THE JOURNEY

Michael Crane’s story is one of soaring success, devastating failure, and ultimate redemption.

Born in Alabama in 1975, Michael grew up with sports as both a passion and a proving ground. His speed and competitiveness on the field carried into his professional life, where he built a career at the highest levels of live sports television. As an EVS operator and video editor, he rose quickly through the ranks, covering the world’s biggest stages — the 2004 Summer Olympics, ATP Tennis, NCAA Final Fours, SEC Football, and more. His skill and creativity earned him an Emmy Award and a reputation as one of the best in his field.

But behind the professional triumphs, Michael lived with challenges of Bipolar Disorder and addiction. Those battles culminated in a mistake that made national headlines: a bank robbery while covering the Masters that nearly cost him everything.

For most, that would have been the end of the story. For Michael, it became the turning point.

In 2015 Michael started a youth travel baseball program with just one team that won a State Championship in it's first year. In year two the program grew to two teams and claimed a Dizzy Dean 19U World Series Championship. Year three saw even more growth, now with eleven teams. Going into year four the optimism was high but with growing symptoms of Bipolar and a lack of business direction, Michael was forced to shut down the program.

Though he would never return to the same heights of television fame he had once enjoyed, he fought his way back into the industry and rebuilt his career with grit and determination. More importantly, he rebuilt himself. Just prior to being featured in Sports Illustrated, Michael sat down and wrote a simple line on a piece of paper:

Michael Crane turned his story of resilience into The Next Right Thing, an AI-powered personal growth app rooted in love, kindness, respect, and truth to help people find clarity and purpose.