Michael Mellett - 1988
Michael (Mike) Mellet graduated from UAB with his B.A. in Philosophy in 1988 and went on to earn his M.A. in Philosophy at the University of South Carolina where he wrote his thesis on the four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude.)
From there he moved to N.Y.C., where he still lives and works. Mike is a gifted musician and has played drums for various local NYC bands including Fix My Head, an alt-rock group formed by some philosophers from Rutgers. Michael has a passion for language and visual design and has worked extensively in fine art as well as the music and entertainment industries producing photo shoots, album packaging, posters and displays in the Creative Departments of Sony Music and Tommy Boy Records. This included albums and boxed sets for many well-known artists, from classical to pop and virtually every other genre. Since 2005, Mike has worked in marketing at SiriusXM in various roles, including overseeing radio packaging and production in much of the Far East. His responsibilities have taken him to China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. His current work is domestic; as the Senior Director of Marketing, Aviation and Marine divisions, he promotes SiriusXM satellite-delivered weather, fishing information and entertainment using SiriusXM satellite bandwidth to provide useful information to pilots and boaters.
Although Mike has pursued a career in marketing which seems a far remove from philosophy, he insists that his years of philosophical study, in his words, “informed career choices and helped prepare for the problem solving, creative and analytical writing and thinking required in the development of marketing and branding work at various companies.” His philosophical background also helps when it comes to “evaluating language for accuracy and eliminating ambiguities while negotiating the details of contracts.” But Mike insists that philosophy’s influence extends beyond his career “helping to navigate the complexities of life in modern society from issues of justice, fairness, truth and, of course, the eternal search for the meaning of life."