Our Founder
Michael James Hardinge is an award-winning director, producer, and filmmaker from Melbourne, Australia. He is the Creative Director & Founder of Momentum Studios Australia, a production company that produces content for film, television, social media, and video-on-demand platforms.
Michael is known for his ability to create impactful and thought-provoking content that encourages social change. He is passionate about using the medium of film and video to tell important stories and inspire positive action.
Career
In 2013, Michael founded Momentum Studios Australia while still in High School. Initially, he created short films and documentaries with friends, and produced client videos through referrals from friends, family and colleagues.
In 2014, he began working as a ENG News Stringer for several major TV network newsrooms, covering hundreds of stories across the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. His coverage received national and international airtime on multiple occasions and served as a learning opportunity to learn the craft of visual storytelling for large audiences.
In recent years, Hardinge has directed projects aired on network television and streamed on Netflix, and his companies original and client content reaches millions of viewers online each month.
His production company, Momentum Studios Australia, now serve a wide range of clients from various industries, including Fortune 500 companies, social enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, government departments, start-ups, and more.
Hardinge is best known for his work on "Retail Therapy: The Making of Rostered On," a behind the scenes special on how the comedy series ‘Rostered On’ was created. ‘Retail Therapy’ aired on the Seven Network in Australia and was also made available internationally on Netflix. He also directed "MASKED," an LGBTQIA-themed short film which has amassed nearly 3 million views on YouTube, and "Still Me," a short film about a non-binary teenager, also available on YouTube.
In early 2022, Hardinge expanded his creative empire by opening Momentum Creative Spaces, a photography and video studio hire space in Eastern Melbourne. That same year, Momentum Studios Australia was named the most innovative video production company by APEC Insider at the 2022 Australian Enterprise Awards.
Currently, his company Momentum Studios Australia is expanding its business and is working on several long-form pieces of commercial content, including documentary and scripted television series, which are in varying levels of pre-production and filming.
Personal Life
Michael was born in Healesville, a town in Victoria, Australia, 52 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. He grew up in Healesville and the broader Yarra Valley for most of his early years. Hardinge is a graduate of Lilydale Heights College, where he completed his studies in 2014.
In 2014, Michael’s story was published in the book "Inspiring Stories by Young Victorians," which features personal stories of more than 60 young people who have participated in Victorian government programs, helping them get involved in their community, drive social change, develop skills, and build self-confidence. Hardinge was featured for sharing his personal journey partaking in Victorian youth-based program FReeZA, and how he used his learnings in the program to help launch Momentum Studios.
In his personal life, he is a dedicated member of Rotary International, an organization that brings together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and advance goodwill and peace around the world. Michael joined Rotary in 2017 and has served in several director positions, including twice as president of his Rotary club in Healesville. In 2022, he was the recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow recognition for his work within the organization.
Outside of his work in the film industry and his involvement with Rotary, Michael is also an avid supporter of various causes such as LGBTQIA rights and is committed to using his storytelling skills and various platforms to make a positive impact on the world.