Michael
Sagol

about the jury

Born in Brussels, Belgium in 1974, Michael Sagol sadly lost his father when he was only six years old. But he grew up knowing two things about him: that he was funny and that he loved the movies.

After moving to the States with his mom and his sister in the 80’s, Michael knew he was never going to have a future in comedy. But he shared his dad’s passion for movies, and attended Emerson College to pursue acting. He achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater and moved out to Los Angeles – where he quickly learned he wasn’t funny or good looking enough to make it as an actor.

Instead, he stumbled into the world of production, working through the early 2000s on music video and commercial sets and even doing a brief stint as Steven Seagal’s assistant. Ask him about that experience some time!

In 2002, he opened his first production company, Atomik Pictures, servicing international commercials in the US. Shortly thereafter, he met fellow Belgian Bert Hamelinck, and their friendship and partnership led to what Caviar is today.

For the past twenty years, Michael has Executive Produced thousands of commercials, hundreds of music videos and a handful of films and TV shows. In that time, Caviar has grown into an Academy Award winning company with scores of Emmys, Lions and film festival wins to boot.

Michael spends most of his time today still trying to be funny and still madly in love with filmmaking and storytelling, while avoiding social media at all costs. He lives in Ojai with his two daughters Lucia (who wants to be a director! Lord help us all!!) and Stella, who sings her heart out every chance she gets.