Michael Bay's journey began at Wesleyan University, where he earned his degree. Following graduation, he spent his 20s honing his craft in the advertising and music video industries. His first projects after film school were music videos for an array of talented artists, including Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond, and Divinyls. His work in this realm earned him widespread recognition and multiple MTV award nominations.
As his reputation grew, so did his client list. Bay went on to create advertisements for prominent brands like Nike, Reebok, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, and Miller Lite. His commercial prowess was soon recognized with top honors, including the Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year for his "Got Milk/Aaron Burr" commercial. Bay's work also took home the Gold Lion for The Best Beer campaign for Miller Lite and the Silver for "Got Milk" at the prestigious Cannes festival.
In 1995, the Directors Guild of America bestowed upon Bay the honor of Commercial Director of the Year. That same year, he made his feature film debut with Bad Boys, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, which went on to gross over $160 million worldwide. The success of Bad Boys paved the way for his follow-up film, The Rock, starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, which cemented Bay's status as a sought-after director.
