Projects

Michael has directed and produced a wide array of interactive projects and exhibitions. His work includes multimedia exhibitions and websites on the Holocaust, the Katrina Disaster (Louisiana State Museum), the Newark Riots (New Jersey Historical Society), and Slavery in New York (New-York Historical Society). He’s covered environmental and scientific subjects, including renewable energy (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston), the ecology of the waterways of New Jersey and New York (Liberty Science Center), and CityCar—a new kind of intelligent, networked urban vehicle designed at the Media Lab. He’s developed communication strategies and websites for MetLife, DuPont, Iridium, iMagic, Verizon, and many other corporations. He’s developed distance learning projects on language, culture and civic engagement. He’s produced major interactive media installations on art, including projects for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the Worcester Art Museum.

Some of his recent projects include a six-part series on the neighborhoods of Boston, My Neighborhood Boston, for the Boston Foundation, an award-winning interactive installation on a major artwork at the Denver Art Museum, a new interactive theater program for the Federal Reserve’s New Economic Adventure, and a distance learning website on the process and history of American presidential elections for the National Constitution Center.

Below is a list of major projects.

My Neighborhood Boston, Boston Neighborhood Network
Post-Production Supervisor. Developed specifications and work flow for the editing and delivery of cable series on Boston’s neighborhoods funded by the Boston Foundation. Edited and assembled final broadcast programs using segments developed by individual producers.

Trade Canoe for Don Quixote, Denver Art Museum
Multimedia Producer & Designer. Led development of the interpretation and design of a four-screen, multi-touch media exhibit on a major artwork by Native American artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Trade Canoe is a media analog of the actual painting, which is over 20 feet long and 8 feet wide. Visitors can touch any area of the painting to trigger animated “nuggets” that illuminate the various art motifs used in the painting, the artist’s painting techniques, and the ideas behind her work. Trade Canoe for Don Quixote received an Honorable Mention at the AAM MUSE Awards in 2011.

Renewable Energy Game, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Project Manager & Multimedia Producer. Wrote, produced & directed a new interactive game for the Federal Reserve’s New England Economic Adventure Interactive Theater. Led the design, production and installation of the new game for a 60-seat interactive theater, working with in-house and museum staff, as well as multiple outside vendors.

Living With Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond, Louisiana State Museum
Multimedia Producer & Designer. Led development of a new, permanent exhibition on the social history and science behind the Katrina Disaster. Developed multimedia installations throughout the exhibition, including the Storm Theater and the Is This America? space where visitors encounter multiple, visualized oral histories recounting the experiences of the survivors of Katrina. Led the design and implementation of all media exhibits, working with in-house and museum staff, as well as multiple outside vendors.

MetLife Brand Experience Exhibition and Website, MetLife
Multimedia Producer & Designer. Produced a special exhibition and website for MetLife’s 200th anniversary. The rich media website and special exhibition includes over 20 different exhibits and interactive experiences that allow employees to explore MetLife’s brand experience. The website includes a three dimensional social media interface, interactive timeline, and video documentaries about the people and history of MetLife. Led a team of in-house, corporate staff, as well as multiple outside vendors. The website is currently being updated and is “offline” at present.

Headed to the White House, National Constitution Center
Multimedia Producer & Designer. Led the design and production of a multimedia exhibition and rich media website on the history and process of American presidential elections. Wrote scripts and storyboards, managed the production, post-production, and installation of media. Oversaw technology and managed multiple vendors. This exhibition has traveled to several presidential libraries and will be updated to include 2012 presidential election. The program includes 15 media interactives, many of which have been re-purposed for the website.

Holocaust Resource Center, Queensborough Community College
Multimedia Producer & Designer. One of three principals-in-charge who developed a permanent exhibition on the history of the Holocaust. Developed 15 multimedia exhibits incorporating oral histories, interactive installations, a media timeline, and multiple projected-media installations. Also developed Students Speak, a media installation that explores how students relate the Holocaust to current issues of social exclusion and harassment. Managed multidisciplinary teams and outside vendors. The exhibition received a positive review from Edward Rothstein in the New York Times, with specific references to the oral history media exhibits.

What’s Going On? Newark and the Legacy of the Sixties, New Jersey Historical Society
Multimedia Producer & Designer. Developed major exhibition on the social forces that led to the Newark Riots in 1967. Designed traveling exhibition with 23 integrated media exhibits. Developed a Dynamic Timeline and a Riot Triptych, each of which acted as key attractors and anchors for the exhibition as a whole. Developed content and design for a new approach for presenting oral history in public spaces. Managed multidisciplinary teams and outside vendors. The Dynamic Timeline won a Bronze at the AAM MUSE Awards.

Boston Black, Boston Children’s Museum
Multimedia Producer & Designer. Produced 10 interactive media exhibits on Boston’s diverse communities of African descent for this permanent exhibition at the Boston Children’s Museum. Managed multidisciplinary teams and outside vendors.

Slavery in New-York, New-York Historical Society
Multimedia Producer & Designer. One of two principals-in-charge who developed a major exhibition on the history of slavery in New York for the New-York Historical Society. The exhibition included over 20 media exhibits within an exhibition space of 10,000 square feet. Some of the most notable exhibits included The Well, where visitors discovered the reflections of 18th century slaves in the water below, the Document Translator, and the Manumission Game. Slavery in New-York attracted the highest attendance for a special exhibition in the 204-year history of the New-York Historical Society. The Well won a Silver AAM MUSE Award and received a favorable review from Edward Rothstein in the New York Times.

The Christian Science Monitor Gallery, Mary Baker Eddy Library
Multimedia Producer & Designer. Produced a major exhibition on the role of media in contemporary society, as well as the role of the Christian Science Monitor in American journalism since the early 20th century. The exhibit was located next to the Monitor’s newsroom, and one of the signature media interactives, entitled Inside the Monitor, allowed visitors to actively explore the newsroom during a single 24-hour period. The interactive was developed using cinema verite filmmaking techniques and animation, allowing visitors to observe the newsroom from multiple vantage points throughout the day.

Broadband Interactive Television Series Pilot, Institute For Civil Society
Producer/Technologist. Played key role in developing pilot for a TV/web hybrid for kids that incorporates storytelling, streaming video, games and webcams. Led technology research effort and developed timelines, budgets, and detailed project plans.

Early American Paintings, Worcester Art Museum
Producer. Led the production of an online catalog of WAM’s early American paintings. Was awarded a Yahoo! Pick of the Week award.

Star Festival Network, MIT and Botticelli Interactive
Multimedia Producer. Developed first interactive television series for broadband. Developed concept and educational design, identified appropriate technologies, managed team of 28 people (full time and contract), and forged key alliances with MIT and MediaOne. Oversaw budget of $750,000. Was responsible for technology alliances, team building, and public relations. Setup and managed the testing of SFN in suburban schools around Boston with broadband. SFN was the first online educational multimedia package to be adopted by the Boston Public School System. Received a Distinguished Award at the Multimedia Grand Prix 2000 in Japan.

Iridium Kiosk Game, Iridium Satellite LLC and Zefer
Multimedia Producer. Developed network of game kiosks for Geneva Telecom '99. Users played a series of games to collect elements, save the world, and learn more about Iridium products. Was brought in as Executive Producer after project had fallen seriously behind schedule. In a six-week time frame, assembled team of 15, revamped concept, selected appropriate technologies, and developed budgets, timeline and storyboards. Managed relationship with external design firm, advertising agency, database vendor, and client.

Titian Kiosk, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Multimedia Producer/Technologist. Produced first interactive kiosk to incorporate MPEG-2 video in a full screen/full motion touch screen interface. Developed concept and identified the appropriate technologies for the project. The kiosk presents Titian’s Europa as a pool of rippling water that can be explored by touching different parts of the painting. Led production team of 10 and managed multiple outside vendors. Won Silver Medal at the New York International Multimedia Festival.

Sybase Trade Show Presentation, Sybase
Multimedia Producer. Developed fully interactive 3-D “Edisonian laboratory” interface for presenting videos and products at trade shows, with fully animated machine gadgetry and effects, such as steam and liquid video. Specified digital video technologies for full screen video. Led production team of 12 and was the primary contact with the client.

PowerPhone, iMagic Systems, Hong Kong
Multimedia Producer/Technologist. Developed original MPEG graphics and advertising for world’s first commercially deployed multimedia pay phone. Oversaw the design and production of motion graphics, tutorials, advertising, and original music for the PowerPhone. Specified software and workflow for creating MPEG-1 video files. Managed a 12-member team in Boston and Hong Kong.

Star Festival, MIT
Multimedia Producer & Technologist. Conceived and produced award-winning CD-ROM starring George Takei about a Japanese professor's return to his homeland. Recruited, managed, and mentored team of 15 (full time & contract). Directed documentary shoots, oversaw interface design, video editing/compression, and technical issues. Developed and managed series of budgets totaling 1.5 million. Project broke new ground in story-based interactive learning and high quality video compression. Was awarded Best of Show at Macworld Expo/Boston and a Freakin' Awesome rating by MacAddict magazine. Developed at the Laboratory for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, MIT.

Dans un quartier de Paris, MIT Laboratory for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
Multimedia Producer & Designer. First of a series of interactive cultural documentaries developed for MIT’s Laboratory for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (LATH). Using interactive maps, cinema verite documentary sequences, and hypertext, users can explore the past and present of a Parisian neighborhood. Managed a production team of 12 (full time and contract). Project was implemented as a networked application at Project Athena and also released on laser videodisc and CD-ROM. Won the Prix Special du Jury at the Innovalangues competition in Paris, 1998. Published by Yale University Press.

Mentor Presents: Frankenstein, Harvard University
Multimedia Producer. An early electronic book of Mary Shelley’s classic novel that included a virtual “mentor” that users interact with to gain deeper insight. Directed by Professor Leonard Rosen, Harvard University.

Field Quest, Rene Dubois Center for the Environment
Videographer/Interactive Consultant. A comprehensive (4) CD-ROM set that taught environmental literacy
in a game-like setting. Produced for the Rene Dubois Center for the Environment, New York.

Liberty Science Interactive Theater, Liberty Science Center
Multimedia Producer & Videographer. An interactive theater program that allowed audiences of up to 60 people make group decisions and play games concerning the environment and waterways of New Jersey and New York. Produced by Peace River Films.

Fourth of July, MIT Advanced Technology in the Humanities
Multimedia Producer & Videographer. This interactive title takes the user on a journey along Boston’s Freedom Trail. Part of a series of educational multimedia on language and culture. Developed at the Laboratory for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, MIT.

Volcano, Man, and the Sea, Osaka Aquarium
Editor, Designer, Production Manager. Two multimedia installations for the Osaka Aquarium in Osaka, Japan. Volcano takes visitors through an entry hall where 6 large video screens and a sophisticated sound environment recreate a volcanic eruption. Man and the Sea explores the peoples of the Pacific Rim through a multi-screen installation showing eight brief videos on locations in Japan, U.S.A., Panama, Chile, Antarctica, Great Barrier Reef, and Western Samoa. Produced by Peace River Films for Osaka Waterfront Development, Inc.

The Monterey Expedition, Apple Computer
Video Consultant, Surrogate Travel Photographer. An experimental interactive documentary on the environment and culture of Moss Landing, located near Monterey, California. Produced by Apple Computer’s Multimedia Lab.

Interactive Nova: Animal Pathfinders, WGBH & Apple Computer
Assistant Cameraperson, Editor. First interactive NOVA on laser videodisc about animal migration. Produced by WGBH, Apple
Computer and Peace River Films.

Discovery Cove, New York Aquarium
Editor, Designer. A series of six video installations for the New York Aquarium. Produced by Peace River Films.

No Recuerdo, MIT Laboratory for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
Technical Director. An interactive “novella” about a scientist in Bogotá, Columbia who accidentally produces a formula that causes amnesia. Developed at the Laboratory for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, MIT.

Educational Videos

Doing Science, Getting Connected, Technical Education Research Centers
Video Producer & Director. Produced two introductory videos about an educational program for teaching telecommunications and the scientific method to high school students. Developed by Peace River Films for
Technical Education Research Centers, Inc.

NOVA: Adrift on the Gulf Stream, WGBH
Post-Production Consultant, Editor. A program about the origin and effects of the Gulf Stream. Produced by
Peace River Films.

Soft Machine, MIT Media Lab
Video Producer, Editor. A video about an interactive videodisc program that uses speech recognition and
synthesis to access a visual database of architectural stills. Produced by Patrick Purcell, Media Lab, MIT.

Computer Pioneers, MIT Center for International Studies
Director. Twenty hours of interviews of scientists and engineers who developed the digital computer in the
1940s and 50s. Produced by Ithiel Pool and Richard Soloman for the Center For International Studies, MIT

Documentaries

Dario Fo in America, Roper Productions
Video Producer, Videographer, Editor. A portrait of Italy’s Nobel Prize-winning performer/playwright. Broadcast on WGBH in March, 1988.

A Call For Survival, MIT Graduate Thesis Project
Director, Cinematographer, Editor. Portraits of four, ordinary people working for nuclear disarmament. Broadcast nationally in 1984 & 1985. Won awards from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Choice Magazine, and the American Film Festival. Produced with Dan Grossman.

Video Art

Music For a Different Time, MIT
Producer, Editor, Technical Director. Three-screen projected video program at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium employing SMPTE time code synchronization and high quality audio installation. Video by Rus Gant, Michael Roper, Vin Grabill, and Aldo Tambellini. Co-produced with Vin Grabill.

MAN-FRAMES, Art Video Boston
Director, Performer. A performance video about a man who sings songs of love in the bathroom while getting ready for a date.

Shipfitter, Surveyor, Scientist, California Institute of the Arts
Director, Editor. Three PSA's on disarmament selected for TV Works, a program of experimental 60 second messages. Sponsored by the California Institute of the Arts. Distributed by the Video Data Bank, Chicago.