Writer/director/actor Michael Alderman began his career in the late 1970s, producing a number of “stop-motion” animated short films. In college he enrolled in every class offered within his chosen field, earning an Associate of Arts degree with emphasis on film and television production, as well as a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement & Excellence. While there, he wrote and directed the Halloween episode of the weekly children’s cable TV program, Captain Cidd’s Castle. He also became involved with the college’s drama department, where he learned the craft of collaborating with actors to tell a story.
In 1984 he was invited by director Richard Donner to observe firsthand the shooting of the Warner Bros. feature The Goonies while the production was on location in Michael’s hometown of Astoria, Oregon. Donner memorably introduced him to executive producer Steven Spielberg as a “fellow director”. Michael later published a book-length memoir detailing the experience, titled Three Weeks With The Goonies.
In 1986, Michael completed his first short film featuring live actors, With This Ring… That piece attracted the attention of Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Susan Shadburne, who employed Michael in various capacities at Millennium Pictures – the company she co-owned with Oscar-winning animator Will Vinton – during the 1987 production of the children’s video, King Cole’s Party.
In 1990, Michael completed his first feature as writer/director, an action-thriller titled The Mind of the Circle, produced on a total budget of $18,000. In 1994 he began his second feature, Somewhere Else, which was shot, edited and completed on 16mm film. Haunted Shore is Michael's third venture as a feature film writer/director. The movie is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
Michael has written several full-length stage plays, four of which have been successfully produced for paying audiences. His original comedy sketches won awards during four consecutive seasons of an annual writing competition, including two 1st Place honors. He has directed 18 plays and acted in 24, including performing the title role in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
As a cinematographer, Michael has shot thousands of hours of film and videotape, including material for the History Channel series Search & Rescue and Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch. He also assisted award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns during production of the PBS series Lewis & Clark: Journey of the Corps of Discovery.
Michael Alderman with Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-Winning documentarian Ken Burns.
Michael has shot and edited more than 60 commercials for cable television, as well as a short documentary produced in collaboration with Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean – the fourth man to walk on the moon.
In 2002, David Baird of Kinetic Management in Los Angeles signed Michael for representation as a screenwriter/director. Since then, Mr. Baird has shopped four of Michael’s action/thriller screenplays around Hollywood. Graveyard of the Pacific, The Straits, Break Deep, and Quarry.
