Meet Michael Thomas DeLano | Film Director, Writer and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Thomas DeLano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael Thomas, why did you pursue a creative career?
I grew up out in the desert, in the middle of nowhere so I had a lot of time on my own as a kid. My imagination would go hyperactive and I loved creating things. Stories, drawings, songs, I would read a lot and watched a lot of movies out of my parents VHS collection as well. Having an idea and then manifesting it into some sort of reality is as close to magic as we can get and I love it. I kind of need it, I originally thought I was going to go on to draw comic books, but at some point realized that movies are probably our highest art form and probably the best way to let other people know that maybe we can understand each other. We are all so different and at the same time very much the same. I think I am really drawn to the creative process and trying to connect with people, so I can’t imagine doing anything that didn’t stoke those two fires.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I would say what sets me apart is my drive to understand the human condition and people to whatever degree that is even possible. I love creating and have been lucky enough to explore so many different artistic disciplines, from drawing, painting, music, writing, film making, photography and acting, they all come at the act of creating from very different perspectives. I feel like all art at its highest level is trying to capture some sort of truth that resonates with other people. If we can share even small slivers of understanding in this way, it brings us all a little closer.

I have absolutely loved creating from an early age. My sister and I watched movies everyday from parents huge VHS collection we just absorbed all of these great movies from every time period. We had a lot of time on our own as kids and we let our imaginations run wild. We made short films, went out on our own desert adventures and read a lot of books. I eventually discovered comic books and fell in love with the X-Men and Spiderman from the 1980’s and 90s, I started creating my own comics and would sit in my room for hours listening to Iron Maiden and drawing.

My passion for music and art kept growing over the years, after watching the film Clerks by Kevin Smith, I realized that making movies was more approachable than I thought. I kept taking art classes and then Reservoir Dogs by Quentin Tarantino hit, then later From Dusk Til Dawn by Robert Rodriguez, these films were so gritty and fun, the ultimate cinematic versions of all of the 70s films and b-movies I grew up watching late at night or on TV on the weekends. Eventually I headed off to film school in San Francisco and graduated from the Academy of Art University.

I eventually landed back near Los Angeles and my love for cars led me to some shooting opportunities with Kelley Blue Book. We shot car reviews with their hosts for almost a decade. I found out quickly that the automotive industry isn’t really that big and eventually branched out to shooting for many of the big auto companies. My small team grew and I founded COTU Media (Center of the Universe) in 2008. COTU has grown steadily from a one-man operation into a dynamic, full-service production house. Have managed to forge lasting partnerships with diverse clients including Volkswagen, Lexus, Mazda, Honda, Acura, Omron, KUKA and ABB Robotics. Over the years we were lucky to receive numerous honors, most notably a trio of highly coveted Motor Press Guild Best of the Year awards.

It has not been a smooth road. The year I founded COTU Media and landed our first big client, the entire financial system imploded. We had a lot of momentum and were growing incredibly fast from the middle of 2007 through 2008. We had made some big investments and then all of a sudden the automotive industry shut down. We went from having multiple productions every week to having absolutely nothing for about nine months. We basically went under and when things started coming back in 2009 we started from scratch. That was a rough period and a big wake up call. I am thankful from the lessons I took away from that time, but they were not fun lessons to learn. We try to keep a more diverse customer base now and run as lean as we can. It is a tricky balance in this industry. The competition is fierce and the tech is always moving at lightning speed. There is a lot to keep up with. It is very challenging but I feel like it keeps me young.

My time shooting cars was a decade full of travel and adventures. We shot in Germany, China, Spain, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and all over the United States. It has been a blur of beautiful scenery, amazing people, race tracks, mountain roads, desert highways, frozen tundra, sunny cities, windy cities, convention halls and so many bars. Even through this incredibly lucky time, I still could not shake the gravitational force that has been tugging on me through it all, films. I still needed to make movies, I always did.

I love creating and I believe that making films is the ultimate art form. Films have room for it all, music, sound, visuals, emotion, it is our best way so far to express what it is to be human. I had to be a part of that, even if it is in a small way.

I set off to make my first short film, Artifact. This film ended up bringing home the “best horror short” prize at the Reel East Film Festival and honorable mention at the Santa Monica Film Festival.

With lessons learned and wanting to push myself and our team further, we set out on a more ambitious short film, Sunset Drive. Sunset Drive, is a cinematic action, sci-fi, western. I miss the simple yet impactful action and sci-fi movies of the 80s and the gritty dark cinema of the 70s and I think audiences do as well. We are at peak super hero and franchise reboot fatigue and people are looking for fun unique films to help them escape. Sunset Drive is a proof of concept for the next generation of film making that brings cinematic action, grit and unique strong characters back to the big screen. Sunset Drive is currently on a highly successful festival run with 27 award wins and screenings in 22 festivals.

We have been busy little bees making our way into the movie industry. Taking the helm as Executive Producer, I partnered COTU Media with Dana Kippel and Crazy Carrot films in 2022 to produce our first feature film called “REFLECT” a metaphysical thriller. It is still surreal to me, but this film is out in the world and available on iTunes and Amazon right now.

In 2023 I had the opportunity to direct my first feature film, a romantic comedy called On the Market. On the Market was written by Patrick Mclain and produced by the team at Parkour Productions, Maria Breeze and Noah Baron.

I am currently spending half of my time in Long Beach, CA directing commercials and the other half in North Park, San Diego writing and working on developing new films. You can find me touring the coffee shops and maybe a bar or two with my laptop.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite show in the city has to be Lucha Va Voom. If I had a friend coming into town I would make them wait until the show was running, take them with no warning and then just stare at their face as the insane combination of luchadores and burlesque unfurled before their eyes. I am also in love with the Prospect hotel in Hollywood. If you want old school Hollywood charm and super personalized service just steps away from the equally glitzy and trashy heart of Hollywood. A quick Uber ride away is Katsuya sushi, get the sticky rice, you can thank me later. From Katsuya take a quick walk down a couple of blocks and end the night at No Vacancy, a speak easy bar right off of Hollywood Blvd.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I love that making media and films is a collaborative process. I have to give a huge shout out to the amazing team of people I have worked with over the years. When you have the right team pushing a project forward, even the tough days can be fun. We spend a lot of very long days on set and in post production, I can not imagine doing it with people that I didn’t like. Producers, editors, grips, gaffers, directors of photography, production designers, production assistants, actors, I am so grateful to have the trust of these people. I have had a very supportive family and group of friends. One book that was very influential on my professional career was The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. There are so many challenges and set backs in this industry and life in general, but if you can take those as opportunities and make them work to your advantage, all sorts of unexpected creative solutions can arise.

Website: www.cotumedia.com

Instagram: @cotumedia @yasodic

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-delano-497b0911/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/yasodic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikedelano/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cotu-media-long-beach-2

Youtube: @COTUchannel

Image Credits
James Halfacre Tim Denin