Born and raised in Chicago, Michael Goi attended Columbia College from 1976 to 1980, graduating as valedictorian of his class with a BA in Film. He subsequently served as a part-time instructor at the college from 1980 to 1983, teaching lighting and basic film techniques. Concurrent with his teaching duties, Michael was director of photography and editor on feature length documentaries for PBS, including "Wrapped In Steel", which chronicles the decline of the steel industry in southeast Chicago and the subsequent decline of the neighborhoods and families, and "Fired Up! The Story Of Public Housing In Chicago", which was award ed an Emmy for its bold look at the struggle of Cabrini-Green residents trying to rescue their building from crime and a complacent bureaucracy. Michael entered the world of advertising by serving as director of photography, and eventually director, of many spots in the Chicago/Minneapolis market, for clients such as Quaker Oats, Coca-Cola, Chrysler and McDonald's. National and international work subsequently followed for clients as diverse as "Good Morning America" (1975), Kabel 1 (Germany) and Sky (Britain), several of his spots winning Clio award s. Simultaneous with spot work, Michael opened a fashion photography studio that produced editorial and advertising fashion layouts. Feature films took center stage in Michael's life when he was asked to serve as director of photography on Moonstalker (1989), a low-budget horror film shot in Reno, Nevada, in 1987. Moving to Los Angeles in 1990 for the purposes of expanding his feature work, Michael has worked steadily on a variety of projects, including the ASC Award -nominated telefilms The Fixer (1998) (TV), starring 'Jon Voight', for Showtime, and Judas (2004) (TV) for Paramount and ABC. Michael received the first Best Cinematography Award given by the Portland Festival Of World Cinema in 2001 for his work on the independent feature What Matters Most (2001). H was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the television series "My Name Is Earl" (2005) in 2008. He also wrote and directed the dramatic feature film Megan Is Missing (2011), which deals with the subject of internet predators and abducted children. The film has been endorsed by Marc Klaas of the KlaasKids Foundation. When not filming, Michael devotes his spare time to extensions of his teaching background, donating his insights to seminars for IATSE Local 600, Cal State Northridge, the Maine Photographic Workshops and his alma mater Columbia College. He is actively involved in mentoring students interested in cinematography as a career. He was inducted into the prestigious American Society Of Cinematographers (ASC) in February 2003, and was elected President of the ASC in June 2009.

One of 115 people invited to join AMPAS in 2007.Member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).Was made an Honorary Member of the Indian Society Of Cinematographers (ISC) on June 26th, 2010, in recognition "for his outstanding contributions to cinematography and fostering solidarity among international cinematographers.".