Mike was incredibly helpful in shaping my grant application, both in writing and presentation. He offered honest, targeted feedback that encouraged me to think strategically about what the reviewing organization was looking for. Drawing on his experience as an accomplished artist, he worked with me to present my work samples in a dynamic way that clearly communicated its relevance to my proposal. I learned a lot from Mike throughout this process and will carry these insights forward into future grant applications!

Working with Mike on my Artist Projects grant application was invaluable. Initially, I felt my draft was strong, but Mike's constructive feedback allowed me to see a deeper, more compelling vision for my project. His thoughtful guidance allowed me to articulate my ideas with clarity that I hadn't achieved on my own. Thanks to Mike, my application is now significantly stronger, and I am confident in its potential for success. I am grateful for Mike's expertise and recommend him to anyone seeking to elevate their grant writing. 

Mike has an incredible ability to understand what a grant organization is looking for, and if he isn't sure, he's not afraid to ask questions and do the research. This is crucial to the way he has helped me refine, focus, and strengthen various grant applications over the years. His approach to my writing is honest and clarifying. He can lower your word count and point out holes in your timeline all while keeping an eye on how creative voice, style, and project vision should remain loud and clear. I was awarded a 2025 Creative Capital Award and Mike played an important role in workshopping my application.

Mike is a problem solver with years of experience on set, behind the camera, and in post production. He also knows how to write a solid grant application! Working with Mike was not just helpful, it was encouraging, highly functional, and left me with the confidence I could do it again. Grant writing can feel overwhelming as it demands a level of clarity in the project plan that can feel antithetical to an artist's sensibility. Mike, as a fellow artist, understands this and cuts through the inherent doubt to ask clear questions and make insightful suggestions.

Mike is an expert editor-collaborator. We have worked together on several films over the years, and he was consistently truth-telling, fastidious, bubbling with excellent ideas and creative stamina. Mike operates from his vast experience with a wide-range of artists and filmmakers, so he’s wildly adaptive — patiently attentive to the unique needs of each project. He will dole out the tough-love feedback you need, and open up fresh possibilities and new directions too. A rare gem!

In the nearly 20 years I’ve been working with Mike Olenick, our editing relationship has developed to become at once driven by a second-nature set of shared terms and references, and a uniquely open, creative, and reinventive process with each new project I’ve brought to him. Mike has an incredible eye and mind that makes every project better, while at the same time instigating important questions for me to think through and strive to answer that I hadn’t been able to articulate, but are always spot on. I look forward to our sessions together, and treasure the working relationship that’s developed over the years.

Mike helped me land my first artist grant. Whether it’s providing useful beginners’ templates, auditing and organizing your CV, or refining your goals, Mike is a patient and perceptive coach. He knows how to assess the complexity of the grant, and craft a pitch to match. You’ll walk away with a sharper approach, and the confidence to do it again.

Mike and I have finished at least 16 films together. Screenings include Sundance, Berlinale, Rotterdam and Tribeca among others. Mike's instincts are impeccable. He is thorough and meticulous. Every frame matters to him. Many times, I have witnessed him pull apart a scene that is not working and rebuild it from zero, then knead it back into remarkable shape. He is a problem solver who does not give up on the story. Mike is a collaborative miracle worker who I often refer to as THE TIMELINE WHISPERER.

- Jennifer Reeder