Hair stylist ... screenwriter ... actor ... film producer .... Houston native Lynn Michaels has just about done it all or seen it all. And he brings those three-plus decades of life experience to the Lynn Michaels Salon in Kingwood, which recently opened after 10 years in River Oaks.

"In this age of communication and technology, the action is where you are, not somewhere else. You really don't have to move to L.A. to persue an acting career or to New York to scout for a publisher to move your novel," Lynn explains.

From right here in Houston, Lynn produced a film that sold heavily in Spain, Greece, the Mediterranean area and Asia -- pointing out that one can push a button and transfer a billion dollars in a few seconds, have an audio and visual conference with three people on three separate contininents. True to form, Michaels says it is not about going somewhere else any longer -- one can market and network from anywhere.

Lynn's Hollywood acting career included credits on "T.J. Hooker," "Tales of the Gold Monkey," "Knight Rider," "Love Boat," "CHiPs" and "Falcon Crest," as well as ESPN's advertising campaign for the famous Hagler-Leonard fights. However, it was between those early acting gigs that Lynn discovered hair. He had sustained an auto injury and, while he was recovering, a cousin praised the hair business and suggested that he consider it as a possible career. Taking her advice, Lynn went to beauty school in Louisiana, studying with the legendary teacher Sam Brocato. After his recovery, Lynn, a Screen Actors Guild member, returned to L.A. and his first love -- acting. But this time, he brought his new found passion -- hairdressing -- with him. Utilizing contacts made over years in the acting field from agents and actor friends, he opened his first namesake salon. Still acting occasionally, Lynn expanded his talent with hair into fashion shoots and television commercials, thus becoming the primary focus of his work.

"The emotional reward in making a woman feel good about herself far outweighs the monetary gain; you really feel as though you are doing something of value, with merit and getting paid. What more can one ask for?" Lynn says. "I have been blessed all my life in doing things I love to do and making money. I did not know what an entrepreneur was until my father said I was one. He believed in education and had a college degree; I believed in getting busy and dropped out in the 8th or 9th grade to count my money. We met somewhere in the middle. Dad would just shake his head and laugh when he would read an interview or see me on television. It was like, how did you pull that one off son? He was my #1 fan and best friend."

On the West Coast, Lynn did hair styling photo sessions for Guess! Jeans, Street Scene, Jimmy Z, Oak Tree and Dunner Suits ads while maintaining an exhaustive schedule doing live platform shows for Sebastian International, Brocato, Rusk and Farouk Systems. His hair work has been editorialized in several magazines, including L'Uomo, Sophisticates Celebrity Hairstyle Guide and Celebrity Shortcuts 101. He was also a contributing fashion editor for Ambiance magazine.

Even while living a nomadic lifestyle -- migrating between Los Angeles, New Orleans and Houston -- sporting tattoos (long before it was fashionable), hanging with bikers and babes -- hair and beauty have been the one constant in Lynn's multifaceted life and it should be of little surprise he also writes screenplays. Two are registered with the Writers Guild of America and open for options from other companies. His own hair care line has been in development for two years -- a small line with six to eight products total Several companies have expressed letters of intent for "first look."

After a 14-year absence from filmdom, in '05, he wrote and produced a nine-minute short film titled "401-KO" -- a spoof on corporate America today. "It was a lark," says Lynn. "I never considered it as a moneymaker but I still get paid." Indieflix exclusivly distributes it to this day and is still a top level seller after three years, unusual especially for shorts. "It is not the quality of the piece in all due respect to my directors and crew; the content registers with viewers," Lynn explains. "It was shopped at Sundance, Toronto and Los Angeles film festivals -- the new expositions for selling product, like car/boat shows or bridal extravaganzas. However, Dusk Till Dawn picked it up, and it won top honors as the Best Independent film in its class. The phone has not stopped ringing."

Lynn continues, "Hollywood is dead, the new frontier is for the independent filmmaker, just as it all began back in the day. A 150 million dollar budget(?) sounds like a corporate scam to me. Charlie Chaplin and friends formed United Artists to break away from such obscene practices and they continued to remain true to the medium they loved and make a living."

Lynn recently signed a three-movie deal with Upstart Filmworks in '08. The first film titled "Walking Distance" was completed in June and will be released in '09. The second film, an action/horror piece, starts shooting in the fall. "We ran over due to several situations not excluding the impact Hurricane Ike had on Texas," says Lynn. And, a movie co-starring Lynn that was shot in Texas in '07 was released domestically in Febuary '08 at Hollywood Video, and several foreign markets prior to that.

"When independent films got really big 10-12 years ago, I did several indies for other people, as an actor," Lynn explains. "So, I got re-interested in acting and eventually in producing them. The real players are the ones putting the deal together, making it run smoothly, beginning to end. That takes grey matter between your ears and some brass! I would rather make a star than be one today. Indies are not the same humdrum formula-driven garbage Hollywood kept spitting out -- the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" theory's not for me. Challenge me, move me, stir the audience to some level of emotion besides gratuitous sex and violence; it has been sooooo done! I look at the majority of movies today and it's hilarious. I can do better than that blindfolded. Anybody can make a movie for $20 million, throw money at it and cross your fingers -- show me someobody who has made one for under $1 million and I'll show you an artist!"

"The industry has freed up some of the rules and regulations protocols, therefore allowing the working man to create a commodity (film) and shop it, still maintaining integrity under the union banner," the energetic Lynn says. "I would not be interested nearly as much were it not for that provision. Corporate shots (TV or studio films) are only good for luring investors to your table. There is still credibility there, especially for a fledgling producer. Beauty and movies go hand in hand, they each possess the ability to allow grace, sensuality and dreams into a life.... Jon Peters was a hairdresser before he co-produced "A Star is Born" with Streisand. Who knows, the future looks bright from where I stand."