Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. Today, we focus on Michael Bay, the top earning producer who has recently begun filming the highly anticipated Transformers 3.
Company: Bay Films
Industry: Film
What Made Him Haute: He is one of Hollywood’s most bankable directors, producing action flicks that put him in the limelight and in the black, with global ticket sales surpassing the $3 billion mark. Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor and Transformers are among his list of credits, and each film is loaded with his special brand of over-the-top effects. The Hollywood power player uses his home on North Bay Road in Miami Beach as a much-needed sanctuary after the draining filming process. The house itself may be familiar, as it was where the Hogan family lived while filming their reality show Hogan Knows Best. Bay’s tasteful updates have allowed the estate to exude elegance, as we discovered during a photo shoot with Bay for the cover of Haute Living Los Angeles.
What Makes Him Haute Now: Bay recently appeared at No. 32 on the 2010 Forbes Celebrity 100, ranking fifth in pay with estimated earnings of $120 million this year.
“Bayhem” has already started filming Transformers 3, due out July 1, 2011. Transformers 1 and 2 grossed more than $1.5 billion, and Transformers 3 is expected to fare just as well in the box office. Although Bay did argue with Megan Fox and didn’t bring her on board with film, this doesn’t seem to be slowing him down. In fact, according to IMDB, Bay currently has 14 projects in development, including Bad Boys 3 and a remake of The Birds.
