Damian Slattery ’80, reporter at Sports Illustrated for 20 years and a longtime documentary and feature film writer, began this writers’ panel by interviewing his fellow classmate Mark T. Sullivan ’80, querying him about his career path. In the process Slattery, who now works in marketing for Time Magazine, also shared his highs and lows of his life as a writer. Both alumni pointed to Hamilton as the place where they began their writing careers, Sullivan as a creative writer and Slattery as a playwright.
A former investigative reporter and the author of seven critically acclaimed and bestselling novels, Sullivan recounted how, having been counseled against a career in writing by one professor, he sought and received reassurance from Professor Emeritus Richard Somer to follow his dream. On his 30th birthday, having spent his years after graduation as a reporter and not as a creative writer, Sullivan panicked. He took a leave of absence from work and wrote his first book, The Fall Line, about extreme skiers. Although he has had great success with his novels, he said that “writing for a living is not for the faint of heart.”
Days after his graduation, Slattery began writing his first screenplay. Driven by his desire to write full-time, he quit his first three salaried positions and joined with a documentarian to produce a well-received movie. Both alumni discussed the difficulties and the uncertainties of their professions and the power offered to writers by digital publishing.
by: Alexandra Ossola '10
