About Us

Exile Media Corp. is an independent media group based in Barre, Vermont.

We produce The Vermont Book Of Days for broadcast seven days a week via Vermont Public Television and a statewide network of radio stations; we also produce a weekly column for a statewide network of newspapers. We are responsible for gathering, editing, and producing all the materials you see, hear, and read.

We work closely with John C. Wriston, Jr., who compiled an original manuscript entitled A Vermont Book Of Days. Our program name, and many of our stories, are taken from this manuscript. We are fortunate to have found such a valuable resource and friend.

We are also fortunate for the research services provided to us by The Vermont Historical Society and the assistance of so many local historical societies, museums and organizations. Please see our Links page for great links to Vermont history and more information about our research partners.

Michael Thurston, a native of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, has a long and distinguished career in radio broadcasting, audio, print, music and television production.

For 15 years, Michael hosted and syndicated a national rock and roll talk show called Off The Beaten Track. During its fifteen year run, Michael interviewed hundreds of artists from every corner of the globe, including blues legend James Montgomery, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Moody Blues, Suzanne Vega, Melissa Etheridge, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rory Block, Duran Duran, Ian Matthews, Kirsty MacColl, Crowded House, Leonard Cohen, Aimee Mann, Chris Williamson, Marianne Faithfull, Todd Rundgren, Paul McCartney, John Hiatt, Juice Newton, Fleetwood Mac, James Cotton and Alex Chilton. Peter J. Ludwig of Billboard magazine called the program "intelligent and well produced."

Michael's radio advertising work for Artec Distributing won him a Pegasus Award from the Vermont Ad Club, and his creative radio commercials for Emerald City Bedrooms won a national WMA Award for best radio campaign from The Waterbed Manufacturers Association.

In 2002, Remembering Hell And High Water, an hour-long radio special commemorating the 75th anniversary of Vermont's 1927 flood, was broadcast on the stations of The Radio Vermont Group, and won The Associated Press Award for Best Radio Feature -2002. The radio special was also the subject of a WCAX-TV Channel 3 news story. The radio special, based on Pat Belding's book, Hell And High Water In Barre, Vermont, included recorded interviews with flood survivors conducted by Pat Belding in 1977.

In 2007, Michael produced a short film directed by Rik Carlson entitled Monkeys With Wings. The film profiles Rik Carlson, a prominent Burlington businessman who suffers from CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome). In May, 2007, the film won the popular vote as best film short in the world to address Chronic Fatigue Syndorme. Votes were tabulated by P.A.N.D.O.R. A., (Patient Alliance for Neuroendocrineimmune Disroders Organization for Research and Advocacy) in Boca Raton, Florida. Michael and Rik are working on a long-form film about CFIDS that will be released shortly. The working title is Invisible (in Vermont).

Michael conceived The Vermont Book Of Days in January, 2003. He was joined by his daughter, Missie, in June, 2003, and the cross-platform, multi-media production was launched in August, 2004. It is believed to be the only production of its kind in the world. It is the first project to simultaneously present Vermont history on television, radio, in newspapers, on the internet and offer delivery via PDF (portable document format) to schools and home educators. A compilation of the stories from the first year of broadcasts has been collected into book form, The Vermont Book Of Days - The First Year.

Michael also does independent marketing and consulting work. In his spare time, he's working on an album of original music. The album is entitled We Were Younger Then, and Michael hopes to have it ready for release sometime in 2008.

Michael and his wife, Sandy, live in Barre, Vermont. They have three children.

Missie Thurston, a native of Central Vermont, graduated summa cum laude from St. Michael's College in Winooski, Vermont in 2003. She received a Bachelor's degree in both English Literature and Journalism.

While part of the St. Michael's community she edited and wrote for the on-line publication, the echo and spoke at events such as the Academic Convocation in 2000 as the representative for the entire student body.

As part of her internship with Citadel Communications Missie researched, wrote and posted feature and news pieces for over 200 radio station websites across the nation.

Missie was Senior Editor for the 2002 and 2003 editions of The Onion, an annual magazine featuring prose, poetry, artwork, and photography. She also assembled a collection of her own black and white photography and poetry in a publication titled life's little things for a display of students' work in May 2003. She has worked exclusively on The Vermont Book Of Days since June, 2003.

Missie and Brian live in Seattle, Washington, and through the wonders of technology, Missie works on The Vermont Book Of Days via remote control.

John passed away on November 6, 2004. Below is the official biography he wanted us to use for the website. You can also read our special dedication.

John C. Wriston, Jr., has a fascination with Vermont history. Though born in Boston, his parents were inn-keepers and moved frequently (mostly within Vermont). John's mother, Hildreth (Tyler) Wriston, was born in Enosburg Falls, and went on to write notable children's books.

John graduated from Swanton High School in 1942 and UVM in 1948, interrupted by three years in the U.S. Navy. He earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Columbia in 1953 and taught at the University of Delaware until 1985 when he took early retirement to pursue his hobby, researching various aspects of Vermont history.

John's "hobby," as he calls it, is substantial. In 1991 he published Vermont Inns & Taverns, Pre-Revolution To 1925 - An Illustrated and Annotated Checklist. He has also contributed over 20 articles on Vermont postal history to the Vermont Philatelist, and is currently working on a project researching Vermont post offices and post masters.

John has been working on a manuscript entitled A Vermont Book Of Days since the mid-90s, and his day by day approach to events in Vermont history has been a tremendous resource for the multi-media presentation of The Vermont Book Of Days.

John currently lives in Delaware, and vacations on Lake Carmi in Vermont. In John's words, "I have been happily married for a very long time to a remarkable woman."

Contact us:

E-mail
Fax: (802) 479-9270

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