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MIKE THIENES

Mike is a documentary filmmaker, Director, cinematographer, and editor based in Minnesota.

For more than a decade, he’s shaped commercial work and short films with a visual storyteller’s eye, and a field guides patience - chasing moments that feel lived in, weathered and true. Across more than 400 projects, mike has built a body of work rooted in authenticity, community, and the kind of visual language that lingers after the screen goes dark.

Before and alongside filmmaking, Mike spent 23 years in skateboard / snowboard retail OPERATIONS with his best friends at The Youth Shelter Supply and The Sticks. He also founded Bald E-Gal, where he produced 15 snowboard films. That mix of creativity, grit, and hands-on experience informs everything he makes.

His work appeared in The Flyfish Journal, earned Gold Addy honors from the AMERICAN Advertising Awards, Transworld Snowboarding, and picked up recognition from film festivals, outdoor brands, and community organizations. But the real reward is simpler: helping good folks tell good stories in a way that feels alive.