Michaelin began by studying architecture and eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
With a small collective of Winnipeg friends, she created Inland Magazine – a general interest magazine that became the prototype for such city magazines as Toronto Life and Vancouver Magazine. Her role was as feature editor and member of the editorial board.
From there, Michaelin became a professional photographer, developing both a sophisticated eye and a strong technique. She was the assistant photographer at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and upon leaving that position, completed a wide variety of photographic assignments for advertising and magazines.
For her personal photographic work, Michaelin received support from both the Canada Council and the Manitoba Arts Council. Her black and white imagery was widely shown in both group and solo exhibitions, published around the world and is held in several permanent collections including The National Gallery of Canada, The Edmonton Art Gallery, The Winnipeg Art Gallery, The National Film Board, and several important private collections.
She has over a decade’s experience as on-set photographer on features and movies of the week, working with such acting talent as Vanessa Redgrave, Raoul Julia, and Tommy Lee Jones; inspiring directors like Denys Arcand and Yves Simoneau; and masterful directors of photography such as Guy Dufaux and Alain Dostie. Her TV series and miniseries credits include Canadian icons such as Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea and Due South. Her iconic images have been reproduced as calendars, books and various promotional materials.
In conjunction the NFB’s Acting for Directors workshop led by the late, great Marushka Stenkova, Michaelin produced and directed two half-hours video dramas – Gentleman Be Seated and Better Later.
And then Michaelin got hooked on science. She joined the Discovery Channel, Canada soon after the channel launched and stayed for four years. The first three working as a service producer, creating on-air promotional materials and a multitude of science based items. The last year, she created and co-wrote, directed and produced the half-hour pilot Animal Tracks that successfully ran for five seasons. She also wrote, directed, and produced the much-lauded half-hour Discovery Channel 1987 Launch Special.
Since leaving Discovery and moving to Vancouver, Michaelin has freelanced as a researcher for documentaries. She was the researcher, writer, producer, and director of the independent two-hour documentary, Light: More than Meets The Eye (broadcast Dec.04) for Discovery Channel. Light garnered high ratings and was nominated for a Leo Award for best documentary. The mini-series has secured both international (Europe Images International) and Canadian (Moving Images) distribution.
Her feature script, Pyramids received a Praxis fellowship in 1999, won The Female Eye Film Festival screenplay award in 2002 and runner-up in the 2003 Female Eye Film Festival “good-to-go” category.
Her short screenplay, At the End of Later, won the 2002 Praxis short screenplay contest.
Michaelin has recently completed a second feature script entitled Target Unlocked, co-written with Claude-Michel Prevost.
Michaelin has also been a Script Reader for CBC’s Signature Shorts and the Alibi Reading Series as well as a mentor at the Vancouver Film School.
She was chosen as a participant in the highly competitive 2006 Banff Centre’s Women in the Director’s Chair.
She serves on both the BC and National Board of the Documentary Organisation of Canada.
