Michael Cordell(II)
- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Michael Cordell is one of Australia's most established producers and directors. His projects straddle many genres and have won numerous awards. Michael was Executive Producer and writer on the award-winning format Go Back to Where You Came From for SBS.
The series won a Logie, two UN Media Awards and in an Australian first, the Rose d'Or for the Best International TV production of 2011. It also won an International Emmy in 2013. A live version in 2018 took the ambitious series to a new level. In 2018 Michael was an EP on the feature documentary Jimmy Barnes - Working Class Boy. It had the biggest cinema opening for an Australian documentary and was a ratings hit for the Seven Network. Michael was a Producer on The Great Mint Swindle in 2013 and House of Hancock, Nine's highest rating drama in 2015.
He was also an EP on the Alan Bond drama House of Bond for the Nine Network. Michael co-developed and is Executive Producer on Bondi Rescue, now in its 17th season and a six-time Logie winner. Other factual productions he has overseen include Cruising - The Biggest Storm, The Obesity Myth for SBS, Revolution School for the ABC and Kebab Kings for SBS. Michael was EP on the provocative constructed documentary series Muslims Like Us and Christians Like Us.
Other EP credits for SBS include Shitsville Express! and Dumb, Drunk and Racist. Michael has also produced a number of ground-breaking court series including On Trial, including the first murder trial filmed for Australian television and Court Justice taking viewers inside Australia's largest magistrates' court. Other EP credits include the true crime series Wanted for Ten, the documentary feature JFK: The Smoking Gun and the long-running Two Men... series featuring Tim Flannery and John Doyle for the ABC. Michael directed the documentary feature Three Boys Dreaming following young Indigenous football hopefuls and Music and Murder, a confronting profile of three convicted murderers for SBS.
His 1996 documentary feature Year of the Dogs is an Australian classic described by The Sydney Morning Herald as "one of the top ten sports films of all time." Michael's early career saw him produce and direct the one-hour documentary Franklin Wild River featuring a young Bob Brown and Dykes on Bikes for SBS. Michael has also worked as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald and as a current affairs reporter on Network Ten and the ABC.
Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder (CJZ) was awarded SPAA Independent Producer of the Year in 2016 and is a partnership with producer Nick Murray. CJZ also owns NZ production company Greenstone. Other CJZ titles include Con Girl, The Good Cop, Murder in the Outback, Gold Coast Ocean Rescue, The EX PM, Home Delivery with Julia Zamiro, Gruen, The Checkout, You're Skitting Me and Pauline Hanson - Please Explain!
The series won a Logie, two UN Media Awards and in an Australian first, the Rose d'Or for the Best International TV production of 2011. It also won an International Emmy in 2013. A live version in 2018 took the ambitious series to a new level. In 2018 Michael was an EP on the feature documentary Jimmy Barnes - Working Class Boy. It had the biggest cinema opening for an Australian documentary and was a ratings hit for the Seven Network. Michael was a Producer on The Great Mint Swindle in 2013 and House of Hancock, Nine's highest rating drama in 2015.
He was also an EP on the Alan Bond drama House of Bond for the Nine Network. Michael co-developed and is Executive Producer on Bondi Rescue, now in its 17th season and a six-time Logie winner. Other factual productions he has overseen include Cruising - The Biggest Storm, The Obesity Myth for SBS, Revolution School for the ABC and Kebab Kings for SBS. Michael was EP on the provocative constructed documentary series Muslims Like Us and Christians Like Us.
Other EP credits for SBS include Shitsville Express! and Dumb, Drunk and Racist. Michael has also produced a number of ground-breaking court series including On Trial, including the first murder trial filmed for Australian television and Court Justice taking viewers inside Australia's largest magistrates' court. Other EP credits include the true crime series Wanted for Ten, the documentary feature JFK: The Smoking Gun and the long-running Two Men... series featuring Tim Flannery and John Doyle for the ABC. Michael directed the documentary feature Three Boys Dreaming following young Indigenous football hopefuls and Music and Murder, a confronting profile of three convicted murderers for SBS.
His 1996 documentary feature Year of the Dogs is an Australian classic described by The Sydney Morning Herald as "one of the top ten sports films of all time." Michael's early career saw him produce and direct the one-hour documentary Franklin Wild River featuring a young Bob Brown and Dykes on Bikes for SBS. Michael has also worked as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald and as a current affairs reporter on Network Ten and the ABC.
Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder (CJZ) was awarded SPAA Independent Producer of the Year in 2016 and is a partnership with producer Nick Murray. CJZ also owns NZ production company Greenstone. Other CJZ titles include Con Girl, The Good Cop, Murder in the Outback, Gold Coast Ocean Rescue, The EX PM, Home Delivery with Julia Zamiro, Gruen, The Checkout, You're Skitting Me and Pauline Hanson - Please Explain!
