Michael Valentino was born in Los Angeles and was raised in LA and Ventura County. He studied at Moorpark College where he learned Script Writing, Radio Broadcasting, Life Drawing, Motion Graphics and Special Effects. There he got his first taste of working with a production team when they formed a group with classmates called “Section Z”, a comedy team that shot short skits to air on cable access. From there, he produced a few spec commercials for local cell phone businesses, and made Music Videos with his brother. Michael has since worked in the production business in many different capacities such as Production Assistant, Audience Coordinator, Motion Graphics Artist, Editor, Director, Cinematographer, Prop Builder, Writer and very rarely, on camera. He has worked for a variety of different production companies, many of which are detailed in his Production Resume.
Michael later moved to Venice California and worked as a freelance editor and motion graphics animator for a year, before moving to Iowa to study Media and Communications and Sustainability. In Iowa he learned about organic food, renewable energy, HD Film Making, Meditation, Business and a field he had never considered, mentors.
Michael also met many students from different countries which gave him the interest to travel abroad which he did in 2009. He bought a one way ticket to Ireland and worked on farms to earn his room an board. He was in Europe for 70 days traveling from Ireland, to Holland, to Germany and finally, Italy (where he met his relatives he had never met).
Having heard that many students were not finding work after college (and now having the urge to travel in style), he returned home and decided to start a business. He teamed up with a fellow classmate and Epic Journey was born, an organic t-shirt company that made shirts that promote and educate sustainable practices. The business was a success and sold over 400 shirts before they had their LLC.
While starting a company, Michael learned how vast the marketing landscape is especially in this new internet age. From Social Media Channels, to Pay Per Click, to Press Releases, to Video Advertising, SEO, and Blogging, it was a bit daunting to know which path to take, especially considering he had made his first big sale before having any web presence whatsoever.
Michael got wind of an internship in town and was soon introduced to Galaxy Ninja, a locally grown but globally active Internet Marketing Company based in Fairfield Iowa. There he learned what it takes to market successfully online. Interning at Galaxy Ninja was life changing, not only for the knowledge and skill, but the experience of working with such great people.
Michael applied everything he learned to his company, and through this learned what actually works. Michaels love of business and his unique collection of skill sets is what drew Michael to pursue a career in marketing. After leaving University, Michael traveled the states until finally ending up in North Carolina, pursuing his career in Marketing. There he has worked in many different capacities such as producing promotional videos, designing marketing campaigns and strategies, creating websites, doing web updates, doing some graphic design and even photography.
Michael also has a background in construction and music production. He has built a few recording studios and has been involved in the production of over 40 songs (mostly Hip Hop, R & B, and Acoustic). Favorite shows include Shark Tank, Seinfeld, The Daily Show and Lost. Favorite Filmmakers include Tony Scott, Michael Bay, JJ Abraham’s, Judd Apatow, Steven Spielberg, Zack Snyder, Quinten Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Christopher Nolan.
Michael is currently working with some amazing clients in Asheville and has big projects planned for the future.
