Woodruff Media

Upon returning from Iraq, Michael decided eight years of military was enough and decided to not re-enlist and returned to his hometown to open a sporting goods store and work part-time at the radio station as a board operator during sports broadcasts. Both endeavors lasted 6 months.

Civilian life was tough. There were so many things aspects Michael didn’t consider. The Army really made pursuing education, job growth, and other goals easy. Everyone was on the same page, they spoke the same language, wore the same clothes, and had faith in the skills of each soldier. In the civilian world however, everyone had different goals, skills, and there was a constant challenge of proving oneself.

After numerous setbacks in his personal life and job prospects Michael called his dad for some advice, “Come to Albuquerque and we’ll figure it out” Michael’s dad offered. Michael bought a bus ticket.

The first night in New Mexico, with Coronas in hand, Michael and his dad sat and discussed possibilities. They talked about short-term and long-term goals, practicalities and dreams. By the end of the evening Michael decided to get a job and return to school to learn a new skill utilizing his GI bill. When it came to learning a new skill, Michael wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. With it being fall, Michael had a little time to figure it out. While being a policemen, paramedic, park ranger, or an electrician were possibilities they didn’t spark Michael as enlisting in the Army or opening a business did. Michael knew he had to turn his sword (Army skills) into a plowshare (Civilian skills). Michael became a security guard.

Security work was very similar to being in the Army. In fact many of Michael’s coworkers were prior military. The job also offered a variety of experiences that Michael yearned for. On one shift, Michael sat in his car guarding car lot. The next night he was patrolling a dark construction site with a flashlight. Eventually Michael would be placed at a welfare office and later The office of Special Trustee for American Indians. Both assignments offered a chance to intact with people from diverse backgrounds.

In November 2006, after learning about New Mexico’s growing film industry, Michael decided to enroll at Central New Mexico Community College and earn a Film Technician certificate. After graduating from the course, Michael decided to continue his studies and work toward earning a degree in film making with a focus on Documentary Film. With a balance of work and school over a two year period, Michael would produce two short documentaries, a travel program (13 episodes), and two music videos for a local math musician. Each project offered a variety of technical, creative, and funding challenges.

With a key to a Ryder truck in one hand and a acceptance letter to University of New Mexico in the other, Michael returned to Missouri to be closer to family. Without missing a beat, Michael quickly enrolled at Missouri Southern State University. While MSSU didn’t offer a degree in Documentary Film, it did have a degree in Mass Communication. In many ways a degree in Mass Communication was more practical..and cheaper. Over the course of 2 years, Michael worked on a variety of student produced projects, television commercials, and a documentary on The Water Cycle that was first place in the 2012 Missouri Broadcast Educators Association Student Media Awards competition. In his senior year Michael produced “The Chart Broadcast Edition”, a student news program on KGSC -22 and “Woody’s World Music Show” a radio program that featured World Pop music on KXMS 88.3fm. During this time Michael was student promotions manager and master control for KGCS-22, shot wedding videos, and a worked as a production assistant at KSN-TV 16 in Joplin. After graduation Michael continued working at KSN-TV as the morning photographer providing live-remote, on location broadcasts with local radio/tv personality Hank Rotten.

After four years in television, Michael was ready to go back to his radio roots and became the station manager at KGLC 100.9fm and sister station KVIS 910am in Miami, Oklahoma. Being station manger for a small radio station requires one to wear many hats and work many hours. In addition to being responsible for the day-to-day operations, Michael hosted “The Mother Road Morning Show” and “Dial-a-trade”, reported local news , sold and produced advertising.

In 2018, Michael saw a growing need for small business marketing and decided to take Woodruff Productions out of moth balls and re-brand it as a marketing firm. Woodruff Media Management has become the go-to source for local news and 20+ businesses rely on us to tell their story.