After graduating from the Film Conservatory at Purchase College, Mike directs his first feature-length movie Lost Prophet. Stephen Holden from the New York Times wrote ‘"Lost Prophet" is an arty, low-budget horror fantasy that doesn't attempt to be shocking or scary in a conventional way. The black-and-white film, which looks quite handsome for a low-budget production, is essentially a manipulation of cinematic mood that, as the central character appears to come apart, shifts in attitude from anxious curiosity into terror.” The film was released theatrically in 1992 and received positive reviews in the Village Voice, New York Post, New York Daily News and Film Threat Magazine.
Mike directs an all-star cast in his second feature film “Burnzy's Last Call”; a day in the life of a downtown Manhattan gin mill in the early 1990’s. Joe Burns, an elderly fellow who’s spent his entire life on the block, spends the entire day at the joint in the same chair, drinking the same short beers while random denizens from the neighborhood weave themselves into a drama that culminates in Burnzy closing the bar. The characters and their stories are inspired from Mike’s years as a bartender with friend and writer George Gilmore in 1990’s New York City. The film starts Sam Gray, James McCaffrey, Chris Noth, Michael Rispoli, Sherry Stringfield, Carolyn McCormick, Jamie Walters, Eddie Brill, Tony Todd, Roger Robinson, James Burton and Michael Massee.
In 2004, Mike hooked his passion for story telling onto his love of fishing to spawn the weekly TV series “Lunkerville”. Putting a twist on the usual fishing show format, Mike features everyday people on their secret spots who teach him how to fish. And in Mike’s signature laid-back manner, he reels in the camaraderie, the fun and the fish while exploring the importance of the outdoors. The show was an instant hit in it’s first year of broadcast, being voted Viewer Favorite Fishing Show, Viewer Favorite Host and Favorite Freshwater Fishing Episode at the Sportsman Channel Awards. Lunkerville went on to win the Viewer Favorite Fishing Show honors 3 years in a row before expanding it’s broadcast reach to NBC Sports, CBS Sports and Discovery Network while airing every week on national TV or over 15 years.
