Mike Sear

At the tender age of twelve, Mike won the Free Throw Championship at the Northwestern University basketball camp for seventh graders. While he still considers this to be his greatest accomplishment, he later became an award-winning director and producer.

Mike’s 30-year storytelling career began in 1990 at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT. He spent five years working on SportsCenter, NFL Primetime, and The NBA Today, where he became the “go-to” source on everything related to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. A native of Glen Ellyn, IL, he moved back to the Chicago area and produced live studio shows for the Chicago Bulls, White Sox, Blackhawks, and Cubs. Good luck stumping him with Michael Jordan trivia!

In 2001, Mike wanted to expand his storytelling projects beyond sports. He joined a boutique agency where he directed commercials, documentaries, concert videos, (including those for Jay-Z,) live TV shows, digital content series, and more.

Mike’s motto comes from an old proverb:

Tell me a fact and I’ll learn.

Tell me a truth and I’ll believe.

But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.

 He believes that every teenager has a powerful story to tell, and that framing your story is how you stand out during the college application process.

A proud member of the DePauw University family, Mike and his wife live back in his hometown of Glen Ellyn. They have two daughters and a son, all of whom went through the college process. He is especially looking forward to seeing Taylor Swift live next November in Indianapolis!