M.J. Koleszar

Michael Joseph Koleszar was born on September 10, 1977 in Sylvania, Ohio and raised in Toledo, Ohio. He is the son of Sheila Ann (Breier), a Catholic grade school employee, and Joseph Michael Koleszar, a local 50 plumber and steamfitter. He has a younger brother Kenneth (Ken) Koleszar, and a younger sister, Kelly Catherine Koleszar. Growing up, Koleszar was involved in sports, Boy Scouts and had creative outlets such as drawing, writing, and playing drums. Koleszar dropped out of college while working on a major in Pre Med. He previously graduated high school with honors and thought to pursue a career in medicine because of his academic GPA and advice from his guidance counselor. It wasn't until years later that Koleszar discovered his true passion. Koleszar grew up watching movies. He spent a lot of free time watching hundreds of movies over and over. After some time out of school, Koleszar realized that while others watched movies to escape, he was looking at story arcs, character growth and cinematography. Koleszar began writing scripts, bought a camera and editing software, and begun teaching himself the process of film production. He shot his first short film U (2002) and never looked back. Koleszar attended Bowling Green State University in 2010 where he pursued a major in film and began networking with other talented filmmakers. With a passion as an Independent filmmaker, Koleszar created, co-produced, and edited the web series, Already Indie, where he hoped to inspire a younger group of filmmakers. The show covered "DIY" filmmaking concepts like building a clapboard for $20 as well as guerrilla filmmaking, cinematography and special effects makeup techniques. Koleszar's knowledge of filmmaking include but not limited to directing, producing, writing, editing, special effects makeup, and digital effects. Arguably, Koleszar's greatest achievement is raising his four children (Anna, Gabriel, Zachary, and Nora) with his wife, Tammy Koleszar, a graphic designer.