People | Mike Swanson, D.P.
Michael Swanson (aka ‘Swanny’) started his tenure at MPG in 2007. Prior to joining MPG, he worked as D.P. at TeamWorks Media and as a photographer at Orbis Broadcast Group.
Swanny’s Director of Photography credits include “Mikva! Democracy is a Verb” (PBS), “Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance” (feature documentary that aired on PBS’ American Masters), “A Taste of Coaching” for the Big Ten Network, the Emmy-winning sports memorabilia show “A Piece of the Game,” branded content for Jewel-Osco (“Locally Grown” and “Cook Like a Boss”) and Menard’s (“Menard’s Makers”), and “Oprah’s Oscar Special 2012” for OWN. He served as co-D.P. of the 2012 documentary “Perseverance: The Story of Dr. Billy Taylor.” And along with Keith Walker, he has traveled the globe for “Oprah’s Next Chapter.”
Swanny was also cameraman on “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” (a documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and aired on PBS’ American Masters in 2017). He recently was camera operator on “Chance the Rapper’s Chi-Town Christmas,” “The Gate: The Story of the Bab” (a new feature documentary examining the origins of the Baha’i Faith) and was D.P. for Sesame Workshop for a promo video celebrating their 50th anniversary featuring Big Bird.
He has shot corporate programs for the likes of Starbucks, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Kraft Foods, Crown Imports, Ravinia Festival and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; commercials for the Big Ten Conference, Conference USA and Wilson Sporting Goods; and numerous segments for the Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS’ 60 Minutes, and ESPN’s E60 and SportsCentury. Additional documentary work includes serving as DP on “The Team That Changed the World” and “Disco Demolition: 25th Anniversary.”
His work has taken him to all 50 states and six of seven continents. He is desperately looking for a trip to Antarctica.
When he is not shooting he is spending time with his daughters Eleri and Cora and his wife Erin.