Hi, I’m Michael. I’m an Emmy-winning film-maker, animator and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. I tell stories that are little silly and a little spooky, with a focus on both live-action and stop motion animation.
My career in television and film ranges from independent documentary work to studio films and network TV shows, such as Ray Donovan, Mr. Robot & High Maintenance.
My directing work includes the animated short Nostril, the live-action short film, Halloweenie, and the audio-drama series, The Lost Signal Society.
In 2022, I made the decision to expand my professional and creative skillset and pursue a life-long love of animation. I received my Masters in Computer Arts from the School of Visual Arts in May 2024.
Contact me at dondero.production@gmail.com
Hey, here’s some more back story for the curious-minded…
Watching early morning Looney Tunes reruns over breakfast as a child sparked an early interest in storytelling, film and animation. At age six, I wrote letters to Warner Bros. Studios expressing my interest in becoming an animator for shows like Batman the Animated Series and Pinky and the Brain. You can hear more about that here.
Around the same time, the PBS show Wishbone, about an extremely well-read Jack Russell Terrier, transformed me into an insatiable reader. You can draw a direct line from my undergraduate English degree from Penn State University all the way back to that afternoon children’s show.
Along the way, I became an avid fan of all genres of films (but mostly horror films), weathered paperback science fiction novels, comic books and all types of music.
I also love learning languages, having studied Spanish at Penn State University. I am fluent in Spanish, and conversant in Italian. My other interests include playing music, hiking, bread baking, drawing, and biking.