Since I can remember, I've been drawn to a handful of things: books, history, and adventure. I fell in love with history when I was a child, dragging my parents to Civil War battlefields all over the south, and the bookshelves in my childhood bedroom were filled with volumes about that war, WWII, and the American Revolution. Advanced Placement History courses were my favorite classes in high school, and after a brief stint as a music major in college, I found my way back to history as a major.
Uncertain how to earn a living with history, I decided to write "rough draft history" as a journalist, working as an on-camera local television news reporter and anchor in small markets in east Tennessee and middle Georgia. When I found my third job in the historic city of Savannah, GA, I realized I'd found my home and my muse. I spent seven years as an anchor and military correspondent at Savannah's NBC affiliate, followed by five years as director of public relations at a nonprofit which operated several Savannah-area history museums. Afterwards, I founded and operated my own video production company, producing more than thirty documentaries about the history of Savannah and the surrounding area. I also continued traveling to war zones around the world to produce my own television specials about local troops.
I left Savannah in 2014 when my wife, Dr. Krista Wiegand, a professor of political science, was offered a great position as a fellow at a think tank at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. To this day, I continue producing historical documentaries for museums and other clients in Savannah, as well as my own original films. However, the biggest professional change brought about by the change in location was the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream by authoring my own books. As of this writing, I have penned three published volumes and am working on two more. My world travel also kicked into a higher gear, as nearly-annual journeys with my family have taken me around the world multiple times (this time without any war zones involved). The best part was taking our young son, Joseph, along for the adventures.
In 2018, I accepted a position as part-time director of marketing and public relations at a historic house museum in downtown Knoxville. I enjoyed getting to know Knoxville and joining the community that works every day to preserve its rich history. In August of 2020, I moved to the public radio station on-campus at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, an NPR charter member, as the station's fundraiser. We are a mixed-format station, broadcasting news as well as classical music, jazz, and variety programming. It's wonderful being in the middle of this great cultural community!
Click here to see Michael's CV.
Uncertain how to earn a living with history, I decided to write "rough draft history" as a journalist, working as an on-camera local television news reporter and anchor in small markets in east Tennessee and middle Georgia. When I found my third job in the historic city of Savannah, GA, I realized I'd found my home and my muse. I spent seven years as an anchor and military correspondent at Savannah's NBC affiliate, followed by five years as director of public relations at a nonprofit which operated several Savannah-area history museums. Afterwards, I founded and operated my own video production company, producing more than thirty documentaries about the history of Savannah and the surrounding area. I also continued traveling to war zones around the world to produce my own television specials about local troops.
I left Savannah in 2014 when my wife, Dr. Krista Wiegand, a professor of political science, was offered a great position as a fellow at a think tank at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. To this day, I continue producing historical documentaries for museums and other clients in Savannah, as well as my own original films. However, the biggest professional change brought about by the change in location was the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream by authoring my own books. As of this writing, I have penned three published volumes and am working on two more. My world travel also kicked into a higher gear, as nearly-annual journeys with my family have taken me around the world multiple times (this time without any war zones involved). The best part was taking our young son, Joseph, along for the adventures.
In 2018, I accepted a position as part-time director of marketing and public relations at a historic house museum in downtown Knoxville. I enjoyed getting to know Knoxville and joining the community that works every day to preserve its rich history. In August of 2020, I moved to the public radio station on-campus at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, an NPR charter member, as the station's fundraiser. We are a mixed-format station, broadcasting news as well as classical music, jazz, and variety programming. It's wonderful being in the middle of this great cultural community!
Click here to see Michael's CV.
