Biographie
Davis started his professional career as an actor after graduating from the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in New York City. In 1999, Davis moved to Los Angeles where he starred in award-winning, dramatic independent short films such as The Call and Let's Talk which aired on BET. Later, Davis starred in a recurring role as a fashion stylist for Forrester Creations on the popular daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. In 2003, Davis was cast to star alongside Lorenzo Lamas in the action film Raptor Island for the Syfy Channel. It was this film that sparked Michael's passion for the action genre which led him to star in multiple action films over three years for the Syfy Channel.
While acting in a film in Bulgaria, Davis learned about the horrific crime of human trafficking during a fundraising event and traveled to various orphanages with the organization Face To Face Bulgaria to meet trafficking victims. Upon his return to the United States, Davis wrote the film Svetlana's Journey, based on the true story of a 13-year-old sex trafficking victim. Davis flew back to Sofia, Bulgaria, where he secured corporate funding and directed the film in a week with non-English-speaking Bulgarian actors. Upon completion of Svetlana's Journey, Davis helped organize fundraising events, generating thousands of dollars to provide financial support to a number of orphanages. Davis prolonged his stay in Sofia and toured the country screening Svetlana's Journey in 20 public schools and orphanages.
In 2005, Svetlana's Journey aired on Bulgarian national television to more than two million viewers. Davis' work helped push Bulgaria's lawmakers to create their first ever anti-trafficking agency. In addition, Svetlana's Journey won Best Short Subject at the 2005 Hollywood Film Festival and Best Short Subject honors at the 2005 HDFEST Film Festival in Los Angeles. Davis was also honored runner-up for Best Director. In 2007, Davis produced and directed Cargo: Innocence Lost, a documentary that exposes the sex trade of children and women within the United States.
Both films have been used by hundreds of national and international agencies, organizations, churches, and educational institutions. Davis, has worked with legislators, royalty, celebrities, and corporations to create social awareness. He is the recipient of the prestigious People to People International (founded by Dwight Eisenhower) Make a Difference award and has been covered by various broadcast and print media outlets including World News with Charles Gibson, CNN, NBC, ABC, KTLA, and Los Angeles Daily News, to name a few, bringing light to the issue.
Davis is the founder of Artists United For Social Justice a non-profit organization with a mission that empowers activists to create and distribute multimedia content that educates the public, particularly youth, about human rights violations and social injustices.
Davis is the CEO of Journey Film Group Inc., a film production company with a mission to create and distribute innovative content with topical, socially relevant themes.
