Michael H. Thompson, was born on March 27, 1958 in Kingston Jamaica, West Indies. He was born to mother Cathlin Palmer, a homemaker and father Cyril Thompson, a train conductor who both preceded him in death. Michael was dedicated to his family, his friends, his politics, his passion for art, and especially to the love of his life, his wife Maria and son Dane. Michael attended Calabar High School in Kingston, Jamaica and graduated in 1978. He later returned to college at the Jamaica School of Art and Crafts to study art. After completion of Art school, Michael was employed at Paisley Kelly Advertising Agency as a paste-up graphic artist. In 1982, he met Maria Hudson, at a local reception in Vineyard Town, Kingston. It was there that Michael found true love and began using his artistic gifts to court Maria. After five years of courting, Michael and Marias union produced a son, Dane Thompson. In 1990, Michael resigned from Paisley Kelly Advertising and immigrated to the United States with Maria and their son Dane. After joining their family and friends in Brooklyn, New York, Michael and Maria were married on October 16, 1995. Upon his arrival in New York, Michael worked in several areas of art such as painting, traditional drawing, digital illustration and as a corporate art consultant. He also had a stint designing and selling T-Shirts in Manhattans Soho district. Michaels passion for poster art became the focus of his career because it gave him a voice to explore the many facets of global underclass struggles. In 2011, Michael founded the International Reggae Poster Contest, with a determined goal to construct a Reggae Hall of Fame museum and performance center in Kingston, Jamaica.