Michael Shanks

Michael Shanks (born 1990 or 1991) is an Australian filmmaker, actor and composer, known for directing Together and The Wizards of Aus (2016). He also created the YouTube channel timtimfed, which has been active since September 2006.

Early life Shanks was born in either 1990 or 1991 in Christchurch, New Zealand. He lived there until the age of 12, when he and his family moved to Newport, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. He wrote and directed for his high school's theater program and taught himself how to create visual effects by watching online tutorial videos. The pilot developed into Doomsday Arcade, a 25-part web series. Shanks views creating the series "as [his] film school". He directed a segment of a 2015 episode of the Adult Swim series Off the Air.

Shanks directed the sketch comedy series The Slot in 2017. Two years later he directed the short film Rebooted.

His feature directorial debut, Together, screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple who encounter a supernatural transformation, the body horror film was distributed by Neon, who acquired the film for $17 million.

In September 2025, Shanks is set to direct and produce his script, Hotel Hotel Hotel Hotel, which, prior to being picked up by A24, was included in 2021's The Black List of the "most-liked" unproduced screenplays.

In March 2026, Shanks was announced as the writer of an untitled science fiction comedy feature acquired by Sony Pictures, with Adam McKay attached to direct. The project is being produced by McKay and Todd Schulman through Hyperobject Industries, alongside Andrew Mittman, with Kai Dolbashian serving as executive producer.

Influences Shanks has named Lord of the Rings, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Monty Python as early creative inspirations. He has also named filmmakers Edgar Wright, Ari Aster, 2019 Rebooted Short 10,000 Sandals Director 2019 Parked Short 2025 Together Feature debut Simon

Television