Born in Pasadena, California, Mike is the son of Reverend Mel White, a noted author, pastor, and gay rights activist. He got his first impulse toward writing scripts from his favorite teacher in second grade, the mother of playwright Sam Shepard. Mike studied at Wesleyan University and after completing his education, he moved to Los Angeles and began pursuing a career as a writer.

After a two-year stint collaborating with friend Zak Penn - which resulted in no work that's been produced to date - Mike struck out on his own, and scored a lucky break when he was hired as a writer and producer for the WB's teen drama series Dawson's Creek.

Upon its debut in 1998, Dawson's Creek was a hit in the ratings, and that same year Mike received his first screenplay credit for the offbeat teen comedy Dead Man on Campus. After his success with Dawson's Creek, in 1999 Mike moved on to another teen-themed television show, the critically lauded Freaks and Geeks, where he again served as both producer and occasional writer.

The following year, Mike briefly left teenagers behind with his screenplay for the edgy independent comedy-drama Chuck & Buck; Mike also co-starred as the childlike Buck O'Brien in what was only his second screen appearance (his first was in a supporting role in Star Maps, whose director, Miguel Arteta, was also behind the camera for Chuck & Buck).

While Mike's performance as Buck earned him the Best Male Performance award at the 2000 Deauville Film Festival, and a nomination in the same category at the 2000 American Spirit Awards, he opted to focus on his screenwriting in the wake of Chuck & Buck's critical success. In 2001, he took another stab at TV as writer and producer of the edgy but short-lived prime-time soap opera Pasadena, and 2002 saw the release of two feature films scripted by Mike, Orange County and The Good Girl. Mike also played small supporting roles in both films.