Born in Los Angeles, McDermott attended UCLA and then moved to China to become a film producer. In 2001, McDermott founded Gung-Ho Films, which has grown into the leading film and TV production service company in China and Hong Kong. Spanning over 2 decades, McDermott has worked with the legendary Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou; Oscar winners Alejandro Iñárritu, Oliver Stone, Spike Jonze, and Davis Guggenheim; plus Emmy winners Louise CK, and Bertram van Munster ("Amazing Race"). McDermott has also worked with photographers Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Steven Klein, Patrick Demarchelier, and Brigitte Lacombe. McDermott is a member of the Producers Guild of America, and speaks fluent Chinese.
McDermott's father Thomas was a TV producer, whose studio Four Star produced such iconic shows as "The Big Valley", "The Rifleman", and "Sea Hunt".
Did u know Michael's mother was a Broadway actress? Her first staring role on Broadway was in a play called "Native Son", which was directed by Orson Welles.
Michael has acted in 3 Chinese TV shows. Two were sitcoms. One was a drama.