Like many aspiring filmmakers, Southern California native Michael Bay began making films with his family's Super 8mm camera while still a teenager. At age 15, he scored a clerical job at Lucasfilm and attempted to absorb whatever he could. Following college (where he made the thesis short "Benjamin's Birthday" in 1986) and post-grad work at the Art College Center of Design in Pasadena, Bay made his first music video at age 24. The result, "Soldier of Love", reinvigorated the moribund career of singer Donny Osmond and put the tyro director on the map, landing him a spot with Propaganda Films.