Michael Flaherty

Despite growing up in a family that cherished books, music, and film, Michael Flaherty never planned on working in the movie business. In fact, he says that for him at the time such a career ranked “somewhere between international jewel thief and miniature golf-course designer.”¹ He decided to follow his father and brothers into law, but after being turned away by multiple schools, he discovered a different calling—volunteering with the Steppingstone Foundation and tutoring children in some of Boston’s most impoverished neighborhoods.

Flaherty’s work there was transformative for his students and for himself. While designing and teaching an innovative curriculum in one of Boston’s most challenged school districts, he helped increase by more than 1000 percent the number of minority students admitted to the city’s elite exam schools. At the same time, he came to recognize the unique power of stories to spark curiosity, empathy, and moral reflection in his students and found that it was often more effective than traditional instruction.

Over the following years, Flaherty became increasingly convinced of the influence of stories for good or for ill and decided to put that understanding to use. He recalls, “No longer did I see my love for teaching and my love for film as two separate things; I saw them as mutually reinforcing.”¹ Motivated by his Christian faith and a lifelong love of books and film, he co-founded Walden Media in 2001 to create stories that rekindle curiosity, strengthen families, and point audiences toward truth and deeper meaning.

Flaherty served as the president of Walden Media for 15 years, during which the company produced films that grossed over $3 billion at the Global Box Office. Those films include The Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte’s Web, Holes, Amazing Grace, and Bridge to Terabithia. Walden Media has also continued to produce acclaimed projects, including Wonder, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and The Baby-Sitters Club.

While Flaherty was president, Walden Media developed curriculum for each film and donated over 1 million books to schools across the country. Eventually the publishing arm Walden Pond Press was created, which discovered and supported new authors such as Ingrid Law, whose debut Savvy went on to win the Newbery Medal.

After releasing The Giver in 2014, Flaherty retired from Walden Media to co-found Epiphany Story Lab, creating inspirational films and training the next generation of filmmakers. He continues to executive produce features, including Mother’s Day—starring Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, and Kate Hudson—and the César Award-winning animated film The Little Prince. In 2018, he was also an executive producer on I Can Only Imagine, the highest-earning independent film released that year.

Flaherty received his bachelor’s degree in English in 1990 from Tufts University and has served on the boards for The Salvation Army, the John Templeton Foundation, and Rachel’s Challenge. He has also been published in National Review, The Boston Business Journal, and The American Spectator. He grew up in Boston and continues to live in Massachusetts with his wife, Kelly, and their children.

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