Michael was born and raised in Hempstead, Long Island, He has two siblings, an younger brother Kevin Arbouet and a younger sister Helene. His father and mother both work in the Health field industries.

His first experience in the entertainment industry came when he did some acting in High School. He always wanted to become a director, so he went to college and graduated in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in film. He started his training at NBC, in New York, where he intern for a year.