Michael E. Wood
Founder Michael E. Wood is a filmmaker, executive producer, and narrative strategist whose work blends an engineering mindset with cinematic storytelling. For nearly two decades, Mike has created documentary and branded films for foundations, technology start-ups, and mission-driven institutions.
He holds a B.S.E. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and an M.F.A. in writing, directing, and cinematography from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he was a Dean's Scholar.
Mike on location for "The Me I Used To Be" for Big Think
Mike has directed and produced hundreds of documentary shorts and branded films. As the Founding Creative Director of MacKenzie Scott's nonprofit Bystander Revolution, he led the creation of more than 350 films featuring contributors such as Salma Hayek, Demi Lovato, Michael J. Fox, Jared Leto, Jamie Lee Curtis, Akon, and Elizabeth Banks.
From 2018 to 2026, Mike served as an Executive Producer, Supervising Producer, Director, and on-camera host at Freethink, leading creative and production teams across partnerships with the Abundance Institute, University of Chicago, a16z, Skoll Foundation, Palantir, and Intel. His work has been recognized with a Webby Award and seven Telly Awards.
Earlier in his career, Mike founded and led Gates & Greene, a New York production company with a 12-person creative team producing films for Dom Pérignon, Vodafone, Princeton University, and others.
Today, Mike leads Story Engineering, applying rigorous engineering-inspired principles to craft narratives that shape today's most important decisions.