Mark L. Stewart

Mark L Stewart is an American writer and editor of magazines, books and web sites. He is best known for his 2005 book about Will Smith. Stewart was born on July 7, 1960 in New York City. He has published over 300 books, written nearly 2,000 athlete profiles in the print and electronic realm, and developed marketing and public relations materials for clients ranging from Denny's and Pizza Hut to Dick's Sporting Goods and Major League Soccer. Stewart is the managing editor of Edge Magazine,[1] a New Jersey lifestyle publication launched in 2009. Stewart is a principal of JockBio.com and NJSports.com, popular sports information sites that post full-length athlete biographies,[2] with more than 50,000 social media followers. He also works with a television production company in New York City and serves as a content consultant for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.

Early career

Stewart’s first publishing job was managing editor of Racquet Magazine (1988–1992), an upscale tennis publication.[3] He continued to edit magazines throughout the 1990s and 2000s, focusing on business publications in the Sports Product, Footwear, Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications and Outdoor Recreation industries. He also pursued numerous freelance assignments during this time, many of which focused on sports and popular culture. His corporate clients included BMG, Zurich Reinsurance, Radio Spirits and the National Basketball Association. He wrote the copy for the NBA’s 1992 sales catalog and created the slogan “I Love This Stuff.”[3]

Stewart published his first book in 1993, The Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Baseball Cards (Crown Books).[4] In 1994, Stewart helped International Masters Publishing create its popular Sports Heroes, Facts & Feats continuity product. He oversaw a team of 38 freelance sportswriters that produced more than 500 gatefold athlete profiles.[2]

Also in 1994, Stewart was hired by Grolier to author the All-Pro Biography book series of authorized biographies. The series was aimed at reluctant readers, and featured athletes recounting the challenges and triumphs of their childhoods. Among the athletes Stewart worked with on the series were Dan Marino, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Barry Sanders, Isiah Thomas, Chris Mullin, Martin Brodeur, Tony Meola, Jeff Gordon and Florence Griffith-Joyner.[3] With his reputation established as a sports author in the educational publishing field, Stewart continued to produce sports books for Grolier, Franklin Watts, Children’s Press, Millbrook Press and other companies in the field. He also wrote books under the pen names Rachel Rutledge[5] and Caleb MacLean.[6]

Black Book & JockBio

In 2002, Stewart entered into a partnership with two publishing professionals with whom he had worked for nearly a decade on a number of projects, Ron Jaffe and Mike Kennedy. They named their company Black Book Partners LLC. In 2003, Black Book Partners launched JockBio.com. Each week the site posts a new, comprehensively researched and professionally written biography of a popular athlete. By 2009 JockBio.com was drawing more than a million readers a year.[7]

In 2004, Stewart worked with All-Pro defensive end Simeon Rice on his autobiography, Rush to Judgment.[8] The no-holds-barred account of life as a football star was well reviewed in various publications, including Sports Illustrated. Also in 2004, Stewart and Kennedy collaborated on Hammering Hank: How the Media Made Henry Aaron. Both books were published by the Lyons Press. Lyons later published Mummy Dearest, a book spawned by the TV series Mummy Road Show. Stewart and Kennedy worked with scientists Jerry Conlogue and Ron Beckett, the stars of the show.[9] In 2008, Stewart and Kennedy partnered with two more scientists, Jeffrey Garside and Amy Tilmont, on a six-book series for NASCAR, published by Lerner Books.[10] They are also co-authors of the award-winning Lerner titles Long Ball, Swish, Goal, Score and Touchdown. These titles explore the history and culture of a sport from the perspective of its “quintessential” or signature moment.[11]

Since 2005, Stewart has authored more than 100 books in the Team Spirit series by Norwood House Press. Each Team Spirit book covers the history and culture of a professional sports team. The series expanded into college football and hockey in 2009.[12] Stewart continues to edit magazines, including EDGE.[1] Among the public figures he has interviewed in recent years were NBC’s Brian Williams, Dr. Mehmet Oz, artist Peter Max, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Stewart also edits the NJSportsHeroes.com web site, which profiles more than 400 of the Garden State's best athletes.

Personal

Mark Stewart lives in Monmouth County, New Jersey overlooking Sandy Hook and the Atlantic Ocean. He is married to Sarah Converse Wilson, whom he met at Duke in 1978. They have two children, Mariah (1992) and Rachel (1995). Stewart serves as board trustee for Monmouth Hills and the Twin Lights—both are National Historic Landmarks[3]—as well as the Rumson Country Day School.

Family background

Mark Stewart was raised in a publishing family. His grandfather was Lester Markel (1894–1977), Sunday Editor of the New York Times for more than 40 years.[13] Stewart’s first name MARK and middle initial L (which is not an abbreviation) create a phonetic version of “Markel.” Stewart’s parents, Jack (1919–1999) and Helen (1918–1990), were also publishing executives. His father worked at the Times for more than 30 years, and was head of the Book Division before it was sold. Stewart’s mother, who worked professionally as Helen Markel, was the Articles Editor for The Ladies Home Journal and McCall’s during the 1960s and 1970s, and wrote for several other magazines, including Sports Illustrated. His stepmother, Linda Stewart is a syndicated travel writer.[3]

Education

Mark Stewart went through the Ethical Culture School system and graduated from the Fieldston School in the Bronx, NY in 1978. He attended Duke University and graduated with a degree in History in 1984.[3]

Miscellanea
  • In 1971, Stewart played the title character in The Story of Zachary Zween, the film version of the beloved 1960s children’ book.
  • Stewart’s first job in journalism was the 1978 McCall’s tell-all interview of Joan Kennedy. He served as the technical assistant on the project.[14]
  • From 1980 to 1982, Stewart resided in the penthouse at 133 East 64th St. in New York City—the infamous apartment later occupied by financier Bernie Madoff.[15]
  • In 2012, Stewart served as the Executive Director of the Tailgating Industry Association[19]. The TIA was sold to Nielsen Expositions in 2013.
  • Stewart was adopted two months after his birth in 1960. He later discovered that his biological parents were both newspaper journalists, as was his birth mother’s father, who enjoyed a long career with the Associated Press.
  • In 2015, and again in 2017, Stewart oversaw the creation of new exhibit halls at the Twin Lights Museum.
  • In 2018, Stewart joined the team at the Basketball Hall of Fame as a content consultant. The venue plans to transform its entire 50,000 sq. ft. exhibit space by 2020.

References
  1. "Edge Magazine". Edgemagonline.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  2. "Who We Are". JockBio.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  3. "Mark Stewart's JacketFlap Profile". Jacketflap.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  4. "The Ultimate insider's guide to baseball cards / Mark Stewart". Catalog.dclibrary.org. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  5. "Books " "Rachel Rutledge"". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  6. "Books " "caleb macLean"". Amazon.com. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  7. "Home Page". Jockbio.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  8. "Black Issues Book Review > Rush to Judgment: The Simeon Rice Story / Lindsey, Fred". Encyclopedia.com. 2005-09-01. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  9. Latest activity. "Mummy Dearest". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  10. "The Science of NASCAR". Lerner Books. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  11. "Long Ball". Lerner Books. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  12. "Team Spirit". Norwood House Press. Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  13. "Lester Markel, Sunday editor of New York Times for 40 Years". St. Petersburg Times. 1977-10-24. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  14. "Joan Kennedy Says Rumors Drove Her to Drink". Reading Eagle. 1978-07-20. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  15. Case, Upper (2009-06-04). "Mark My Words > I Can See My House From Here". Optionshiftreturn.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
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