Michael J. Epstein

Michael J. Epstein (he/him/his) is a filmmaker, writer, musician, and scientist. His creative work has been featured in TIME, USA Today, SPIN, CURVE, Famous Monsters, and Fangoria.

Michael spent his early years touring in the indie bands The Motion Sick, Neutral Uke Hotel, and Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling. Despite critical acclaim and dozens of enthusiastic fans, Michael put his scientific career first, becoming an associate professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northeastern University. His 2016 paper on “Hidden Hearing Loss” was featured in The Wall Street Journal and Scientific American. It helped explain why many people with “normal hearing” struggle to hear in noisy situations.

Warm weather and thriving entertainment industries lured Michael to Los Angeles, where he now pursues writing and filmmaking full time. Michael works with his creative (and life) partner, Sophia Cacciola, to make sci-fi, horror, and cult films that explore sociopolitical issues. Their feature films TEN, Magnetic, and Blood of the Tribades were funded on Kickstarter, won numerous festival awards, and have found worldwide distribution.