This is the poster for the film “Hobby Hustle,” which will release on Amazon and Apple TV on Sunday. (Courtesy photo)

MENOMINEE — After finishing his newest film, a Yooper is returning home just as his documentary is set to premiere. The documentary is based on the sports memorabilia market and attempts to capture all angles of the trade, from crime to collections; the film is called “Hobby Hustle” and it is set to premiere Sunday on Amazon and Apple TV.

“I’m originally from Republic, and moved away for a couple decades before coming back to the Upper Peninsula to be closer to family,” said film producer and director Michael Dault.

The film’s synopsis is about how billions of dollars are generated each year in the sports memorabilia and trading card industry, but who are the buyers and sellers? What is the actual value of what is being sold? “Hobby Hustle” follows three people who became involved in the polarizing obsession that changed their lives forever.

“The documentary hits all angles of the hobby,” said Dault. “Three of the main stories the film follows are of a kid who becomes YouTube famous as well as locally famous for collecting and decides to start a brick-and-mortar hobby store.

“We follow a man and his family who found millions of dollars worth of baseball cards in their relative’s attic and then we follow another man who went to prison for six years for forgery — a master forgery con man who sold fake memorabilia he signed to thousands of victims. There are little stories of other collectors and aspects of the hobby woven in between these main stories.”

Dault was born in Virginia and was raised in the U.P. After a short stint in professional baseball, he began his media career working for television and radio stations. Later, he transitioned into sports journalism.

In 2006, he founded his own film and television production company, TipToe Productions, which he presently owns and operates. This has led to collaborating on award-winning projects and various producing, directing, screenwriting and acting roles. Dault is also an avid sports memorabilia collector, which inspired his latest film.

“I dove into this documentary, I started to collect signed memorabilia, baseballs, hats, jerseys, cards, etc.,” said Dault. “Little did I know it was hit or miss if they were actually real, if they were actually signed by the player I thought I was getting.

“Suddenly, I started diving into the research of fraud within the industry and my jaw dropped. This led to finding infamous investigations like Operation Foul Ball and Operation Stolen Base as well as many others. I knew I had to expand my documentary from just a love letter to a cautionary tale.”

The film began production in 2019, and has taken a lot of effort especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID stopped production for at least two-and-a-half years,” Dault said. “It was tough because I had the momentum of filming, and then had to stop. Then I had to pick it back up again, and trying to get back into that rhythm was hard.”

Dault is also working on numerous projects at the moment, from a book series to another documentary.

“Right now, I’m finishing up my novel series, ‘Cold Run,’ which takes place in the U.P.,” said Dault. “It’s about a drug-smuggling dog sled musher. I’m obsessed with Michigan, my home state, so most of my projects revolve around it. I have another documentary in development about the push throughout the decades to make the U.P. its own state.”

The trailer for the movie “Hobby Hustle” can be found on YouTube at this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsclcFrDsA8.