Michael Ballaschk started making films when he was fifteen and decided to shoot a documentary for his High School. The film was well received and he sold multiple copies to students and teachers. Ballaschk found his passion for the medium and the desire to make films for a broad audience. Still in High School, Ballaschk started working on his first independent feature film in 2001. After graduating from the "Abitur" (similar to the American Junior college system) in 2002, he finished the independent feature film "Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat". In August 2004, it was successfully premiered in his hometown to an astonished audience of 900 people. In September 2004 he moved to Los Angeles to study English at a language Academy and to pursue his film career. Ballaschk graduated 2009 with a BFA in Film Production from Chapman University in Orange, California. His senior thesis "Rampage Superstar" was screened at festivals in the U.S. and Europe. Ballaschk is currently living in Berlin and developing his next film.