Who we are.

We are a diverse group of preeminent writers, reporters, editors, producers, and educators dedicated to protecting the future of democracy itself by mentoring the brilliant young voices of today and tomorrow representative of an ever wider and deeper human experience.

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Mentors & Instructors:

Those of us who serve as Assignment mentors and instructors share critical tools, techniques, and processes, and work with our fellows to shape both their reporting and the storytelling that follows. And we make ourselves available to them through the journey to publication and beyond.

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The Founders:

  • Jon Krakauer is the author of 8 books, including Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, Under the Banner of Heaven, and Missoula. Raised in Corvallis Oregon, he graduated from Hampshire College in 1976, after which he worked as a carpenter and commercial salmon fisherman in Alaska before embarking on a career as a writer. In 1999 he received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. According to the award citation, “Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer.”

  • is an editor, publisher, and journalist who has worked with both emerging writers and winners of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Booker Prize. He has been the editor of Outside, Men's Journal, and Play: The New York Times Sports Magazine, as well as an executive editor of HarperCollins and the editor in chief and cofounder of Byliner, which helped pioneer long-form fiction and nonfiction storytelling in the digital space. He’s currently helping to lead a new original publishing program at Scribd, the subscription reading service, and is the executive director of Assignment, a new investigative journalism nonprofit, co-founded with Jon Krakauer and Linda Moore, dedicated to mentoring and supporting emerging writers.

    Mark has been fortunate to publish a range of authors including Margaret Atwood, David Foster Wallace, Roxane Gay, Annie Proulx, Michael Lewis, Jon Krakauer, Ann Patchett, Colum McCann, Charles Yu, Susan Orlean, David Quammen, Amy Tan, Alexandra Fuller, Richard Powers, and Lauren Groff. He led Outside to five National Magazine Awards, including a record three consecutive awards for General Excellence, and his work with The New York Times, Men’s Journal, and Byliner earned several additional finalist nominations. He’s also consulted for publishers and media companies including Condé Nast, Time Inc., Hearst, and The New York Times, and for the past several years has been a journalist in residence at Colorado College, teaching narrative nonfiction and bringing in guest speakers including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Barry Lopez, Roxane Gay, Peter Heller, and David Quammen.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.