Michael was acclaimed as both a playwright and a journalist in the U.S. as well as the U.K. before taking a steady gig in academia, teaching screenwriting at American University. After Scenario magazine honored him in its national screenplay competition, he signed with a major agency and was chosen by the editors of William Morrow as one of the nation's best short story writers. Subsequently anthologized in Rob Weisbach’s imprint Virgin Fiction, Michael soon completed his first novel and began writing for television. He quickly moved to producing and directing, helming shows for ABC, MTV, Vh1 and the BBC. His foray into documentaries in 2006 resulted in the celebrated American Cannibal, which he co-wrote and directed with Perry Grebin through their production company Acme Pictures. Michael is currently writing and developing several projects at Acme, including two feature films and several television shows.