CO-HOST MICHAEL KICKINGBEAR
Co-host Michael Kickingbear is an enrolled member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Connecticut. Michael has been creating digital media since 1989. His career spans over 30 years, beginning after high school, he worked odd jobs after moving down to North Carolina and landing an internship with IBM working under a master technician in their PC design division.
Upon returning to Connecticut, Michael began working for his tribe at its gaming enterprise, Foxwoods Resort Casino. There he founded an internal media production group called “Creative Arts”, which focused on producing video and multimedia content for the gaming enterprise, and the tribal government. Here, his career spanned for nearly 18 years before the economic downturn in 2008.
He later trained in 2009 at Apple computer headquarters in Cupertino California as a technician and worked at an apple store just outside of Hartford Connecticut. During his training, he met the Late Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple, a true honor. Michael worked for Apple until 2011 when he returned to work for His tribe at Foxwoods resort casino a second time.
In 2014, Michael decided to retire from casino work, and after a small break took a part-time position at the Tomaquag Museum in the State of Rhode Island, where he worked as the Marketing and Technology manager. Tomaquag Museum is the ONLY Native American museum in Rhode Island.
In 2018, (and now in his Current posiiton) Michael is the Deputy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for his nation working on consultation matters surrounding Gas and oil pipe projects in the Northeast, monitoring regulation changes occuring through the Department of Interior, the EPA, and provides tribal consultation and monitoring on wind energy projects in the Northeast. Michael is passionate about protecting tribal sacred sites culturally significant to Indigenous people.
Michael has also worked with many different Native American music recording artists. In 1998, The Native American Music Awards launched at Foxwoods Resort Casino, his tribe's gaming enterprise. Michael has provided the live video Internet Broadcast of the Native American Music Awards since 2001 through Single Feather Media, a small business he founded focusing primarily on Internet broadcasting and streaming media.
His current podcast productions include:
(2016 - Present) Project 26 Podcast (Podcast technical director). A paranormal podcast which chronicles the work of the Connecticut based Arrowhead Paranormal Investivators, led by team leader Chad Saunders. (Red Lake Chippewa)
(2016 - Present) Native Opinion. (Co-host and technical director) A unique podcast from an American Indian perspective on current American affairs. Join Hosts Michael Kickingbear and David GreyOwl as they present an Indigenous view of American history, politics, and culture, and how it may impact Native American lives.
(2015 - 2017) "The Indigenous Lifeways" a video education podcast that focuses on lectures, interviews with Native American authors, tribal leaders, great indigenous arts and entertainment, and much more! The podcast is owned by the Tomaquag Museum where he is the Marketing and Technology Manager. The museum is the only one of it's kind in the State of Rhode Island. It is dedicated to the study of the Narragansett and Niantic people, and tribes throughout southern new England.