Michael Bellavia
Encyclopedia
Michael Bellavia is the CEO of Animax Entertainment
, an Emmy Award
winning creative studio that produces character driven content for all screens. He earned his BS in Engineering from the University of Michigan
and his MBA from Columbia Business School
. He is on the Board of Delegates of the Producers Guild of America
New Media Council
, a member of the recently-formed National Academy of Media Arts & Sciences
and a mentor at the American Film Institute's
Digital Content Lab.
Bellavia is also an improviser
at IO West (the Los Angeles outpost of IO Chicago), Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
and The Second City
in Los Angeles. He has been a contestant on the game shows Wheel of Fortune, Smush
, Pyramid
, Lingo
, and On the Cover
, and has won more than $50,000 and a telescope.
Bellavia won one of the first ever broadband Emmy Awards in 2006 for a series of animated shorts that were produced for ESPN
. He was nominated for another Emmy in 2007.
Animax Entertainment
Animax Entertainment is an animation and interactive production studio based in Van Nuys, California. Animax's clients include Disney, ESPN, Warner Bros., National Geographic, Sesame Workshop, WWE and many others. Animax has a particular expertise in Adobe Flash animation and has produced work...
, an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning creative studio that produces character driven content for all screens. He earned his BS in Engineering from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and his MBA from Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School is the business school of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students...
. He is on the Board of Delegates of the Producers Guild of America
Producers Guild of America
Producers Guild of America is a trade organization representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 4,700 members of the producing establishment worldwide...
New Media Council
New Media Council
New Media Council was formed by the Producers Guild of America in 2002, in order to recognize, represent, and protect producers working in emerging media such as DVDs, broadband and mobile entertainment, interactive television and console games....
, a member of the recently-formed National Academy of Media Arts & Sciences
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences or NATAS was created in 1955 to advance the arts and sciences of television. Headquartered in New York, NATAS's membership is national and the organization has local chapters around the country....
and a mentor at the American Film Institute's
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
Digital Content Lab.
Bellavia is also an improviser
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
at IO West (the Los Angeles outpost of IO Chicago), Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre or UCB Theatre is an improvisational theatre and associated UCB Training Center with locations in Chelsea, New York, the EEast Village, New York and Hollywood, California.....
and The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles. He has been a contestant on the game shows Wheel of Fortune, Smush
Smush
-The game:Smush was hosted by Ken Ober and co-hosted by Lisa Dergan. The show, set in a basement party atmosphere, featured four contestants trying to "smush" the answers to clues together, to create a new smushed phrase. For example, the clue "A New England state + 'Flying Circus' man" would...
, Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, Lingo
Lingo (American game show)
Lingo is an American television game show with multiple international adaptations. The first American version aired from 1987–1988 in syndication, a second version of the show ran as an original series on GSN for six seasons from 2002–2007, and a third version began airing on GSN on June 6,...
, and On the Cover
On The Cover (game show)
On The Cover is a game show that premiered on PAX TV on May 17, 2004. It was hosted by Mark L. Walberg, who previously hosted Russian Roulette, and the announcer was Mitch Lewis.-Premise:...
, and has won more than $50,000 and a telescope.
Bellavia won one of the first ever broadband Emmy Awards in 2006 for a series of animated shorts that were produced for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. He was nominated for another Emmy in 2007.