Maximillian Potter is a best-selling author, a Contributing Editor to Vanity Fair and a writer and editor at Protect Democracy. He has been a staff writer and/or editor at Philadelphia Magazine, Premiere, Details, GQ and Esquire; and he has contributed to Outside and The Atlantic, among other publications.

Potter has written two books: "The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics," the memoir of Colorado Governor and Democratic Presidential / U.S. Senate Candidate John Hickenlooper, published in May 2016; and "Shadows in the Vineyard: The True Story of the Plot to Poison The World's Greatest Wine," published in July 2014. "Shadows" began as an article for Vanity Fair. And he was the Editorial Consultant on "The Power of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook," by Frances Haugen, published in 2023. "What really makes the book worth reading," reviewed The Washington Post, "is the broader wisdom in her story and the absence of the self-importance ..."

The New York Times selected "Shadows" as a best wine book of 2014, writing: "A rare book that transcends the narrow interests of wine lovers.” In its review, The Daily Beast, called it: “a gripping crime drama…and Potter does excellent work in fleshing out both the involved players and the historical context of the Burgundy region and its oenophiles.” “Shadows in the Vineyard” is in development for a limited series.

In its critique of “The Opposite of Woe,” Kirkus Reviews wrote: “Colorado's high-profile governor submits an unconventional autobiography. All this entertains wonderfully. ... It’s difficult to imagine a more unusual preparation for public life than the one ably recounted here.”

Before working on Hickenlooper’s memoir, Potter served as the Senior Media Adviser & an award-winning speechwriter to the governor, and since has consulted as a media strategist for public and private sector leaders and organizations. 

From 2004 to 2013, while he was Executive Editor of 5280, Denver's city magazine, it emerged as a city magazine of national interest, and was a finalist for the National Magazine Award—the most prestigious prize in magazine journalism—six times. Two of those National Magazine Award nominations were for stories Potter wrote. Folio, trade publication of the magazine industry, described Potter as a "Publishing Innovator to Watch."  

In 2023, he was a finalist for his third National Magazine Award, his second in the category of “Public Interest,” which “honors magazine journalism that illuminates issues of local, national or international importance” and that has the “potential to affect public or private policies or practices.” This nomination was for “Incident to Service,” published in the Dec. 2022/Jan. 2023 issue of Vanity Fair, about a decades-long miscarriage of justice within the United States military. For that piece, Potter was also awarded The James Crawley Award by the Military Reporters & Editors press organization, his second award from that organization, and selected a 2024 finalist for the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award.

His writing has received other honors, including, the American Bar Association's highest recognition for legal reporting, and he was a finalist for a GLAAD Award. Judges for the Michael Kelly Award described his work as "beautifully written, ambitious in intent, and-most of all—fearless in pursuit of truth." His writing has been included in several "Best American" anthologies; most recently, "Next Wave: America's New Generation of Great Literary Journalists." 

In March 2019, The Atlantic, published an investigative report Potter co-wrote with Alex French, “Nobody Is Going To Believe You,” about A-list Hollywood director Bryan Singer and a pattern of sexual misconduct allegations, spanning two decades and in which the alleged victims were teenagers. It was a story originally commissioned by Esquire.

Potter is a graduate of Allegheny College, with a BA in English/Creative Writing, and Northwestern University, where he got his MS in Journalism. He was a fellow at the Knight Digital Media Center's Multimedia Program at UC Berkeley. Potter has been an adjunct faculty member in the Journalism Department at the University of Colorado, where he taught feature writing to undergrad and graduate students.

A native of Philadelphia, Potter lives in Los Angeles and is always looking for an excuse to return to Burgundy.