Michael Swanson

President | CEO | Producer

Emmy Award winner Michael Swanson is a Hollywood studio executive, film producer, and visionary entrepreneur. He is also president and CEO of the Los Angeles–based entertainment company Faith Filmworks.

As Senior Vice President of Production at Universal Television, Michael is the studio executive responsible for production of the Emmy Award–winning series Hacks (Outstanding Comedy Series), as well as acclaimed shows including Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, A Man on the Inside, Never Have I Ever, Community, Good Girls, and Master of None.

Throughout his distinguished career in entertainment, Michael has produced movies to critical and audience acclaim including Albany Road, All About You, All About Us, For the Love of Ruth, To Hell and Back, Andraé Crouch: Making The Journey, Two Seasons, Notre Dame First Time Fans: Legacy, The Wayman Tisdale Story and Fannie.

Among its numerous accolades, Albany Road was named one of the “Top 10 Movies of the Year” by the African American Film Critics Association. Albany Road also garnered nominations for 2 NAACP Image Awards: Outstanding Independent Motion Picture and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Lynn Whitfield.

On Broadway, Michael was involved with the Tony Award winning hit musical, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, as well as the first Broadway revival of the groundbreaking choreopoem, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. This celebrated work garnered 7 Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Play. Michael is now helping to bring Hippest Trip—The Soul Train Musical to Broadway.

Early in his career, Michael joined NBC's "Must See TV" national primetime sales team in New York that sold commercial space for top-rated NBC shows including Seinfeld, ER, Friends, Frasier and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This sales team became the first in broadcast television to book over $2.2 billion in upfront advertising revenue.

Earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film, Television and Theatre from the University of Notre Dame; Michael was chosen by the Notre Dame Alumni Association as The Rev. Arthur S. Harvey Award recipient, acknowledging his achievements in the arts.

Michael brings his passion for the creative and cultural sectors to his service on the Board of Trustees at Columbia College Chicago and the Board of Directors for Wedgwood Circle. He also contributes his expertise to Notre Dame’s Performing Arts Advisory Council, the Coalition for Faith and Media, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. A native of Chicago’s South Side, Michael resides in Los Angeles with his wife, filmmaker Christine Swanson, and they are the parents of four creative children.