I knew Michael from the work he'd done as writer and editor on "Freedom on My Mind, which I'd co-produced and directed and which was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Best Documentary at Sundance. Needless to say, Michael did a fantastic job. So on “Archeology”, although my co-director Quique Cruz and I were pleased with many aspects of our rough cut, we felt it lacked an organizing structure and needed to reflect more of Quique's artistic struggle. We brought it to Michael, who, as a filmmaker himself, was able to elegantly incorporate new elements and give us the poetic feeling we'd been after. He also gave the film a strong forward movement, not easy to do in a personal, reflective piece.

Working in Moab away from our ordinary lives gave us a chance to concentrate on the film in ways we hadn't done before. We worked hard, but we also took hikes in a magical landscape while Michael worked. A wonderful opportunity to ‘chill’ and ‘reflect’ on the work. After this experience, I would never hire anybody else.
--Producer/Director Marilyn Mulford

Michael edited my (and Robert Hillmann's) feature documentary Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey. He did a brilliant job, resulting in the film's nomination for Best Documentary Feature by the Academy in 1991. Bob and I thank Michael's remarkable intelligence, passion, and skill (and our wisdom to have chosen him) for that honor. I'd admired Michael's work for years (Amadeus) and marveled at his ability to go back and forth between feature and documentary forms. After struggling for months to put together a promo for my new documentary on what baseball means to kids growing up poor, I took the job to Moab and Michael delivered again. After a week of working together, we came up with a piece that hits all the right notes. Don't try this at home. Michael soaked up my vision and intention and then turned a challenging concept into an imaginatively structured and cut piece that will be a great help i n fundraising. And Moab's a stunning place to work.
--Producer/Director, Gene Corr

Put simply, Michael is a brilliant editor and filmmaker. He has an extraordinary ability to integrate both the narrative and emotional potential of raw footage and rough cut sequences into a compelling story arc. Michael's understanding of narrative throughline is sophisticated and sharp -- yet tempered with a remarkable lyricism and sensitivity. It was a privilege to work with him, and I hope I'll have the opportunity again.
--Producer/Director, Peter Esmonde

Thanks to Michael, our non-fiction film has the feel of a fiction political thriller. He took our good enough film and made it sing. Michael is an editor and filmmaker with an extraordinary sense of storytelling and structure.I didn't think he could wend his way thru the hundreds of hours of our material to find the gems,but somehow he did, in very short order! He is also a fabulous arbiter between stubborn co-directors and helped us find a third way which was better than either of our approaches. We resisted going to Moab to work with Michael, because of the expense and time away from our base, but it was a very good decision. I highly recommend Michael as a consulting editor! --Producer/Director Judith Ehrlich

Thanks for everything.  I keep thinking how important it was that we got to you when we did.  Your understanding of what was good, what was needed, what was the real meat, and your magic in crafting it and making it all work was invaluable, and it wouldn't be near the same film, or near as clear and as powerful without you.  You're the best.
--Producer/Director Rick Goldsmith