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Mark Moran Biography

Birth Name:Mark Moran

Birth Place:New Jersey, United States

Profession Writer

Fast Facts

  • In 1983, he graduated from Parson's School of Design
  • Worked as a freelance graphic artist before entering the public eye
  • Not realizing that it would one day lead to him publishing a magazine, writing books and hosting a television show, he traveled the U․S․ listening to stories from locals and photographing unusual sites
  • Weird N․J․ started out as a homemade newsletter distributed to family and friends once a year
  • Quote: "[on "Weird N․J․" talks] "You wouldn't picture seeing some punk kid sitting next to some old lady in a group, and think that they have something in common, but they do․""
  • Quote: "[on "Weird N․J․"] "As more people saw the magazine, we had more feedback from the general public․ The magazine thrives off that․ Everybody has at least one good story․""
  • Co-created the "Weird N․J․" magazine, which spawned books about other states as well as a History Channel show called "Weird U․S․," co-hosted by Moran
  • His involvement in "Weird N․J․" started with his contributions of letters, drawings and photographs, but he ended up being in charge of half of the writing
  • Sometimes goes by Mark II to distinguish himself from his collaborator, Mark Sceurman
  • Released a calendar based on the book "Weird U․S․: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets․"
  • Rutgers University Press rejected the first "Weird N․J․" manuscript that he and Sceurman submitted, claiming that publishing it would compromise its standing in the academic community