Dream Teams: How Michael Ciccone and Elise Trenorden Found “Creative Simpatico”

“Mike is the yin to my yang. The Schwatznegger to my Devito, the Jerry to my George,” says Elise when reflecting on her working relationship with Michael. 

Michael and Elise have spent the last six years building and fostering their creative partnership after meeting through their mutual connection, Nick Clifford, in 2018. According to Elise, it was a ‘creative simpatico,’ while Michael remembered her ‘disarming personality’ and the way people naturally gravitated towards her. 

After working together on a short film, the pair decided to make it official. With the title of executive producer under their belts, Michael and Elise are constantly challenging each other to think differently. 

“Over the years we’ve recognised that we’re very different humans, and bring a different approach and thought process to every job as well as how best to run the business. After a few soft headbutts along the way, we’ve grown to realise that it’s a really positive thing to come from such different schools of thought,” Elise said. 

As Truce has grown over the years, both Michael and Elise have been pushed to become leaders, or ‘the face of the business’ as Michael likes to say. Through this business growth, the pair have found success by working together while remaining true to their differences. 

“We certainly bring diverse perspectives to the table. We are always pushing each other on the status of the next objective, meeting the next milestone. We definitely have our own strengths, and we’re good at covering each other's weaknesses. Being able to share those responsibilities has made the task easier.” stated Michael. 

Micheal and Elise communicate constantly, regardless of whether it’s business or project-related. Together they have built trust - there are no egos in their partnership according to Elise, and they are always willing to acknowledge when the other’s idea is stronger. 

“As much as we may bicker like an old married couple at times, there is always an underlying respect and appreciation for each other,” she said. 

“I think the best policy is always being direct. If you feel something or have an opinion to offer, get it off your chest, let's talk it out. Our common language is that we are both always ready to listen,” Michael added. 

This willingness to accept their individual personalities is how Michael and Elise have created a balanced relationship. Micheal was described by Elise as blunt, ‘he calls a spade a spade,’ she said, but the thing she admires most is his ability to care and his dry sense of humour. 

Meanwhile, Michael stated that he’s had the privilege of witnessing her craft as a producer grow through her ability to forge genuine relationships. 

“She doesn’t hold back, and nor should she. There’s no point swallowing input if it can make us or the work better. She is certainly always elevating what Truce is putting out into the world,” he said. 

There’s a satisfying sense of consistency to Michael and Elise’s values. They leave work at work, they respect each other's lives, they recharge each other's batteries and they feed this balance into the rest of the team at Truce. 

Together they have created a reputation for producing good work. They’ve built a company where their unwavering support for each other is noticed, and reciprocated by everyone else on the team. 

“We’re really proud of how far we’ve come and the reputation we've built over the last few years. Hopefully, the good vibes we’re putting out into the world are getting noticed,” Elise finished.    

However different their perspectives and individual approaches may be, there’s one clear theme which unites Michael and Elise: Respect. And for the pair of them, there’s no better foundation on which to build your creativity.