About Me

Michael Gougis is an award-winning investigative reporter and author of the story "Biker Boyz," which Dreamworks turned into a full-length feature film starring Laurence Fishburne. Gougis is an Associate Professor of Media Studies, published in the field of race, gender and subculture portrayals in the mass media, an author in the field of fiction and motorsports reporting, a photographer, a creator of stage performances and a performer in his own right.

He graduated with with a journalism degree from CSU Long Beach and wrote for several newspapers and for the Associated Press, earning awards for his investigative work in politics, education and environmental issues. While writing for New Times Los Angeles, he spent months infiltrating Los Angeles' underground street racing subculture, and the ensuing article, "Biker Boyz," is considered a defining expression of long form journalism.

Gougis has been on faculty at Santa Monica College since 2004, lecturing, researching and writing on the intersection of mass media, portrayals of race, gender, class and identity. His first textbook on the topics, "Cornerstones," is required reading in media studies classes at the school.

His first stage production, "The Syllabus," has been performed at the Nanaimo Fringe Festival and the Vancouver Fringe Festival. He has two additional stage productions under development.

"Bridge," his first full-length fiction novel, is a subtle political/economic espionage thriller set in a near-dystopian future, rooted in Gougis real-world experience with political intrigue at the highest levels.

His photographic work has been exhibited in multiple galleries in Southern California. Gougis' illustrations center around black-and-white images captured from the overlooked landscape of day-to-day life.

Editor at Large at Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine, Gougis has traveled the world riding and reporting on the field of high-performance two-wheelers and Grand Prix motorcycle road racing. His writing and photography is featured in the magazine, considered the most authoritative voice on the sport in North America.

Born in Los Angeles, Gougis currently divides his time between Southern California and Vancouver, British Columbia.