Since Maximillian Potter joined 5280 as executive editor in 2004, the magazine has earned many of the most prestigious honors in journalism, including four National Magazine Award nominations. In 2005, 5280 received its first two NMA nominations, in public interest and reporting, for stories Potter wrote. As a writer, Potter has been a finalist for the GLAAD award, the Investigative Reporters and Editors prize, and the Michael Kelly Award, among others. Kelly judges commented his articles are “beautifully written, ambitious in intent, and most of all—fearless in their pursuit of truth.” He has won top prizes such as the City and Regional Magazine Association civic interest award, a Women in Communication Clarion award, a Military Reporters and Editors First Place, and the Silver Gavel, the American Bar Association’s highest recognition for legal reporting. In 2010, his story about the closing of the Rocky Mountain News was a finalist for the Newhouse School’s Mirror Award, honoring excellence in media reporting, and his piece, “The Great Buffalo Caper,” was anthologized in the Best American Crime Reporting 2010. Potter was a fellow at the Knight Digital Media Center’s 2010 Multimedia Reporting and Convergence Program.

Concurrently, Potter works as a long- form narrative and investigative features editor, collaborating on award-winning journalism that serves the city of Denver. Folio dubbed Potter a “Publishing Innovator to Watch” in 2005, and, in 2007, cited him as a “Top Talent.” A former staffer of Premiere, Philadelphia, and GQ magazines, Potter continues to contribute to national magazines. He has served as a contributing editor to Best Life and Details, and most recently has written a feature story for the May 2011 issue of Vanity Fair. He’s appeared on television and radio programs such as Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Inside Out, and ABC’s 20/20. A native of Philadelphia, with an MS in journalism from the Medill School, he lives in Denver with his wife and two sons.