Mike was raised in the suburbs east of Toronto. Formulative years were spent BMXing and building dirt jumps. A transition from metal to punk was made in the late 1980's. Punk shows in the inner city exposed M. to fanzine culture. D.P.M. was the first cut and paste effort. The magazine would last 6 issues and cover storied musicians like Henry Rollins (Black Flag, Rollins Band), Ian Mackaye (Minor Threat / Fugazi), John Kastner (Doughboys), Bill Stevenson (Descendents, All), Big Drill Car, Mr. T Experience, 7 Seconds, and countless other local acts. More zines were to follow, the later projects often taking a more literary bent.

Driver 8 magazine was a one-off that saw an ongoing collaboration of writers and photographers come together and produce a literary zine with travel and drugs as the central theme. At this point M. began art directing photo shoots and moved beyond editorial work to really develop the overall look and feel of the magazine.

M. formed early bands and played with minor Toronto acts until his mid-twenties. A passion had developed for the publicity and promotional elements of managing rock bands. Absorbing the DIY ethic, M. produced a number of demo tapes, designed the layouts and packaging, and promoted many concerts (not always including himself or his projects, but always taking great pains to design striking flyers and drumming up excitement for these gigs).

Skateboarding would be an integral part of the psyche and identity of millions of North American youth. An avid skater, M. eventually merged this passion with a fondness for streetwear into the seeds of Sick clothing, an enterprise begun in 1996. Sick has distributed funky t-shirts and hats to more than a dozen retailers in the greater Toronto area. Sick inspired M. to bring a street aesthetic to the masses, taking ideas and moving from design to product. The clothing begat a number of web sites, promotional materials and other elements of communication and design.

M. now brings a robust set of skills to the table. Graphic design, web and print media, promotion, copy writing, and a keen creative mind with organizational and managerial talents. He has experience with brand building and marketing to a youth market. He has roots in subcultures that are now very much a part of the mainstream (graffiti, punk, hip-hop, skateboarding, BMX). His background in these cultures allows him to bring the "punk rock to photoshop" and create gritty work with strong urban sensibilities.

He continues to develop web sites and bring Sick clothing to an ever expanding audience and customer base. SAF creative is the logical cumulation of years of work and dedication to media, art and design. Future plans include the expansion of Sick1 into the U.S. and Europe, and the development of video, film and other high end multimedia and communications tools.


Mike is the web monkey responsible for the strongandfree.ca network.

You might also be interested in his resume.



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