Michael Garcia was raised in a family that cultivated the arts in their lives: music, painting, literature and poetry.
He began classical piano and violin studies in his early teens and studied sitar in this twenties. Michael performed as a violinist in community orchestras throughout college including the West Valley Symphony and the Symphony of the Verdugos.
He received his first check as a professional writer for a review in his hometown newspaper of the film Stand By Me in 1986. He has been writing professionally ever since. Hoping to become a teacher or professor, Michael studied English, writing and literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. When he realized he lacked the patience to teach – his two brothers are both English professors – he decided to utilize his education and abilities in marketing.
After working for a number of different corporations, Michael started his own successful consulting firm in 2001, working with companies across a myriad of industries throughout the United States, the UK and Australia. He was an early expert in Search Engines and co-wrote the first commercially published book about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
In 2016, he and guitarist Scott Diehl performed together as a folk duo called “The Explorers”, which morphed into The Storytellers in 2017. In 2018, Michael replaced himself on the fiddle in order to manage and market the band.
“I recognized early on that The Storytellers was special,” said Michael. “Having been there from the beginning, I saw the story of the band emerging. It was provocative and soulful, so I have endeavored to relate the story of The Storytellers to the world through words and images. From a pure marketing standpoint, the band’s brand is solid. It’s about love, friendship, inclusivity, creativity and community.”
Michael’s work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, The LA Weekly, the Utne Reader, Mother Jones and High Times.
