Born on Halloween night in the Bermuda Triangle on the Island of Bermuda, Michael Ricks has always been drawn to the supernatural.  "I thought all kids could move objects with their minds," he jokingly says.  From early childhood Michael has had an artistic flair and a desire to create.  From drawing cartoons, to filming Super 8 movies, he has had a burning desire to tell stories through the medium of motion pictures.

At the age of 19, Michael moved to Valencia California with the intent to enroll at Cal Arts to become a Disney Animator.  But after a lengthy discussion with a veteran animator, it became apparent that being a cog in the wheel of the Disney animation factory wasn't as exciting as it seemed.  His path lay elsewhere. 

Some years went by, but again he was drawn to making movies.  He wrote, produced, shot, directed and edited a full length film entitled "Alien Vows."  Michael refers to it as his student film, as he learned so much from the process...the grueling effort it takes to pull off a feature film - especially an ultra low budget one.  The film went on to be sold in some small foreign territories, but overall was not a money maker.  It was one thing to make a movie and quite another to get it successfully distributed.  Michael vowed at that time that someday he would re-enter the movie making business, but would no longer be hampered by inferior equipment that compromised the look of the film (it was shot on Super 8 film).  So he took an about face and focused on a completely different business for the next 10 years marketing DIRECTV Satellite Systems nationwide. 

It was at the winding down stage of the satellite business that Michael decided to get back into movies.  He invested a hefty sum purchasing the best HD Camera available at the time, along with all the editing equipment necessary to complete full length motion pictures...literally a small motion picture studio.  Armed with the tools to compete visually at the highest level, Sunstone Pictures is teaming up with other like minded talented film makers on a quest to prove that quality movies can be produced on a micro budget, and that talent rules all! mike@sunstone-pictures-hd.com