Hunter Atkins has stories published by The Wall Street Journal, ESPN The Magazine, SI.com, NationalGeographic.com, Maxim.com, Newsday, Virginia Coastal, Men's Journal, Popular Science, VICE.com, and VIBE. Along with that, he has contributed to The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Forbes. He born in Manhattan, New York. He got his first break at 17 years old, reporting for The Chicago Sun-Times. He attended Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism which he graduated from in 2011.
Residing in Houston, this esteemed writer and journalist has carved out a remarkable career over the past decade, marked by contributions to leading publications such as National Geographic, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Forbes, Newsday, Men's Journal, and Popular Science. His reportage spans a wide array of critical domestic issues, from the nuances of racial injustice and the complexities of gun violence to the heart-wrenching narratives of school shootings, the plight of inner-city poverty, and the challenges of diversity in college sports coaching. His scope also encompasses fashion, hospitality, and the profiling of luminaries and influencers across various sectors.
Internationally, his journalistic pursuits have taken him to cover significant issues, such as the South African health crisis and the exhilarating running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. His profound impact in sports journalism is particularly evident through his extensive work with the Houston Chronicle, where he penned over a thousand articles covering major events like the Astros' World Series in 2017 and 2019, Rockets' playoff series, AAU Junior Olympics, the Bass Master Championship, multiple Chevron Houston Marathons, and Super Bowl LI.
Hunter Atkins's journalistic excellence is highlighted in "The Best American Sports Writing" for the years 2018 and 2019, and he was honored as the second-place recipient in the 2018 Texas APME sportswriter of the year awards. His versatility as a writer is further underscored by the sale of film rights for his article "The Coast Guard's $1 Billion Drug War," published in Men's Journal.
He began his foray into journalism with a summer internship at the Chicago Sun-Times before commencing his college studies. While in college, he interned with Newsday, and post-graduation, he joined the New York Times as a sports reporter for over four years, simultaneously freelancing for ESPN Magazine, Forbes, and other New York-based publications. From 2016 to 2020, he was part of the Houston Chronicle, and currently, he is engaged in freelance journalism.
His skill set is comprehensive and adaptable, encompassing the ability to foster collaborations, outstanding written communication and storytelling capabilities, deep journalism expertise, crisis management, effective branding strategies, adherence to tight deadlines, management of teams and non-profit organizations, improvisational skills, and innovative content creation.
An avid traveler and adventurer, his global experiences include tours of Italy's Accademia Gallery, participating in Spain's running of the bulls, attending Formula 1 races in London, exploring the catacombs of France, dune surfing in Nicaragua, swimming in the waters of Thailand, canoeing through Vietnam's Mekong Delta, journeying through the jungles of Cambodia, and engaging in safari expeditions in Tanzania. His interests also extend to recreational baseball, a passion for regenerative farming, and the fostering of a miniature long-haired dachshund named Cookie.
Born in New York City to Robert Atkins, a distinguished litigation lawyer, and Elizabeth Hayt, a fashion writer for Vogue and an art historian at MOMA, Hunter Atkins grew up as an only child. He attended Trevor Day School, where he excelled in theater, sports, and as the editor of the school newspaper, along with achieving academic distinction. Starting his higher education at Brown University at the age of 16, he later moved to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. There, he consistently made the dean's list, ten times in total, graduating summa cum laude with a 3.92 GPA in 2011 after engaging in ambitious journalism projects and participating in an exclusive international study program.
