Writer/Director Mike Turner is a filmmaker and artist from Northfield, VT. A 1997 graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, he has worked in film, theater and theme park attractions since 1997. His work as a makeup effects artist and special effects technician ranges from independent films such as Zombie Town to the Hallmark Channel production Moonlight & Mistletoe. His theme park work in animatronics includes characters for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Walt Disney World.
Since 2004, he has been writing and directing his own films . Working on many film sets encouraged his fascination with the process
and the creative possibilities of filmmaking. The move to writing and
directing has been an organic extension of creative expression and
storytelling. Growing up in the eighties, he did not have the money or
access to expensive film equipment, and even as the quality of video
cameras improved during the nineties, Now, the age of digital cinema
has allowed him to explore the medium, learning and growing as a
filmmaker.
His award-winning short films, Primevil and Dead Creek, have been shown in festivals around the US, Canada and the UK. In 2009-2010, Dead Creek received many positive reviews and earned several awards including the Claw Award for Best Director at Philadelphia's Terror Film Festival and Best Horror Short at the Fargo Fantastic Film Fest 7.
Currently in development, The Islanders is his first feature film.