Mike Krentzman ’03 (right) with co-op Liam O’Donnell, current CAMD student (left).

Northeastern University alumnus Mike Krentzman ‘03, Communications and Media and Screen Studies, has been running his own production company, Red Summit Productions, for almost ten years. Located in New York City, Mike and his team are constantly multitasking and juggling various projects – but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Since founding the company in 2009, Mike has had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of organizations and people, offering a specialized approach that meets the unique needs of each client.

Living and breathing the film and production worlds, Mike has had some once-in-a-lifetime experiences, from working in the White House with First Lady Michele Obama to filming and following Madame Secretary Hillary Clinton around the country during her election campaign. His documentary work has allowed him to travel all around the United States, in addition to doing some international filming in the Caribbean, Ecuador, Honduras, Bolivia, and more. While not everyone has the chance to turn their passions into a career, Mike has focused on building strong relationships, fine-tuning his skills, and expanding his knowledge to successfully turn his love of production into his own business.

Mike with Hillary Clinton during 2016 Presidential campaign.

In front of the White House.

Mike has had the opportunity to work with celebrity clients.

“I have always been interested in photography and video work; growing up, I was constantly filming and editing something,” explained Mike. “Then, through the co-op program at Northeastern, I learned I loved the production side of things while working at Boston Neighborhood Networks, which was a pivotal experience because it allowed me to explore different facets of production and determine what I liked and didn’t like.”

Working at the Boston Neighborhood Networks (BNN), a local television station featuring community media programming, was just one way that Mike explored his interests as a student at Northeastern. During his undergraduate experience, he also started the Northeastern TV Club, where he led a live television show, and spent another co-op cycle at WB11, Dorchester’s TV station at the time.

Because these experiences had such a lasting important impact on him, Mike is now ensuring he can, in turn, contribute to having a positive impact on current Northeastern students.

Mike on set.

“When I was looking for co-ops as an undergrad, I remember seeing a lot of well-known companies that were interested in specifically Northeastern students,” explained Mike. “This was a very positive experience for me, and I want to give back to Northeastern students by teaching them what I’ve learned. I learned a lot at Northeastern, and now, I have learned a lot as a business owner, so I want to pass that down.”

As a result, Red Summit Productions is now an official co-op partner of CAMD.

Liam O’Donnell, a CAMD student studying Communications, is currently on co-op at Red Summit, and is already learning about the many hats a production intern wears. His wide range of responsibilities include managing social media, organizing call sheets, researching locations, serving as a production assistant (PA), and shooting short form videos to help increase brand awareness.

During Liam’s first week, he had the opportunity to cover the grand opening of a menswear style and design firm called Brandon Earl New York. Then, during his second week, he went on a week-long shoot to Ocean City, Maryland and helped the Red Summit crew shoot a summer break special for two YouTubers, Niki and Gabi.

“What has really separated my co-op at Red Summit from previous internships and others I’ve heard about is that Mike isn’t afraid to give you responsibility,” explained Liam. “From day one, I have really enjoyed my experience on-set and ability to network with a lot of the crew. They took me under their wing and answered any questions I had. One thing I love about working for Red Summit so far is that Mike really likes to surround himself with friendly, hardworking crews wherever he goes.”

Red Summit crew members on set.

Liam is beyond excited to continue learning from Mike and his team.

“As a co-op here at Red Summit, he will be exposed to photography, editing, commercial work, documentary work, and everything in between, while having the opportunity to also be on commercial sets,” concluded Mike. “I truly want him to experience as much as he can while he’s here at the company.”