MikeG got his start putting on magic shows for his neighbors as a kid in the Midwest. As a director, he brings that same sense of whimsy and trickery to the screen which can be seen in his work for Sodastream, eBay, Doritos, Men’s Wearhouse, Braun, J-B Weld, Sprint, Kellogg’s, Shell, Ohio Lottery, and more.
His quirky, self-aware spots have a design-driven core with a healthy portion of magical, in-camera effects, VFX, and a few chuckles for good measure. It’s comedy meets theatrical reality.
His casting often yields quirky, memorable faces and performances. And, he’s a pro with celebrity talent, including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Fox, John Stamos, Blake Shelton, and Kenan Thompson, as well as top athletes Russel Wilson, John Cena, and Dak Prescott, not to mention Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World.
Prior to directing, Mike served as an artist and creative director in motion graphics shops from coast to coast, providing design, editorial, animation, and compositing services. This experience has been invaluable to Mike’s success as a director; he cuts, colors, and comps through his own post production outfit: FitFinish when called upon, and he speaks the language of VFX, motion control, and workflow to post houses and VFX supervisors. You’ll often see pre-visualization and 3D mockups as part of his prep work with his DP.
When Mike’s not working, he’s probably at the gym, cooking, or roaming the west in The Beast Adventuremobile.
He also asked us to tell you that you look lovely today.
