About Me - Michael M. Kadrie - Creative Director | Producer

Michael M. Kadrie

Creative Director | Producer/Director | Writer | Actor

Michael has been entertaining people most of his life. At an early age, he started playing drums, acting and working on his artistic abilities. He began acting in summer theater and would later appear in TV commercials and land extra rolls in feature films. Music soon took over as his main passion and by the time he was 19, Michael was playing in front of large crowds.

In 1986, Michael would put his acting to use by combining his improvisational skills with his natural ability to mimic famous voices, such as Bullwinkle, and began making regular appearances on the Scott Paulsen Radio Show on Pittsburgh’s, WDVE. This would soon parlay into a short-lived career in doing voice-overs for radio commercials.

In 1991, Michael would get his first taste at producing music as he entered the studio to co-produce a charity song to which he penned the lyrics. Dream Makers was a local “We Are The World” type effort where he gathered musicians of all types from around the Pittsburgh area to take part in singing and playing on the song that would get notable air play as well as a Rockumentary that would air on TV. 5 years later, he was at it again. Only this time, Michael decided to produce a full-length CD of local bands performing classic rock hits. And the Power-hitters Tribute to Classic Rock was recorded and released to raise money for the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

To further his advancement on his design capabilities, Michael decided to attend Duquesne University in Pittsburgh to obtain a degree in Multimedia Technologies. It was here that Michael fell in love with everything related to Multimedia Design including computer animation.

In 2009, Michael formed a division of his company Atlas Design Group that was to become Zoetifex Entertainment. Almost immediately, he got the chance to put together a demonstration of Zoetifex’ animation capabilities, for a gentleman in New York who was looking for a company to produce a new TV Series based on re-hashed vintage audio. So Michael came up with the idea of taking the audio from Alfred Hitchcock’s 5 minute long trailer for his movie “The Birds”. Michael then began to build his pipeline of talented artists. People who have worked for the largest animation studios from around the world. And since January of 2010, Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Birds (Animated Short) has now appeared in three film festivals all around the world, and has been featured on such sites as Aniboom, where it has gained much notoriety.

In the years since, Michael has been hard at work continuing to build the Zoetifex pipeline, make key relationships and create new projects that will become future productions for Zoetifex Entertainment.

A BRIEF SNAPSHOPT OF MY EXPERIENCE

Creative Director – 24 years Experience

63%

Creative Agency – 13 years Experience

33%

Producer – 28 years Experience

72%

Director – 23 years Experience

58%

Public Speaker – 17 years Experience

43%

Writer – 21 years Experience

54%

Career Objective

To serve as creative director/producer for companies that will allow me to utilize my creative, communication, leadership and management skills, and to benefit those who are focused on continued improvement of their creative product, organizational growth and the success of their clients.

Download My Resume [PDF Format]

Career Highlights

• 24 ✚ years in the creative services field

• 20 ✚ years experience as creative director art director

• Served as Producer/Director/Creative Director for dozens of VFX projects and 2D & 3D animated films/projects

• Solely responsible for all marketing collateral for the #1 Broker/Dealer in Pittsburgh (per Pittsburgh Business Times)

• Assembled a leadership team to purchase Atlas Design Group from BlueVase Securities

• Serving as featured judge for the Web Awards since 2001

• Branded, ID’d and helped develop UI/UX for new social media mobile app

• Providing expert advice and helping shape the curriculum of Pittsburgh Technical College as a member of their Board of Advisors since 2001

• Grew Atlas Design Group to over 100 clients, both locally and nationally, in more than a dozen markets within 6 years

• Launched a successful world-wide web campaign with Coral Ridge Ministries – the 5th largest ministry in the country

• Conceived and lead production of Piece of the Pride (flash-based on-line application) for CalU and Nationally

• Conceptualized and created animated intro to CalU Football games for their stadium’s new Jumbotron

• Conceptualized and Produced an animated short that has appeared in several film festivals world-wide

• Created Motion Graphics Animation for VisitPittsburgh that won the 2013 Silver Telly Award

• Public Speaker to students entering into the field of animation and other creative design fields and to other business owners in the industry

• A career of helping companies from start-up to Fortune 500 realize a vision and/or new direction for their Brand

Demo Reel

Last Updated 2024

My latest Demo Reel that is a diverse display of my career’s work. A lot of my career is in here. Freelance work, Atlas Design Group, Zoetifex Entertainment, Apple Box Studios and The Chronicles of Christ. All are represented in the minute and a half reel. For a better look at some of these projects, I invite you to check out my Animation and Video Portfolio.

If you have any questions about my work, or you have a video project that you need my help with, please feel free to Contact Me.

Recommendations

via LinkedIn

"I've worked with Mike for more than 10 years on so many projects I can't count them all. He is one of the most inspirational and creative individuals I've ever come across. Whether it comes to creative direction, writing, design, or editing, he freakishly gets the essence of them all. He's just so good at so many things, I have a sneaking suspicion that he doesn't sleep. No doubt, we'll be working together in some way for many years to come."

Thad Ciechanowski | Filmmaker

"You could say that Mike Kadrie is a jack-of-all-trades and a master-of-nothing, but you'd be wrong! That's because Mike really is a jack-of-all-trades but he's actual master-of-many. In the 10 years that I've worked with Mike he never ceased to amaze me with the arsenal of talents he showcased on each and every project. In addition, Mike has the persistence to never give up on an idea and to simply figure things out when everyone else has become exhausted and given up. I hope to cross paths again with Mike in the future."

Dan Brettholle | Associate Creative Director

"I’ve been working with Mike for several years now and am very, very pleased with his work. From coming up with a great name for my company to our website and social media development, his work has been fantastic. He makes sure he understands my wishes and goals and communicates clearly. I HIGHLY recommend him. "

Donna A. Cameron | Arborsun Group

"I must say, Michael really knew how to find and inspire an impressive team to come together on this project. His undying enthusiasm and encouragement were of course much appreciated as well! It was very helpful to our animation team that he recognized an issue in the rigging pipeline, listened to the animators, and made sure that the necessary changes were made to improve the quality of the assets going into the production. I look forward to seeing what Zoetifex does next!"

Cristin McKee | Animator – Skydance

"I had the honor of being invited by Michael to work in an Animated Short Film. I met Michael through the Pixel Corps, and through him I was introduced to other excellent professionals. Michael has an amazing capacity of coordination and project management. He was able to assemble a team of heavyweights in a matter of no time. What was most fascinating was that he managed to coordinate everything remotely, achieving truly impressive results. Since my first contact with Michael, he has always been serious, upright, and highly responsible. He is a professional with whom I would be happy to work again."

Julio Cesar De Modesti | 3D Generalist

"Michael is warm, affable, and very patient - while still able to maintain his vision and meet his deadlines. I was really blown away by his ability to assemble a fairly large team remotely, and put together a top-notch final product in such a short period of time."

Sruli Broocker | Animator

"Mike is a phenomenal designer. His work is of the highest quality and I would and have recommended his services to anyone requesting a design service."

Chris Romano | RHO Technology

"Michael had a vision, and from day one, he put forth an enormous amount of effort to see the project through. I was amazed at how he kept things running so smoothly with a team of creative artist all around the U.S."

Hasan Odom | Storyboard Artist

"Michael hired me to model a Alfred Hitchcock character for a short he was making "Alfred Hitchcock Present: The Birds". I enjoyed working with Michael and he was a great boss. He told me what he wanted and then let me do my job.....who wouldn't want a boss like that! He has a good eye for the details and knows how to put together a film. I would like to work with Michael again."

Roger Borelli | Senior Production Artist

"I worked with Michael on the short film, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: the Birds," in 2009. He was always very enthusiastic about the project, and his energy and optimism really made it an enjoyable production. He was open to both story ideas and production suggestions from the crew, and always gave everyone a chance to comment on how the film was coming along. Michael has a good grasp of what makes a story enjoyable by the audience, and has many new story ideas up his sleeve."

Valerie Morrison | Senior Animator

"I feel lucky to have worked with Michael creating the animated short film "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: the Birds." Mike was able to pull a very talented group together in a short amount of time. More impressively, he was able to keep the team working in harmony even though the members were spread across the US and abroad. Mike has an endless amount of energy and continuous positive attitude which makes working with him very enjoyable. He is always ready with a creative solution and is full of new story ideas and interesting characters. Mike is generous with his time and talent. I recommend him highly and look forward to working with him on future projects."

Amelia Kurth | Cinematic Animator

"I had the pleasure of working with Michael on an animated 3D short based on vintage Alfred Hitchcock audio. Michael's energy and networking abilities were instrumental in building an extremely talented team on very short notice. His creativity and enthusiasm truly brought the best out of his staff, and resulted in a great final product. I would certainly recommend Michale for any project in need of a top notch producer."

Jason Baskin | CG Generalist

"I first met Michael when he asked me to animate a few seconds on his Alfred Hitchcock project. I was greatly impressed with his leadership. He overcame all the challenges of organizing and directing a team remotely. Through his vision, communication, and guidance we were able to create an entire short film in a timely manner. I would most definitely work with Michael again in the future."

Teresa Storhoff | Lead Animator – Pixar

"I've enjoyed the privilege of working for Michael on a number of projects and on every one I can recall his enthusiasm for the product and his commitment to delivering the best on the available time and resources. Goals are easily achieved due to his ability to articulate and critique. This is the client, the business partner, the collaborator, you want on your team."

Gary Ritchie | Technical Communications Consultant

"Mike has enviable ability to take an idea and transform it into a professional image. He has the creativity and computer know-how to make dynamic web sites and stunning marketing material. You just gotta see his work! He is one of the best, if not the best, designer I have worked with."

Sal Mangiapane | Trade Operations

"Mike has an amazing ability to take an idea and transform it into a dynamic image. He has the personality and energy to make everyone around him comfortable along with the creativity and "gadgetry" to make fantastic marketing materials and attention-getting web sites. Bar none, he is the best designer I have had the pleasure to work with."