He has written numerous articles as a freelance magazine writer and as a scholar examining local news and the history of visual media, especially the photography of the Wright Brothers. A former newspaper reporter, magazine editor and public relations writer, he has a PhD in mass communication and an MA in visual communication from Ohio University, and a BS degree in magazine journalism from Bowling Green State University. A Dayton native, he currently lives in Bellbrook, Ohio, with his wife, Karin Avila-John, and teenaged triplet sons.