Mike Mullen was drafted into the US Army in 1965, where he served as in Army Intelligence, and then he volunteered to be an Army door gunner where he was able to practice aerial photography skills between firing the machine gun.

When he returned home he studied photography at Los Angeles Trade Technical College on the GI Bill, while working as an ambulance driver. Working the ambulance you become extremely in-tuned to the workings of police and fire which taught me to read between the lines of the police and fire radio calls for key words that could mean something newsworthy, even though they didn’t want to put it out to the media..!

He soon was noticed by the Photo Director. at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Gene Cannot and his persistence paid off in mid 1973 with a position as lab tech and shooter. After 7 months or so at that position the he was promoted to staff photographer.. He covered news, features and sports, with an emphasis on spot news, which garnered the most of his forty-plus local and international awards.
He stayed with the Herald Examiner until it’s folding in 1989.

He also served on the PPAGLA board of directors in 1984 and 1985.

After a year freelancing for the LA Times, he was hired on staff at the Pasadena Star News/ San Gabriel Valley Tribune and remained there until 2005.

For almost 30 years, while working for the newspapers, he was also a level one reserve police officer for the City of Hawthorne.

Los Angeles Herald Examiner, 1973 - 1989
Pasadena Star New / SGV Tribune 1991- 2005
Pasadena Star News and LA Times Community (Freelance) 2005 - 2019