Christopher Michel

Christopher P. Michel is an American photographer and entrepreneur, who founded Military.com.^[1] He is the current artist in residence at the National Academies.

Michel in San Francisco, in 2021.

Early life and career

Michel attended the University of Illinois. He served as a flight officer in the US Navy,^[2] and later as a lieutenant commander in the reserves. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1998,^[3] and returned to the school as an entrepreneur-in-residence in 2010.^[4]

Career

Business

In 2000, Michel founded Military.com, an early website providing news and practical information about the military for active service members, veterans, and their family members.^[5] It was acquired by Monster Worldwide in 2004.^[6]

In 2006, he founded Affinity Labs, a company building social networking and career-building sites for professional communities. It was acquired in 2008.^[7][8] In 2010, his work with these companies was profiled in The Intelligent Entrepreneur.^[9]

In 2008 he started an early stage investment firm, Nautilus Ventures.^[10][11]

Writing and photography

From 2005 to 2009 he wrote The Military Advantage, a guide to veterans benefits.^[12] Starting in 2009, publication was taken over by the Naval Institute Press.^[13]

He is a nature and portrait photographer,^[14] producing collections for the Navy^[15] and for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where he advised on climate communication.^[16][17] In 2021 he became their first artist in residence,^[18] producing a portrait series of American scientists.^[17][19] He has taught photography at the Esalen Institute^[20] and Santa Fe Workshops,^[21] and was an ambassador for Leica Camera.^[22][23]

Selected photographs

•  
  Robert Sapolsky (2023)
•  
  Emperor penguin in Antarctica (2013)
•  
  Humpback whale (2014)
•  
  Dalai Lama (2012)
•  
  Woman in Papua New Guinea (2004)

References

1. Jaffe, Greg (2000-03-25). "Entrepreneurs, Generals Join Forces To Launch Web Sites for Soldiers". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
2. "Chris Michel | Union of Concerned Scientists". www.ucsusa.org. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
3. "Developing Leaders Behind Bars - Alumni - Harvard Business School". www.alumni.hbs.edu. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
4. . Harvard Business School (Press release). Archived from the original on September 16, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
5. Bransten, Lisa (2001-08-27). "Military Advantage Gets Funds For Targeting Veterans, Military". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
6. "Monster Buys Military Site". Wall Street Journal. 2004-03-16. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
7. Frommer, Dan. "Monster (MNST) Buys Career Verticals For $61M". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
8. Dealbook (2008-01-07). "Monster to Acquire Affinity Labs for $61 Million". New York Times DealBook. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
9. Bill Murphy, Jr (12 October 2010). The Intelligent Entrepreneur. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0805091663.
10. "Nautilus Ventures Overview". Pitchbook. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
11. "Exclusive: Former Foxconn and Samsung execs launch VC firm". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
12. Michel, Christopher P. (2005-12-20). The Military Advantage: A Comprehensive Guide to Your Military & Veterans Benefits. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-6946-9.
13. Booher, Alice A. (2013). Veterans Law Review (PDF) (6th ed.). pp. 264–269.
14. Graham, Jefferson. "Chris Michel's tips on street and travel photography". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
15. "On the edge of space: A photographer's out-of-this-world selfie, 70,000 feet above the Earth". Washington Post. 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
16. "Climate Communications Initiative". www.nationalacademies.org. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
17. "The 'New Heroes' of Caltech and JPL". Caltech Magazine. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
18. "National Academies Names Inaugural Artist in Residence". www.nationalacademies.org. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
19. "Up Close – Engineering Education ASEE Prism". 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
20. "Christopher Michel | Faculty Member | Esalen". www.esalen.org. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
21. "Christopher Michel". Santa Fe Workshops. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
22. "Christopher Michel: The Best Stories Come From Inside - The Leica camera Blog". leica-camera.blog. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
23. #StayHomewithLeica - TO THE END OF THE EARTH - Om Malik and Chris Michel interview, retrieved 2023-09-21

External links

  Media related to Christopher Michel at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Flickr account