Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 31, 2026

Christopher Michel

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

Last revised
Jul 31, 2026
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Christopher Michel
A portrait of middle-age western man, wearing dark shirt and lighter dark jacket, his right hand holding a wooden piece at his waist level
Michel in San Francisco, in 2021
Born (1967-08-26) August 26, 1967
San Francisco, California
EducationUniversity of Illinois
Harvard Business School (MBA)
Occupations
  • Photographer
  • entrepreneur
  • lecturer
  • writer
Years active2000–present
Known forFounder of Military.com and Affinity Labs
Notable work

Christopher P. Michel (born August 26, 1967 in San Francisco) is an American photographer and entrepreneur, who founded Military.com.1 He is the current artist in residence at the National Academies.

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.com in 2004.6

In 2006, he founded Affinity Labs, a company building social networking and career-building sites for professional communities. It was acquired by Monster.com in 2008.78 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.1011

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 Navy15 and for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where he advised on climate communication.1617 In 2021 he became their first artist in residence,18 producing a portrait series of American scientists.1719 He has taught photography at the Esalen Institute20 and Santa Fe Workshops,21 and was an ambassador for Leica Camera.2223

Selected photographs

References

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 Welcomes Nine Entrepreneurs-in-Residence". 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". The Wall Street Journal. March 16, 2004. ISSN 0099-9660.
  7. Frommer, Dan (January 4, 2008). "Monster (MNST) Buys Career Verticals For $61M". Business Insider.
  8. "Monster to Acquire Affinity Labs for $61 Million". The New York Times. January 7, 2008.
  9. Murphy Jr., Bill (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, 8 May 2020, retrieved 2023-09-21
External links

Media related to Christopher Michel at Wikimedia Commons