Mike Pokryfke

mike.pokryfke@gmail.com
847-409-9587

(Pronounced: Poe-Kriff-Key)

Mike “Po” Pokryfke is an Emmy Award-winning editor and producer with two decades of experience in a wide variety of roles on set and in post. He’s worked on commercials, short films, music videos, and live events in the Chicago area. He loves coffee, Twizzlers and justice. He usually gets too much of the first and is trying to cut down on the second. He hates tomatoes and writing about himself in the third person. He is a father of 3 and thus prone to little sleep.

Mike graduated from DePaul University’s School of Computing and Digital Media with a BA in Digital Cinema, where his primary focus was on production lighting and cinematography. In the years since, he has devoted most of his time to the post-production side of filmmaking, learning valuable skills online and on-the-job.

After working freelance for a few years, Mike landed a job creating commercials for WGN-TV’s multicast channels, THIS-TV and Antenna TV, where he won an Emmy for his promo work. From there, he worked with FOUR Productions as well as WGN Radio, creating video content for clients. In both roles, Mike served as a main point-of-contact developing and pitching concepts, while also handling planning and execution. His "jack-of-all-trades" skill set allowed him to serve as producer, director, camera operator, gaffer, sound recorder, grip, editor, and motion graphics editor across a multitude of projects.

In January of 2020, Mike joined the cable network WGN America, where he handled the promotion of the network’s original series "Almost Paradise." After one season, the network pivoted to a primetime news format launching "NewsNation." Mike currently works at Weigel Broadcasting, where he oversees the writing, production, and editing of commercials for their national networks includin:g MeTV, MeTV Toons, H&I, Story Television, and more.

In his free time, Mike enjoys woodworking, playing videogames, coaching soccer and rollerskating with his family. He also put googly eyes on Lady Edith from Downton Abbey a few times.


Software Experience:

  • Adobe Creative Cloud (Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, Audition, & more)
  • Proficient with both PC & Macs
  • Livestream software: Xsplit Broadcaster, OBS & Telestream
  • DVD Studio Pro (if, for some reason, you need a DVD in the year 2026.)

Camera Experience:

  • Canon C100 & C300
  • Canon 5D & 7D and R-series cameras
  • Blackmagic cameras
  • Sony a7s ii
  • Panasonic Lumix GH5s
  • Various Atomos & Odyssey Monitor/Recorders

Additional Gear:

  • Kessler Cineslider (3 feet)
  • Kessler Second Shooter Pan/Tilt head

Contact


Mike Pokryfke
mike.pokryfke@gmail.com


If you are interested in hiring me for a project or simply in need of a quote for any of my services, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

NOTE: Please inquire about additional work samples. Due to the nature of freelance work, a lot of my pieces are not able to be published publicly. I am happy to provide which ones I can via private means.