Since graduating from New York University, Michael Vlessides has made a career of writing refreshing, readable, and rock-solid material for a wide range of audiences. From best-selling books to annual reports, Major League Baseball to walruses, Mike has done it all.

Most recently, Mike celebrated the release of Surf When You Can (Simon & Schuster; June 2023), a collection of life lessons written in conjunction with Captain Brett Crozier, the US Navy commander who gained international notoriety in March 2020 when a COVID-19 outbreak struck his ship, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. In contrast, Mike is also writing the yet-untitled memoir that chronicles the fascinating life of one of the stars of TV’s Life Below Zero.

Prior to that, Mike is one of only a handful of writers to lay claim to having written five consecutive Globe & Mail best-sellers, including You Gotta Eat Here, Too!, (Harper Collins, Toronto) the follow-up compendium to the best-selling You Gotta Eat Here! (Harper Collins, Toronto). In 2011, Mike penned the national best-seller The Ice Pilots: Flying With The Mavericks Of The Great White North (D&M Publishers, Vancouver).

Mike has also written Les Stroud’s best-selling Will To Live, Dispatches From The Edge Of Survival and Survive! How To Get Out Of Anywhere… Alive, which has sold more than 200,000 copies worldwide to date. Other titles to Mike’s name include You Gotta Go Here! (Harper Collins, Toronto) and Boogie’s Back For Blood, a pre-teen title with Avon Publishing's Spinetingler series.

Mike’s professional writing career began as an employee of Major League Baseball's Commissioner's Office in New York City, where he created press kits for the public relations department. After moving to Major League Baseball Properties, he was responsible for writing and editing press releases, product catalogs, and presentation packages. He also launched the award-winning retail newsletter Extra Innings, which he wrote, designed, and edited. Between 1992 and 2019, Mike also acted as a consultant for multiple Major League Baseball clubs during salary arbitration hearings, writing and presenting complex legal briefs.

Mike’s work has appeared in some of the world’s most prestigious magazines, including Canadian Geographic and International Wildlife. He has penned articles for sports licensing trade journals such as Team Licensing Business and SportStyle. He led the redesign of a small Canadian consumer magazine, Up Here, during his 1996-97 term as editor.

Mike helped the Calgary Urban Project Society, a Calgary-based organization that works with street people, create and publish that city’s first and only ‘street newspaper’, Calgary Street Talk. Mike served as editor of Street Talk for a year, seeing the publication through its fledgling stages before passing on the editorial reins.

Mike also produces a considerable body of written collateral materials for North American companies large and small. This includes annual reports, corporate brochures, flyers, product sheets, radio, TV, and print advertisements. Through his Textman Writing Workshops he speaks about business writing skills to professionals across North America.

Mike regularly contributes to several medical trade publications and associated websites, which are circulated to specialists in their respective fields. He is a regular contributor to Anesthesiology News, Pain Medicine News, and Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News (McMahon Publishing, NYC).

Finally, Mike regularly pens personal biographies for individuals who are interested in preserving their life stories for their heirs and descendants. To date, he has written three of these biographies, and is in the process of completing a fourth.

A native New Yorker, Mike currently lives in Canmore, Alberta, with his incredible wife Caroline and an ever-changing array of their eight children.

Les Stroud is a filmmaker, outdoor adventurer, singer-songwriter and creator of the hit show Survivorman. He is a member of the prestigious Explorers Club and has produced, hosted, and appeared in many television specials including Shark Week, Surviving Alaska, and Off The Grid with Les Stroud. He has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Larry King Live, Men's Journal, and Entertainment Weekly.