Mike Messier

Mike Messier has won 35 awards in film Direction, TV production, Screenwriting and play-writing. Messier has shared scenes with Meryl Streep & Elisabeth Shue (in Hope Springs), Wesley Snipes, Cybill Shepherd & Mario Van Peebles (in Hard Luck), and Richard Jenkins & Frances McDormand (in Olive Kitteridge). Messier's The Hospital Bed won him a Best Director Award in the Spring 2020 Alternative Film Festival in the Ultra Short Category while the film's poster (that Messier also designed) was later named a Best Poster Finalist in the Fall 2020 "AFF" contest. In Summer 2020, Messier won a Best Actor Award, Ultra Short Category from Alternative Film Festival for his spoken word performance in The Never Was. Both The Hospital Bed and The Never Was were edited by Zoe Morgan. The Manor, distributed by LionsGate . a feature horror film produced by Tommy DeNucci of Woodhaven Media, and 2Cousins Productions, features Mike as Ole Bayton in intense scenes as a roughneck hunter. Mike also was hired as the lead screenwriter on the piece. Mike has intense scenes with his co-stars Sully Erna (Godsmack's lead singer), Pro Wrestlers Kevin Nash and Mike Kanellis-Bennett, and Dexter's 'Astor' Christina Robinson, who plays the film's lead character of Amy. Mike studied Acting and Directing under Barry Primus (of Cagney & Lacey, Boxcar Bertha, American Hustle), Steve Fierberg (DP of Entourage, Love and Other Drugs), and Tom Kane (First Assistant Director of Kramer vs. Kramer) among others. Based on these experiences, Mike created and developed both C.O.R.E. A.C.T.I.N.G. - and intense scene study and character develop class - and Tao Zen Acting, an integrated approach to acting and life/work skills. Messier's work as Writer/Director/Producer includes Thanksgiving, which premiered at SENE Music, Arts, and Film Festival 2016 and won an Audience Choice Award for Best Regional Short. The same film also won the prestigious Princeton Tiger Award from the Nassau Film Festival at Princeton Garden Theater in May, 2017. Thanksgiving is about a man in his twenties who brings his girlfriend home to meet his until recently estranged father; only to discover his girlfriend and father once had their own romantic interlude years earlier. Mike's writing, co-directing and co-producing with co-Director Skip Shea, Producer Chirstine Perla and star David Graziano were major ingredients to the success of the short film The Actor, based on the life of a man coming to terms with the major mistakes in his life, about the career and the lady he left behind. The film won Honorable Mention at the 2014 SENE Festival and brought some closure to the real life subject matter. The Nature of the Flame, Mike's visual masterpiece Feminist Dream Zen Study won Best Cinematography from the inaugural My Love Michelle Short Film Festival from San Antonio, Texas in 2015 for the piece written and directed by Mike with Cinematography and editing by Chris Hunter. Messier's literary hero, the best selling author Laurence G. Boldt (Zen and the Art of Making a Living) was sent the film by Messier himself and responded "Beautifully done". The Mediterranean Film Festival also awarded the Messier - Hunter team an award for Best Photo for their promotional photo for Disregard the Vampire: A Mike Messier Documentary. The winning photo captures Valentine (portrayed by Geena Matuson) with the sweet taste of Ginger (played by Anna Rizzo) with hair and make up by Kaitlyn Ciampa and photo editing by Ms. Matuson. Mike recently won two Screenwriting Awards for To Fight or Play Basketball, a coming of age story about a young man with a gift for sports, his single mom, and two Professional Boxer who come into their lives. The awards come from Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Mediterranean Film Festival (MedFF) . The same script was a semi-finalist in LAs CineStory script contest. Mike's early film work with frequent collaborator DP/Editor Tim Labonte included The Wrestling With Sanity Short Film Trilogy (Sacrilege, God's Country and Rich & Famous) which won a total of three awards; Imagine News Comedy Festival Audience Choice Award, Ruff Cutz Audience Choice and Image Gazer Best Drama. It is notable that the same piece won awards in both comedy and drama. Messier and Labonte also teamed to win Best Editing at the 2011 PEG Awards for Mike Messier Show. Mike's show had previously won Best Series in 2005 during a wild season of programming which included episodes with The Suicide Girls, Providence Roller Derby and the rock band Skid Row. Mike Messier Show was a late night staple on Rhode Island public access TV for an entire generation just before the advent of HDTV. Other early Messier film work included Re:jected by Reality (with the unique title spelling purposely done as a commentary on emails with the RE: subject header line), a 25 minute documentary about Mike's journey through Reality Television, which was highlighted by a semi-finalist's spot on Candidate 2012, an ill-fated HBO reality show pilot, as well as adventures applying for MTV/WWE's Tough Enough and The Jerry Springer Show. The respected Indie Film Website Film Threat wrote of Messier's Re:jected by Reality , "Mike Messier didn't travel the road trampled to death in his quest to be a part of reality TV. Being Mike Messier, there had to be a different program out there, a different method for him to make his mark on the people of the United States, to let them know that Mike Messier does exist and he doesn't need to be on any stinkin' island to show people that he's around. In other words, he pounded three times on heavy doors.The first was for "Candidate 2012", HBO's ditched reality series about choosing a 24-to-29 year old to run for President of the United States. Laden with so much irony, his two greatest influences that would drive him in his political career are mayors that were indicted for crimes they committed, yet one of them was actually re-elected. It's Messier's way of exposing the underbelly of politics, but he was rejected from the show for not being "political" enough. HBO apparently doesn't understand that it's not about being "political". If the channel wanted people to watch this person's 10-year odyssey in running for President, present a person that can talk, someone that can make those issues come alive through their words, to rile this country up enough to participate. At this point, a lot of the United States is in a drunken stupor. It shouldn't be made political right away. Just have someone that can actually talk and can inspire debate, so long as they believe in what they're saying and aren't just saying it to be in favor with whomever's favor they want. That can come later. No wonder HBO ditched it. Messier then applied for a creative writing position with the WWE, and the organization rejects him, spurring him on to rant on camera about what wrestling has become and what it should revert back to being. When he rants, listening is essential. There's so much genuine passion and anger in his words that even those who don't pay attention to wrestling much will be riveted. Maybe HBO was being too idealistic, because Messier would have been fantastic in getting people to pay attention." Schtick Man was a raw drawing by Messier about the world of a stand up comedian stick figure. The piece was animated with Chris Miller, and the two combined on the voices. Oddly, although the Schtick Man series of nine animations has been often overlooked by film festivals, it also received a high rating on Film Threat, and remains a crowd-pleaser even to this day. During that lost era of the mid 2000's, Mike also wrote, directed and produced a very unique film titled "Wrestling Son- Memories of my Parents Divorce", starring "Eliminator" John Kronus and Cassy Strayter as a Pro Wrestling power couple experiencing a devastating break up during a night at the matches, as chronicled by their young son, "Little Jack", played by Messier himself. Mike wrote and directed the stage play documentary Orlandis and his Puppets without Strings and the feature length film Blood! Sugar! Sid! Ace! which both a distinct theatrical feel, both with Labonte as chief collaborator. Both pieces present a freshness on language that is both contemporary with clear bloodlines to Shakespearean language; a contrast which pleases some viewers while confounding others. When pressed, Messier claims that "the job of the artist is to challenge the audience not to play in their comfort zones. We must raise the intellect of our audience not bow down to their current level.... or worse yet, what we naively assume is their 'level'." Mike's feature film narrative , Blood! Sugar! Sid! Ace!, a 74 minute exploration inside the mind of a poet named Sid!, played with gusto by Laurence O' Leary, examines what happens to a middle aged man when his creations turn against him. Mike wrote, directed and produced the film, and has also written a one-act stage version of the same material. In 2017, Messier began work with Boston's Play In A Day Festival produced by Michael Gonza at Natick's Common Street Spiritual Center as a contributing stage play writer, director and host. Messier short plays were well received and created a buzz for Mike's use of dialogue for humor and insight. As a stage Actor himself, Mike has performed on stage for various groups including Daydream Theater lead by Writer/Director Lenny Schwartz and Murder on Us, a comedy ensemble which performs mostly at Bravo Brassiere in Providence, Rhode Island with spot shows at all types of interesting venues. Murder On Us, lead by Writer/Director John Thayer, is a very interactive, crowd pleasing group. Mike's TV show Messier Mantra airs in the Boston and Rhode Island cable outlets and can easily be found on vimeo. Mantra is an interview show with discussions with filmmakers, Actors and holistic healers. Messier Mantra has earned Messier praise as perhaps the next Charlie Rose or James Lipton, with each guest on the show sharing a personal "mantra" that they cite as a motivating factor in their lives and careers. In addition, Mike's Messier Moments are on-location interviews featuring Maria Kanellis (WWE Diva of the year 2009) boxer Vinny Paz (subject matter of Martin Scorsese's Bleed for This), acclaimed stage and film Actor Jonathon Silverman among others. Mike was enlisted to produce Messier Moment for The Industry Insiders, an online group started by film produced David Gere, who has brought Messier into the fold several times for Gere's productions in Connecticut, including Blue Line, The Getter, and House Rules, all starring Tom Sizemore. On the set of Blue Line, Mike ended up as the on-set personal security guard for the 7 foot tall Kevin Nash, a former World Wrestling Federation Champion, in a most interesting experience, which Mike chronicles on his website blog. Messier and Gere have since teamed to write The Last Fiero feature action film treatment, which was awarded as a Finalist at the Talent Factory LA's Script and Storyboard Showcase in April, 2017. Mike's short film script titled This Cold, Still Place, a Civil War romance, won its category in the Cayman Island Poinciana Festival. Disregard the Vampire: a Mike Messier Documentary, a most recent finished work, has been praised as "Brilliant work here by Messier... a mandatory experience" by critic Andrew Buckner of A Word of Dreams. "Disregard" is being sent to festivals who qualify for Oscar consideration for short documentary (under 40 minutes). The doc has won awards for Best Documentary at both Shawna Shea Film Festival and Diabolical Horror Film Festival, with more award victories gained for the film's trailer, film poster and promotional photo for a total of nine awards. The piece is a auto-biography of both Mike and his talented cast and crew who forge on to create Vampire magic despite several unforeseen circumstances. Mike's personal mantra of "Never Surrender" is a theme of the documentary. Messier is moving forward with Distance from Avalon, an enhanced vision coming off the Disregard experience, which Messier claims is his most epic writing yet. Distance from Avalon is available as a screenplay, stage-play and a novella. The short teaser for the piece was awarded a Best Teaser Award from Great Message International Film Festival out of Pune, Maharashtra. In April 2018, Mike's written pitch for a family film project "The New Cat" was named as Best Synopsis from the Script & Storyboard Showcase contest out of LA. In October 2018, Mike's short play Who's Your Daddy? was produced by The Orange Players in Orange, CT as part of the Acting Up! Short Play Showcase! Mike is an advocate and frequent user of Play Submission Helper, which Mike discussed during an interview with Yale University Radio. In early 2019, Mike began sending The Impeccable, a 23 minute dramatic/ dark comedy short film , that features Mike's work as Writer/Director and Producer, out to film festivals. The Impeccable's first award was for Best Supporting Female Performance by Naira Zakaryan from the Shawna Shea Spring Shorts Film Festival in May, 2019. On Cinco De Mayo, May 5, 2019, Mike hosted "An Impeccable Evening" featuring several of his new works, including The Impeccable, Dalmatian - a 36 minute character study of a couple before and after their divorce , starring Jack Shea and Ashley Shea - and So, You're the Guy? a comedy starring Robert John Canelli and Bradley Rhodes as two guys in a men's room who have more in common then either would care to admit. Mike's mobile film rant "It's Good to be Hated" won Best Documentary from the Super 9 Film Festival and won Mike fans out of Portugal, as the short was broadcast on cable TV in that country as part of the festival. "Messier Peace Theater presents That Night" is a unique six part series that can be seen on Mike's YouTube Channel, Vimeo Channel and on his website. Mike's website www.mikemessier.com has frequent updates and various works.