Michael Barbuto

Michael Barbuto is one of those Toronto guys who just can’t sit still. He kicked off his acting journey at the University of Guelph, grabbing a Theatre degree back in 2003, and then packed up for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood—yeah, the fancy one. He didn’t just cruise through either; he ended up in the Academy’s Company program, diving into a stack of plays and even snagging a lead in Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men” (the North American premiere, no less). Barbuto’s face might look familiar if you ever stumbled onto YTV’s “The Stanley Dynamic”—he was Lane Stanley from 2014 to 2017. Guy’s got a thing for Hallmark movies too, clocking credits in “Banner 4th of July” with Brooke White and Mercedes Ruehl, plus the holiday flicks “Collision” and “A Shoe Addict’s Christmas” with Candace Cameron Bure and Jean Smart. He’s popped up in Lifetime’s “Sherri,” FX’s “Nip/Tuck,” and even did time on Hallmark’s “The Note” and “An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving” with Tatiana Maslany. More recently, you’ll spot him on “Big Top Academy,” a Cirque du Soleil and Discovery Kids collab. But he doesn’t just act—he’s the brains behind Hogtown Productions, churning out feature films, TV, and shorts. “Ride with a Girl” snagged a Bronze Remi at Houston, and “Happy Camp,” his horror project with Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films, made waves last year. Plus, he’s written and starred in “Bleed Out” and co-created “Ash Global,” rubbing elbows with legends like Lorenzo Lamas. He’s repped by Butler Ruston Bell Talent.