About Me
I’m a twenty-five year pro in film and television production, counting my passionate academic years. My expertise with equipment, working crew, and production management extends both in-studio and on-site. I produce and write for work and for fun, and I’m lucky the two are one and the same.
Call me Mike.
I hail from the chimney stack of the Keystone State - Erie, Pennsylvania. I grew up watching movies of the 20th century and taking copious mental notes, fascinated by what happened in front - and wondering what went on behind - the camera.
My parents did their due diligence of introducing me to the fine arts. My mother was a classical music aficionado and made sure I could play a musical instrument - the cello - and my dad overruled trips to Disney World in favor of exposing me and my siblings to every and any art museum he could.
I believe this edification was not just for our benefit, but also because when you are a Cleveland sports fan you have to find joy somewhere. This background instilled me with both pop culture and high art knowledge, and makes me a fearsome competitor on trivia night.
I studied cinema at Denison University and from there I put in a short stint in Los Angeles where my car was stolen from a legal parking spot within an hour of my arrival.
Eventually wanting to be closer to home, I made my way to NYC. For fifteen years I worked a myriad of production jobs in the city. From location scout to producer, best boy to gaffer, PA to DP; there are not many departments of a film/tv set I haven’t worked. It’s how I earned the nickname “Merlin” on set: take the “M” in my first name and the “erlin” in my last - kudos to the team at HSC for coming up with that one.
Mixed in with that are personal and professional touchstones. There was a waterlogged shoot during the Super Bowl where Prince performed at halftime. I took time off to backpack the southern tip of South Africa. For a few years I enjoyed breakfast burritos with Ice-T while working his reality show. After SuperStorm Sandy I saw the value in knowing how to power things and decided to get my electrician’s degree.
However...
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the pinnacle of these adulting years was meeting my wife, Erika. Even when the shoot days don’t go as planned, the day is never a complete loss when I get to come home to her and our cats, Evie and Jonzie.
