Michael Gabriele

Award-winning director Michael Gabriele creates the type of heartfelt projects that'll move you to tears in under two minutes. Born in Montreal, Canada, the Los Angeles-based creative has directed national TV spots for mega brands and companies like Applebee's ("Brothers"), Straight Talk ("Sharing Photos") and Accu-Chek ("A Guide for Life"). After discovering his passion for film and storytelling as a teenager and college student, Gabriele made a name for himself within the vibrant advertising community in Chicago, where he spent nearly a decade working at some of the top creative agencies as a producer. He made the jump to full-time commercial director after joining the reputable design and production studio Daily Planet in Chicago.

Gabriele commands a striking visual style and creative voice that integrates video-based storytelling with a focus on humanity to express genuine emotions and sincere narratives. His work connects brands to consumers by employing authentic performances from real-life people told via relatable stories and experiences and shot in a beautiful, cinematic visual style. His commercial for StreetWise ("Like You"), the Chicago-based magazine sold by homeless people, used actual employees and vendors from the organization to communicate the brand's philosophy while simultaneously addressing the city's homelessness issue; his video was officially used as part of StreetWise's 2018 "20 Most Inspiring Chicagoans" Gala in Chicago. He's also won multiple awards across the advertising field, including: a Midwest Emmy for Community and PSA Single Spot Campaign in 2017 and a Bronze win at the Telly Awards for his "How Do You Find an Angel?" clip for the nonprofit Imerman Angels; a Bronze win at the Telly Awards for his "Welcome to Kimski" visual for Chicago restaurant Kimski; and a Silver win at the Telly Awards for his "Powered By Vegan" commercial for Daily Planet. Elsewhere, his widely popular CATastrophes web series, which he launched in 2014, won the 2015 editions of the Internet Cat Video Film Festival and the Catdance Film Festival.