ABOUT MICHAEL
As a Professional…
Michael is the proposal director of a national healthcare services company based in Chicago, IL. In this position, he manages a department of writers who develop proposals and other marketing material to support the firm’s sales efforts. He has more than 10 years of experience in marketing, communications, copywriting and business development for public and private sector clients. Through his early proposal work in the architecture/engineering field, he developed technical expertise and became a certified urban planner (AICP) with the American Planning Association. He has consulted on a wide variety of projects, most notably the Buckingham Fountain Restoration Project for the Chicago Park District, as well as several large grant assignments. A member of the Union League Club of Chicago and a CITI certified interviewer/researcher, Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago.
As an Artist…
Michael is an active film and theater actor, and writer. Brother of actor Sam Witwer (Being Human, Battlestar Galatica, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), his film credits include The Return of Joe Rich starring Armand Assante and Talia Shire, Bollywood smash hit, Dhoom 3, and several short films, industrials and commercials. His short film work earned him the distinction of Best Leading Actor in the Chicago 24-Hour Film Race in both 2009 and 2011. A graduate of Northwestern University's prestigious musical theater program, he has also worked for professional theaters throughout the region and country including the Ravinia Festival, Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, Playwrights Horizons in New York City, Mercury Theatre, Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, Light Opera Works and many others. A proud member of the Actors Equity Association, Michael has also appeared in the title role of several high-profile productions of The Rocky Horror Show including those that featured Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch) and Mancow Muller, as well as the annual production at Detroit's Meadowbrook Festival.
As a Person…
A native of Glenview, IL, Michael was born to a Chicago attorney and TWA flight attendant at the tail end of Generation X – the last of his generation. He grew up playing lots of tennis and filled the remainder of his free time playing the Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars role-playing games, game-mastered by his brother. He also managed to wear out his VHS tapes of the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as copies of TRON, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, He-Man (cartoon) and re-runs of the 1967 Spiderman cartoon series. After graduating Glenbrook South High School, Michael enrolled at Northwestern University, studying music under the likes of Sherill Milnes and William Warfield. It was here where he met the love of his life, Kalysta Harmon, who he married in 2006. Later, he obtained a Masters of Liberal Arts from the University of Chicago where his book, Empire of Imagination, first emerged as the subject of his thesis. Michael currently lives in Chicago with his wife and their two children, Vivienne and William.