As a prominent leader in technical production, live event direction and management, Michael Clohesy has been the man behind capturing the magic of many memorable events with notable figures such as Hugh Jackman, Katy Perry and Usain Bolt to name a few. However, for all these accolades he’s attained, Michael remains humble about his backstage technical brilliance, for rather than coveting the spotlight for himself, he has instead positioned himself as the powerhouse behind the brilliance of others, whom he empowers through his ability to, in his words, tell stories through events.

Michael recalls how, even as a child, growing up in Bendigo, a rural city in the heart of Australia’s gold fields, he recognized early on the power stories had to educate and entertain people through shared experiences. Building on this innate instinct, he excelled in media during high school, graduating with a near-perfect score, before deciding to pursue a formal education in creative media and live event production, first at University and then through an industry-backed traineeship. This comprehensive training and education laid the foundation for the lucrative career he now enjoys, one which spans continents and industries, though certainly it wasn’t always this way.

A Career Forged by the Fire of Uncertainty

Hard work, training and experience have forged every success in Michael’s career, right from the get-go. For instance, in 2008, after graduating from Latrobe University as an awarded photographer (courtesy of winning the grand prize of La Trobe University’s 2006 Acquisitive Art Prize) with both a Bachelor’s in Visual Arts and a newly minted member of the Golden Key Honour Society, he had everything on paper but no actual tangible prospects. Michael explains that at the time, given the GFC and the seismic shifts occurring in the valuation of traditional media at the time, there were no clear avenues to establish oneself as a professional creative and that the solution to this lay in years of hard work, experimentation and persistence. So get to work he did.

Over the next few years, while working a bunch of side hustles to get by, Michael’s first real foray into creative media was starting work as a music journalist and photographer for a variety of Melbourne street publications. “It was a great job for that time of my life – not for the money, as that certainly wasn’t a thing – but for the experience, as being a music journalist taught me to write, both for the audience and for a deadline, and allowed me to capture the live performances of musicians I admired in the way I saw them via my lens.”

Jump cut to 2010, and the next way forward presented itself, literally. After a seemingly endless online trawl looking for ‘the next thing’, an all-caps online ad asked whether he’d like to work in television. Michael responded, ‘YES’. He then went on to successfully navigate an extensive selection process in which he beat out over 400 people to secure one of 30 coveted spots in an exclusive industry-based traineeship backed by many of Australia’s leading media broadcast and production companies.

Through the traineeship, Michael learnt how to engage all the visual and photographic skills he’d learnt both in the classroom and the field by becoming a Technical Director. Upon graduation, Michael then spent the next decade building up an esteemed roster of clientele, freelancing his TD skills and services working all over Australia on many award-winning and highly viewed primetime programs and broadcasts, working directly for many of the same industry-leading companies that had sponsored his traineeship.

These successes led to an esteemed tenure at the Sydney Opera House, one in which Michael played the pivotal role of Technical Director for landmark concert events for The Cure and The Wu-tang Clan. Working out of the SOH’s broadcast and recording studios, Michael was also behind the technical direction and quality control of broadcasted talks from intellectual luminaries such as Maria Ressa, one of TIME Magazine’s 2018 People Of The Year; Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower Christopher Whylie, comedian Reggie Watts and perhaps most notably Prince Harry, whose keynote speech was delivered as part of the 2018 Invictus Games Opening Ceremony.

A Journey Marked by Overcoming Challenges

Michael has shown he isn’t afraid to take on challenges, both in and outside of work, and he’s got the receipts to prove it, for in his off-time he’s trekked New Zealand, traversed Costa Rica and peered out across the Serengeti upon summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. It can be safely assumed, the obstacle has always been Michael’s way.

“Challenges have been a constant yet transformative aspect of my career and personal life, shaping who I am today,” he says. “Which is also I live my life by the words of badass BMX legend and host of ‘The Challenge’ TJ Lavin, in that no matter what task lays before me, I will find a way to “get it done” he adds.”I love to push myself physically as much as I do professionally. The growth that comes from being able to go beyond your comfort zone and squeeze every last drop of juice out of life, then at the end of the line, to fall face first into your grave knowing that’s all you could have done; that to me, is a life well lived.”

Michael recalls his decision to leave Australia to come to North America at the end of 2021 as one of these peak-defining moments. “Leaving behind the stability of my roles at some of Australia’s highest-profile media and entertainment institutions so soon after the onset of the pandemic was a total leap of faith. “I was finishing up work as part of the tech team on the BBC series ‘Would I Lie To You?’ right as the literal and figurative walls barring travel as a result of COVID-19 came down.” And luckily for him, his long-dormant Canadian work permit was still active. “WILTY? ended series record on December 20th, so I flew out to Vancouver first thing on December 21st. After being so stagnant for so long, moving to North America felt like I’d lept into the future.”

The leap paid off, for his career took off exponentially upon expanding internationally, and Michael thanks his work for, and association with, TED Conferences for that. Engaging as Technical Producer for TED Talks, Michael designed and executed the world-class live Simulcast experiences of the thousands of attendees from around the world to witness talks from contemporary thought leaders each year including Elon Musk, Al Gore, RuPaul Charles, Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova, Scott Galloway, Malcolm Gladwell and commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield.

“Today, I’m driven by a mission to craft meaningful stories and experiences that inspire and bring people together, having unlocked the door to a career blending my love of visuals, live events, and collaboration,” says Michael.

A Future Being Built Off of YES, and…

What started with a simple click all those years ago has blossomed into an international array of opportunities, as Michael is now a sought-after Technical Director for a host of international touring artists and music festivals, a Technical Consultant for specific visual and technical components of Netflix’s smash hit The Night Agent and Apple TV+’s upcoming Owen Wilson led series Rambler. Not to mention he helped set the stage for Taylor Swift during the final stop of her record-breaking ‘Eras’ tour in December 2024.

Rather than grow complacent about his successes, Michael has never been one to rest on his laurels, for he has a fire burning inside fueled by an eye always cast to the horizon as he looks forward to his next creative challenges, wherever they may be in the world. At the same time, with his professional capital now accruing such steady interest while paying out such handsome dividends, Michael is also deeply grateful for all he’s accomplished thus far and the many people along the way who helped get him to where he is.

Now in a position to pay it forward, Michael also hopes that his unique journey can serve as an example to others who might be embarking on theirs. “By being open with how I’ve navigated setbacks, overcome emotional roadblocks, embraced serendipity and remained grounded in gratitude, perhaps my story can prove a relatable blueprint for the potential of success that comes from saying yes to the road less travelled.”