Filmmaker · Professor · Storyteller
I’ve always been driven by a desire to create and tell stories, and my journey in filmmaking reflects that. My early career was a whirlwind of experiences — through it all, I never stopped learning and experimenting. I continue to produce high-quality videos through my company, Michael Conti Productions.
I invite you to learn how I went from art student to auteur. In filmmaking one always feels like a student as there is always something new to learn and discover. I particularly like the quote of Steven Spielberg: “Even though I get older, what I do never gets old, and that’s what I think keeps me hungry.” I am still hungry to learn even as I master my craft.
Michael M. Conti, Filmmaker
The Early Years
I am a filmmaker and professor with a passion for teaching and a diverse background in the film industry. I began my career studying art and was influenced by German Expressionism, but later transitioned to filmmaking, with Stan Brakhage as my mentor. I worked with the Colorado Film Commission, gaining experience in commercials and feature films before moving to Los Angeles to work with Roger Corman. I spent ten years in Los Angeles, working in various roles and eventually producing video games.
I started at the University of Colorado, Boulder, declaring myself an art history student but really wanting to be a painter. After two years I transferred to Colorado College, drawn by its reputation for interdisciplinary collaboration. My thesis became an experimental film project about the mythology of the city — I made art, wrote poetry, took photos and made experimental videos about Denver. Through the good graces of several people in the production community of Colorado Springs and a grant from the College, I made my first 16mm film: Public Fixture.
Brakhage’s influence wasn’t limited to the experimental — it was more about giving me permission as an artist to tell my own story in my own way.
Hollywood and the Industry
My official career in film started in 1986, working for Steve Horn Productions — at the time the most successful commercial production company in the world. I was told I’d have a job if I came to NYC. The fork was in the road: graduate school or the school of hard knocks. I chose the latter.
In 1987 I moved to Los Angeles, referred to the Roger Corman Studios by a family friend. That experience was my graduate school — poorly paid, long hours, clandestine shoots, and maniac directors. Everything a Hollywood education should be. I worked all the angles: agent’s assistant at Abrams Artists, studio productions, hammering nails and reading scripts. But I wasn’t making films. As I would later realize, I was creatively constipated.
I worked for Metro Light Studios for Academy Award nominated effects producer George Merkert, then at Philips Interactive on some of the first CD-I interactive titles. When offered a producer role at Interplay Productions, one of the top interactive games companies, I leaped at it — creating the filmed version of SimCity CD-ROM and shooting footage for the Waterworld game. That wave crashed when computer animation took over.
Return to Personal Filmmaking
Following my layoff from Intel after the September 11th attacks, I received a severance package that included a new computer. Utilizing Adobe Premiere Pro, I shifted from professional projects to personal filmmaking — documenting the early years of my children’s lives. My relationship with Adobe was notably close during this period; I had direct access to the lead manager of their development team.
Back in Colorado in 2002, I founded Group 101 Films — a community of directors committed to making a short film every month. I then executive produced for nine years the Shoot Out 24 Hour Filmmaking Festival Boulder, in which the goal is to make a 7-minute film in 24 hours using only in-camera editing. Through that festival I realized a profound truth: everyone has a story to share, given the right platform and support.
The Unruly Mystics Series
My first documentary, “The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard,” explored the life and times of Hildegard von Bingen, a revered 12th-century German saint. My fascination with her life led me to expand beyond traditional filmmaking into transmedia — encompassing a film, companion book, and guided international tour through Germany. My second film, The Unruly Mystic: John Muir, followed — a personal and inspirational journey about reaffirming our appreciation of the wild, also expanded into transmedia with books and a walking tour across Scotland.
Crazy Wisdom Films is the independent production company I founded to produce films that are both entertaining and enlightening — films shown internationally that speak to a multi-generational audience.
Today
Today I teach videography and digital video editing as a professor, and serve as tech director at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder. Through Michael Conti Productions I produce high-quality videos for businesses of all sizes — live streaming, technical directing, editing, and post-production. I am still hungry to learn, still excited to see what stories I can bring to life next.
Watch the Films
Both films are available now on Amazon Prime Video.