Russ Banham’s plan as a young man was to become a playwright and director. After receiving an MA and an MFA in the field and writing and directing several plays, a friend introduced him to business journalism as a way to earn income on a freelance basis during idle times. Although he knew little about business and economics, Russ enjoyed learning how different industries operated.

Two years after writing a few dozen articles, Russ was offered a fulltime position as a reporter and editor at The Journal of Commerce, a New York-based Knight-Ridder daily business newspaper. In 1987, the newspaper nominated him for a Pulitzer Prize in recognition of a series of investigative articles he wrote disputing government reports that the Soviet Union had embedded eavesdropping devices in the newly constructed walls of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Russ left the paper soon after to return to freelance business journalism, writing more than six thousand articles for Fortune, Forbes, The Economist, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Atlantic, Euromoney, Chief Executive, Venture, Inc., U.S. News and World Report, Time, Consumer Reports, Global Finance, World Trade, CFO, CIO, Leader’s Edge, Corporate Board Member, Journal of Accountancy, and many other business publications.

His work drew the attention of book publishers, culminating in the writing of more than thirty books, including The Ford Century, an award-winning history of Ford Motor Company, translated into 13 languages; Higher, the critically acclaimed history of Boeing and the U.S. aviation industry; Rocky Mountain Legend, a chronicle of the Coors brewing dynasty; The Fight for Fairfax (first and second editions), a history of northern Virginia and the greater Washington region over the past 100 years, which is required reading in colleges throughout the state; and Wanderlust, a tale of Russ’s travels in an iconic Airstream travel trailer, meeting Airstreamers across the Western United States to discuss the company’s fascinating history and unique culture.

It is a testament to Russ’s expertise as a business journalist and corporate historian that the world’s preeminent graduate business school, Harvard Business School, reached out to him to write its history. The book, Problem Solving (co-written with HBS Professor Emeritus Howard Stevenson), features the stories of more than 200 HBS alumni applying their leadership and problem-solving skills to change the world for the better.

Russ also has written four plays, six film documentaries, several biographies of influential business leaders, and diverse editorial content for leading consulting firms, technology companies and other businesses. His various books and articles have led to many radio and podcast interviews and featured television appearances on ABC 20/20, The Today Show and A&E Biography. He appears in the documentaries, “How Factories Changed the World” and “Alumination.”