T.M. Rives was born and educated in California. During studies in Los Angeles, he was struck by a need to widen his experience through travel; after completing studies in France, he spent the next 12 years in different countries in Europe, publishing translations and fiction. Eventually landing in New York City, where he has lived for the last ten years, T.M. Rives continues to write and photograph, as well as make documentary film on travel and the arts.

Michelle Youngis the founder of Untapped Cities, a web magazine about urban discovery and exploration in New York City and around the world. Michelle holds a B.A. from Harvard in the History of Architecture and a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she is also an Adjunct Professor. As a photographer, Michelle's work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, and exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York and the Venice Biennale. Michelle is also the author of the book Broadway, about the history of the famous street and she is one of the authors of 100 Ways to Make History, published by the New York Public Library. She has been interviewed for The New York Times, Huffington Post Live, and appeared in numerous documentaries. Always looking for the next adventure, Michelle has traveled to over 40 countries, always with an SLR camera in tow, and as a Juilliard-trained cellist, toured around the United States as a cellist in an indie rock band.