigued by it. That eventually led me to sports talk, television news and live game production.
Along the way, I became a fan of the editing process and postproduction. I started to edit more and more content for my job and as a freelance editor. I stared on Final Cut and After Effects. Now I can use many different platforms, but I'm most comfortable using Adobe Creative Cloud assets.
Management Style
Everyone is different
I've worked with a very large group of very diverse folks, and I always find something that I can relate to people with. I try to put direct reports at ease, but I'm also prone to "coach" people when they are falling behind.
I like to mentor, and work with people on their career path. If a company is serious about growing their employee's careers, I will push that agenda every time.
I think it's important to treat everyone with respect, and hopefully they will treat me in kind. I can keep my cool when others are disagreeing. I'm good at diffusing tense situations and letting all sides state their case. I'm a mediator and a negotiator when required.
Recognition is a big deal for me. I always sharing the glory with the team. I like to call out folks who are doing a great job. Whendirect reports are underperforming, I tend to address those issues in private.
My Skillsets
Adobe Premiere
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Audition
DaVinci Resolve
Frame io
WordPress
SmartSheet
Microsoft 365
Ross production switchers
Sony production switchers
Grass Valley production switchers
Project Management
Content Creation
Social Media
Webex
Zoom
Camera
Lighting
Audio
Leadership
Mentoring
Public Speaking