Michel Shane seems to have a life to be desired. He’s produced blockbuster films like “Catch Me If You Can” and “I, Robot.” He lives in a canyon home high above the Pacific Ocean and cruises around tony Malibu in a Porsche SUV.
His curly white hair is big and bold — right out of central casting, you might say, for a Hollywood producer.
We meet Shane not far from his home, on a bluff overlooking Pacific Coast Highway, the ocean waters shimmering peacefully under the warm yet breezy California skies. As he looks off in the distance, he could see the route he took that one Spring Break afternoon in 2010 — a drive leading to Emily Shane Way, a road now named for his daughter and a tangible reminder that his Malibu lifestyle can’t possibly fill the hole in his heart.
“My daughter didn’t graduate. She doesn’t have a career. She doesn’t have a husband. She doesn’t have friends,” Shane said.
Emily’s death at the age of 13 on PCH, as it’s known locally, changed everything for Shane, making him not just a grieving father but an activist determined to make life safer for others. First, he focused on the state of the road. Now, he’s part of an effort that’s going further, blending road safety with fire recovery and celebrating the beauty of this corner of California.
