About

I’m Michael Shafia, a producer in Los Angeles. I’ve worked in film, television, commercials, and music videos since 2012, with stops along the way in photography, sketch comedy, documentary, and live performance. I co-produced Two Distant Strangers, which won the 2021 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

Most of what I do never shows up on screen. I build the budget and then defend it, work the schedule backward from the delivery date, negotiate with vendors and talent, hire the crew, and carry the project through editorial, color, sound, and QC until a finished file goes out to spec.

More of the work lately is experiential: staffing live installations and events, sourcing and tracking equipment, and running the day-of build across locations. At the moment I’m production managing an event in Florida for the watch company Panerai, from the build and vendor coordination through on-site delivery.