Michael Merlino is a Chicago-born, Los Angeles-based actor & filmmaker who specializes in directing, editing, VFX, music production, and sound design. His work has earned a $10K national film grant, won awards from Chicago International Film Festival’s CineYouth and Artlist’s Creative Competition, and premiered at NFFTY with recognition from the Academy Award®-qualifying Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival. With nearly a decade of experience in post-production, Michael has worked with brands like Google and Artlist.io, and composed original scores for films that have screened at festivals nationwide. Drawing from his Filipino heritage, his work blends diverse perspectives, dark humor, and Gen Z anxieties around authoritarian power—institutions, corporations, systems—while staying focused on emotionally-driven, visually-kinetic filmmaking. Michael is currently acting in narrative films, crafting visual effects for indie projects, and writing his debut feature, PINPOINT.