Biography
Michael Philip was born and raised in Santa Monica, California. As the grandson of Mike Frankovich, Producer and President of Columbia Pictures (The Shootist), and stepson of Academy Award-winning film editor Carl Kress (The Towering Inferno), Michael gained an early insider’s perspective on Hollywood. He spent his first decade in the industry refining his skills as an assistant editor on films such as Stroker Ace, Cannonball Run II, Deepstar Six, and Bloodsport.
In 1994, after overseeing post-production on Arizona Dream (starring Johnny Depp) directed by Emir Kusturica, he co-founded Nichol Moon Entertainment, a production service company supporting independent films, including the notable Swingers. As an independent producer, Michael helped produce and package The Curve (starring Keri Russell), Lip Service (Jami Gertz), Who Is Cletis Tout? (Tim Allen), and The Movie Hero (Jeremy Sisto).
In 2005, Michael wrote and directed Drop Dead Sexy (featuring Jason Lee and Crispin Glover), which premiered at SXSW and was distributed by Lionsgate.
Between 2006 and 2015, Michael spent significant time in Eastern Europe, serving as Head of Production at several studios, notably Kentarous Studios in Bucharest and Raleigh Film Studios in Budapest. During this period, he partnered with Arnold Rifkin to produce Timber Falls (Beth Brodrick), Night Train (Danny Glover), Stag Night (Scott Atkins), and independently produced Battledrone, a stylized action film released by Netflix.
In 2016, Michael returned to the United States to direct Frat Pack (starring Danny Trejo), released by Lionsgate, and later produced Becoming (Toby Kebbell) and Disturbing The Peace (Guy Pearce).
Currently, Michael has co-founded Cr8iv DNA with Jason Moring (Double Dutch International). The company is in post-production on The Doorman (featuring Ruby Rose) for Lionsgate and is engaged in developing a slate of new and exciting projects.
