Michael Stephenson (filmmaker)

1983–2005: Early career

Stephenson's career in the entertainment industry started at the age of 8 when he was discovered by a talent agent while acting in his school's rendition of Peter Pan. When he was 10 years old, he auditioned for the horror film Troll 2, and got the starring role.^[5] Throughout his younger years, Stephenson spent most of his time writing stories and making skateboarding films.^{[citation needed]} Early in his career, Stephenson worked as a cinematographer with director Mel Stuart. As a writer, Stephenson was a beneficiary of the American Gem Screenplay Award for his screenplay Orange.^[6][7]

2009–present

Stephenson co-founded a production company with his wife Lindsay Stephenson, Magic Stone Productions, in 2009.

In 2009, Stephenson produced and directed Best Worst Movie,^[8] a documentary about Troll 2 and its cult status.^[9] The film launched on March 14, 2009, at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, as part of the South by Southwest film festival. ABC's Nightline ran a segment on Troll 2 and Best Worst Movie in May 2010, including interviews with Hardy and Stephenson.^[10]

In 2012, Stephenson produced and directed his second feature documentary, The American Scream, for NBC Universal's Chiller network.The American Scream premiered on October 28, 2012. Stephenson is also the Executive Producer of Zero Charisma, a comedy directed by Katie Graham and editor Andrew Matthews. Zero Charisma won the audience award at the SXSW film festival in 2013.^[11]

In 2017, Stephenson made his narrative feature debut with the dark comedy Girlfriend's Day, starring Bob Odenkirk. The film premiered worldwide on February 14 on Netflix.^[11]

Stephenson's most recent film, Attack of the Murder Hornets, is an original documentary that he produced and directed for Discovery+.^[12] The film was released worldwide on February 20, 2021.

As actor

As filmmaker