Mike Johnson

PO Box 2534, Cody, Wyoming 82414
Voice (307) 527-7017, Fax (307) 527-6971
E-mail mike@mikeleejohnson.com Web site: MikeLeeJohnson.com

Mike Johnson, 50, is a versatile freelance writer/reporter/editor/humorist who enjoys promoting the positive aspects of people, products, places and events. His work has appeared regularly in business newsletters, web sites, consumer and trade magazines, ad agency assignments, newspapers and radio.

Comedy Work

Sit-down Comedian: Mike's lightening wit and mastery of one-liners, wordplay, sound and rhythm have made him a popular "sit-down" comedian in the AOL Writer’s Café and Writers Haven since 1995.

Radio DJ:(Feb. 98 - May 99) Mike was part-time on-air talent for KODI 1400 AM / KTAG 98 FM. He combined his speaking skills with sound news judgment and humor to create an entertaining, informative and fun program.

Graduate: Round Table comedy writing seminars: Mike trained under Gene Perret, a three-time Emmy Award winning writer, who wrote jokes for Bob Hope for 30 years and wrote for "Laugh-In," "The Carol Burnett Show" and "The Bill Cosby Show." In addition, Gene produced "Welcome Back Kotter" and "Three's Company," and has authored over 20 books on humor and writing. Mike also trained under Joe Medeiros, lead writer for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," Liz Sage; Emmy Award winning writer for shows such as "The Carol Burnett Show," "Growing Pains," "Major Dad" and "Step by Step," and Dobie Maxwell, a headlining stand-up comic with 15 years of experience.

Published Work

Ad agency writer: 1998-current: Authored articles, press releases, executive speeches, product names, case studies, web site content, how-to marketing articles and award nominations are some of the projects Mike has performed for advertising, marketing and public relations firm RMR & Associates. Mike's award nomination narratives have helped RMR clients earn the 1999 Ernest & Young Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 1999 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blue Chip Enterprise Award, 2000 Chamber of Commerce Blue Diamond Award, 2001 Maryland High Technology Council Executive of the Year Award and top-five finalist for the 2002 SIIA CODIE Corporate Achievement Award. To view numerous samples of Mike's ad agency writing, return to the "Business Page" section of this Web site.

Senior Contributing Editor: 1996-2002: During his six-year, freelance association with Clement Communications, Mike contributed more than one million words for five different newsletter titles, including two that he helped launch. One of these, "The Supervisor's Guide to Improved Customer Service & Retention" is an eight-page, nationally distributed bi-weekly, subscription-supported product that presents case studies, advice and articles about the most successful companies in America. Mike wrote the first 157 issues of this newsletter before the writing as taken in-house. Clement.com.

Co-Editor: 2001-2002: Mike helped launch and wrote a nationally distributed, monthly subscription-supported newsletter for The Coding Institute, a unit of Eli Research. Mike provided how-to content for "Medical Office Receptionist," an eight-page product that improves receptionist skills and productivity.Medville.com.

Marketing Collateral Writer: 2000: Software company RightNow Technologies utilized Mike to write product brochures, reviewer's guides, sales letters, vertical briefs, Powerpoint presentations, demo guides and white papers. RightNow.com.

Author: 2002-2002: Mike is the author of "The 101 Best Web Sites For Business Executives" for Soundview Executive Book Summaries. The 52,000 word book shares and reviews the top three web sites for each of the 101 business and personal topics most important to executives. Mike also wrote "101 Ways to Provide Exceptional Customer Service Today." He sells this 16-page booklet to companies as an employee training aid and promotional marketing tool.

Other Side of Creativity (OSC) Business Columnist: 1998-2000: Mike wrote "The Workafrolic" for OSCweb.com. The online workplace column shared techniques that made business more fun and effective for employees, supervisors and entrepreneurs.

Freelance Writer: 1991-current: Mike's articles have appeared in many consumer and trade magazines, web sites, newspapers and business publications across the country. Some of these include The Optimist, Troika, Convenience Store Decisions, Home Office Opportunities, Modern Baking, Real Estate New York and the Dallas Business Journal. Mike can write for any industry.

Syndicated Columnist: 1991-current: Inspirational column entitled Consider This... has appeared regularly in The Optimist, Lake Minnetonka Navigator, Dream Forge Online, Good Times Magazine and Broadcast Partners. The self-syndicated column was a 1994 Independent Free Papers of America (IFPA) award winner.

Boomers.com Men's Club Columnist: 1999: Mike's online column, "One Less Rib," covered issues facing men aged 35 to 55 -- those in the largest population bubble -- the Baby Boomer Generation. Using interesting research, engaging wit and occasional humor, the column covered topics such as relationships, aging, violence and desire.

Editor/Publisher: 1993-1995: Greater Pine Island Treetop Gazette. Mike owned and founded this full-color, community newspaper. Editor & Publisher featured it nationally for its no-crime, no-controversy policy and it was the newspaper of choice by 62% of the local readers despite competing directly with a corporate-owned weekly that had been publishing for 18 years.

Journalist: 1992: Pine Island Eagle. Wrote 150 feature/news articles for this weekly newspaper in addition to a regular weekly column and occasional photography assignments.

Business Owner

2001-current: Mike and his wife Margie own and operate Cody Trolley Tours in Cody, Wyoming - Buffalo Bill Cody's town in the Rockies. The seasonal business provides one hour, narrated city tours in a 31-passenger motorized trolley. Mike wrote the business plan, secured conventional financing, and with Margie's assistance, launched the successful operation in January 2001.

2003-current: Mike and Margie also own and operate Rivers Bend Mobile Home Park, a 32-unit community. The couple offers rentals of mobile homes, cabins and storage space as well as mobile home sales and financing.

2003-current: Mike is an Internet Domain Name Reseller with a vast inventory of Blue-Chip names. Mike's portfolio includes names like EverythingLoans.com (Loans.com sold for $3 million in 2000), EverythingMale.com (Men.com sold for $1.3 million in 2003) and EverythingNewYork.com (Indiana.com sold for $50,000 in 2003). You can peruse his portfolio of names by clicking the link on his home page.

2004-current: Mike and Margie also own and operate Two Bear Audio, an audio production company that researches, writes and professionally produces audio scripts. Their first project was the writing and producing of a historical audio tour for the Buffalo Bill Dam. The dam visitor center rents the tour and a CD player to visitors to enhance their interpretation experience. The Johnson's provided the entire turn-key package - tour research, writing, production, equipment and signage - in exchange for a revenue sharing agreement with the dam.

2003-2005: Mike and Margie also operated/managed the mass transit bus system for the City of Cody, Wyoming. The couple managed Cody Over Land Transit (COLT) through a professional services agreement with the city through September 17, 2005. Mike developed and launched the program after securing funding through state, city, business and economic development sources.

Corporate Management Experience

1999: Management consultant for Shoshone First Bank. Mike's reputation as a customer service expert convinced the bank to ask Mike to draft a plan to help improve the organization's customer service and employee hiring, reward and retention performance.

1981-1991: Ten years with the Southland Corporation, (7-Eleven Stores) the last four as the Market Manager in charge of the 55 store market area of Ft. Myers/Naples Florida. Oversaw 550 employees, $60 million in annual sales and led his operating area in numerous profit, accounting, marketing and personnel categories.

1974-1980: Six years with McDonald's Corporation, the last two as the Store Manager. On a visit to Mike's store, President and CEO, USA, Ed Rensi, called his store's customer service the best he'd ever seen and sent a film crew to the location to shoot a training video.

Other Skills & Experience

Computer Proficiency: Mike uses the Internet (via an ISP and AOL) every day of his life for research, e-mail and online chats with clients and writing peers. His three PCs include a flatbed scanner, 1200 dpi printer, Corel Draw 10.0, Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office 2000.

Speaking Experience: Guest appearances on local television and radio talk shows. CAREER SUCCESS SEMINARS presented to Lee County high schools, libraries and as an adult education instructor for the Lee County Public School System. Motivational speeches given to many organizations.

Grant Writing: Mike discovered the funding source and wrote the narrative for a grant request that helped Cody High School secure a $15,000 Community Technology grant from U.S. West. The grant allowed the school to purchase 11 computers that are heavily used by students and community members.

Volunteer Work: Past President of the Career Education Advisory Council, Charter President of the Greater Pine Island Optimist Club, government liaison for the Stringfellow Road Bike Path Group, member of the Cody Public Schools Superintendent Search Committee, career guidance volunteer for the Nations Association, umpire for the Pine Island Little League, member of CHS CAT Team, guest speaker for Cody High School "Career Days," advertising volunteer for the Park County Humane Society, member of the Cody Rotary Club, member of the Cody Economic Development Council and past president of the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce Marketing Council.

Personal: Mike, 50, is in good health, has two daughters and has been married to Margie for 29 years. He enjoys reading, writing, RVing, sports, hiking and metal detecting. Mike lives with his family near Yellowstone National Park.

Life Philosophy: We become what we think about.

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