Michael Giannantonio

Michael Giannantonio is highly experienced and knowledgeable in virtually all aspects of live and planned production including: live entertainment, theatrical & production lighting, cinematography, scriptwriting, development, broadcasting, financing, pre-production, production, post-production, marketing and distribution. A few of Michael’s current goals include writing and directing motion pictures for a global market and producing high end television shows.

Since the day Michael was born on March 12, 1973, he was destined for the entertainment industry. He displayed his creative and leadership abilities at a very young age. By the age of 11, Michael had made his first musical recording. Before age 12, Michael was performing complex magic tricks for his friends and family. Michael discovered the video camera at a young age and began writing scripts, developing ideas and producing home videos. Michael then made his professional debut as a musician at age 15. in 1987, Michael launched his first production company, Nitefire Productions. This led to a 10 year career as a professional lead guitarist in popular rock bands. To pay his way, Michael was working as a journeyman / leadman electrician and was running large job sites for well known electrical companies in Phoenix, AZ. Shortly, Michael joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 640 and went on to protocol level 5 tool install at Intel’s new FAB 12 manufacturing plant in Chandler, Arizona. Already being an amateur computer builder having a fascination with the future of technology. This is where Michael discovered a passion for the computer industry.

Michael broke free of his electrical and special systems installation career and moved into the computer industry, accepting a lead sales position for Phoenix based computer systems group, Metro Computers. It was here Michael learned the computer industry and went on to become the multi-site manager of 5 computer stores. Michael then branched out on his own and formed his first commercial venture, Performance PC Computers. During this time Michael also left the musical arena and created a new act which featured him as a magician and stage hypnotist. Over the next few years Michael developed his act, and “took the show on the road”. It did not take long for Michael’s talents to be discovered.

After performing thousands of shows worldwide, Michael was becoming a world renowned stage hypnotist and magician and was routinely headlining casinos, fairs, festivals, corporate events, etc. At this time Michael formed another company, a talent agency responsible for the representation of entertainers. His stage acts were soon being regularly featured on national and international television shows, in print media and on radio broadcasts. During this time, Michael also found himself writing and consulting for the motion picture industry, as well as producing professional video related works and arranging feature film financing for well known projects in his “spare time”.

In late 2004, Michael, now performing in excess of 250 live stage shows per year for casinos, fairs, festivals, theme parks and more, Michael found himself somehow feeling “empty” inside. In 2005, Michael wrote, produced and directed his first award winning short film titled, “The Devil Inside” with his long time friend, John Voight. The success of this short film led to Michael’s retirement from the stage and to his transition into film and television full time. During his transitional period, Michael utilized decades of stage production, audio, visual, computer and lighting knowledge when he accepted an executive level management position as the manager of lighting and power distribution for a well known tri-state production company. Michael left this position to spend the next year and a half writing, producing, directing and editing all types of video productions for a popular Scottsdale, Arizona based production company. In his quest for knowledge, Michael spent the next 15 years working in all departments of the television and film industry. During this time Michael also focused on building and expanding his company divisions, Nitefire Productions, Summitstar Films & Entertainment, Summitstar Films, Optimus Video, and in 2020 Michael broke ground on his latest venture, Summitstar Studios.

With his new studio completing construction in mid 2022, Michael finally feels he has found his true calling and loves his aspiring career in film and television. Michael looks forward to a long and prosperous career sharing creative and artistic visions with the world. He also has big plans for a worldwide media distribution company.