Michael Swanson, an innovative entrepreneur and movie producer, is president and CEO of Faith Filmworks, Inc., an independent motion picture production company founded in 1997 to develop and produce memorable stories with emotional and moral resonance.
Michael has produced numerous feature, documentary and short films over the past 15 years. Each production has received critical and audience acclaim. Most recently, Michael produced the romantic drama, All About Us, written and directed by his wife and high school sweetheart Christine Swanson. All About Us stars Boris Kodjoe, Ryan Michelle Bathé, Luke Swanson, LaTanya Richardson, Academy Award nominee Ruby Dee, with a special appearance by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman.
In 2004, Michael was commissioned to develop concepts for and produce national commercials starring actor Martin Sheen and television personality Regis Philbin for the University of Notre Dame. The spots were awarded gold medals for best commercials by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Michael also produced the “indie classic” feature film All About You and executive produced its popular soundtrack album. The romantic comedy, also written and directed by Christine Swanson, stars Renée Goldsberry, Terron Brooks, LisaRaye, Vanessa Bell Calloway and Debbie Allen.
All About You won multiple film festival awards, including the Blockbuster Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the American Black Film Festival, the Festival Award at the Pan African Film Festival and an Audience Award at The 37th Chicago International Film Festival. All About You also enjoyed a 13-city theatrical tour sponsored by HBO before becoming the best-selling movie title in the history of its home entertainment distributor.
His most acclaimed short film, Two Seasons, was a Student Academy Award semi-finalist and a 1999 Sundance Film Festival official selection. Two Seasons won the Warner Bros. Pictures Production Award, the National Black Programming Consortium Award and the HBO Short Film Competition Grand Prize at the 1998 Acapulco Black Film Festival. Two Seasons also toured throughout Japan in the Short Shorts Film Festival and periodically airs on cable television in the United States.
In 1995, after a stint in Princeton Theological Seminary’s Master of Divinity program, Michael joined the NBC Television Network’s national primetime sales team in New York City and co-managed corporate accounts reaching $30 million each. Michael was also a part of the NBC “Must See TV” primetime sales team that was the first in network television history to book over $2 billion in advertising revenue during an upfront selling period.
A Chicago native, Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film from the University of Notre Dame. He recently received the Rev. Arthur S. Harvey Award from the Notre Dame Alumni Association and the Exemplar Award from the Black Alumni of Notre Dame for his achievements in the arts.
Michael is frequently invited by colleges and universities to present his captivating lectures and informative workshops on business, filmmaking and the entertainment industry. He is currently developing his next feature film project slated to begin production in 2009. Michael resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and their four children.
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