Mr. Sullivan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Oregon and earned his master's degree from Columbia University in New York, where he was hired by the New York Daily News out of a class at Columbia's famous School of Journalism. His work has been published in, among many other places, Esquire, Outside, Men's Journal, The Washington Post and London's Guardian. He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone who in recent years has been a regular contributor to Wired.

Entertainment Weekly has described Sullivan as "an esteemed author," while columnist Liz Smith wrote that he was "one of the most respected journalists in the country." According to Rolling Stone, Sullivan's work "combines extraordinary reporting with an enthralling narrative voice." Booklist states that "the breadth and depth of Sullivan's work is astonishing."