Michael Stephenson

Michael Stephenson (born 1978), known professionally as Michael Paul Stephenson, is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing the critically acclaimed documentaries Best Worst Movie and The American Scream. Stephenson made his narrative feature debut with Girlfriend’s Day, starring Bob Odenkirk. Stephenson's latest film, Attack of the Murder Hornets, is an original documentary that he directed and produced for Discovery+. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America.

Career 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. a documentary about Troll 2 and its cult status. 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.

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.

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. The film was released worldwide on February 20, 2021.

Personal life Stephenson lives in Los Angeles with his wife Lindsay Stephenson, who is also his producing partner.

Select filmography As actor

As filmmaker