Michael Halperin
Education: PhD, The Union Institute
Areas of Specialization: Comm Studies, Screenwriting, Documentary Filmmaking, Production, Animation Development, Emersive Technology
Program Track: Film Studies
Phone: 310-338-7360
E-mail:
michaelhalperin@sprintmail.com
Personal Web Site:
www.michaelhalperin.com
Michael Halperin began his career as a motion picture film editor with Warner Bros. He became writer-director-producer for one of the major aerospace companies in Los Angeles where he produced over ninety documentaries for NASA, the US Navy and other organizations. He was enlisted as vice-president of production with Q-ED Productions where he wrote, directed and produced award-winning educational media. Universal Studios discovered him and placed him on staff as Story Editor for a major series followed by a stint as Executive Story Consultant at 20th Century-Fox Television. He has writing credits on numerous popular television shows. He created and developed the original Masters of the Universe as well as Challenge of the Gobots animated television series and developed the new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated adventure series that debuted in 2002. He also has major credits in the world of new media having developed, written and produced interactive programs and games including two of the Carmen Sandiego series and the interactive murder mystery Voyeur for which he won the Cybie Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.. His play All Steps Necessary produced by Inkwell Theater will premiere in Los Angeles April 20, 2006. Halperin’s play The Spark of Reason premiered in Los Angeles in 2000. His one-act plays Freud at Sinai and Poor Timing have been featured as part of the Celebrity Reading Series. He is the author of an acclaimed novel for young adults Black Wheels and co-authored the best-selling award-winning novel for children Jacob’s Rescue. His other books include Writing the Killer Treatment: Selling Your Story Without a Script (Movie and Entertainment Book Club Selection), Writing the Second Act: Building Conflict and Tension in Your Film Script, (Writers Digest and Movie/Entertainment Book Club Selection), and Writing Great Characters: The Psychology of Character Development in Screenplays (Writers Digest Book Club Selection). He holds a BA Degree in Communications from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in Film Studies.