Dan Gillmor
Born 1959 · Age 66
American technology writer, columnist, author and educator known for pioneering journalism blogging, founding citizen-journalism projects, authoring We the Media, and directing digital media initiatives at Arizona State University.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Dan Gillmor and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Estimated birth year
Birth year estimated from university graduation year (1981).
Learned programming in high school
Started studying programming in high school (first personal computer purchased in late 1970s; first went online in early 1980s).
Began playing music professionally (approx.)
Played music professionally for seven years before becoming a journalist (approximate start).
Graduated University of Vermont (Phi Beta Kappa)
Graduated from the University of Vermont; Phi Beta Kappa honor noted.
Stopped professional music career (approx.)
Around the time of graduation he transitioned away from professional music into journalism/studies.
Worked at newspapers in Vermont (early career)
Worked at several Vermont newspapers early in his journalism career (exact outlets/dates not specified).
Herbert Davenport fellowship, Univ. of Missouri
Received a Herbert Davenport fellowship for economics and business reporting at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Early online access (first went online)
First went online in the early 1980s, shortly after college and fellowship years.
Worked at Kansas City Times (mid-1980s)
Served as a reporter/ journalist at the Kansas City Times (exact dates not specified; mid-1980s).
Michigan Journalism Fellowship (1986–87)
Served as a Michigan Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for the 1986–87 academic year; studied history, political theory and economics.
Joined Detroit Free Press (approx.)
Worked at the Detroit Free Press for six years prior to joining the San Jose Mercury News; approximate tenure ~1988–1994.
Joined San Jose Mercury News as columnist
Joined the San Jose Mercury News in Silicon Valley in September 1994 as a technology columnist.
Launched weblog at The Mercury News (journalist blog)
Started writing a weblog for The Mercury News in October 1999 — believed to be the first weblog by a journalist for a traditional media company.
Won EFF Pioneer Award
Received the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Pioneer Award recognizing contributions to online free expression and innovation.
Published book 'We the Media'
Published We the Media (August 2004), describing the rise of grassroots journalism and new tools for journalists.
Keynote / recorded talk 'We, the Media' at Accelerating Change
Recorded We, the Media presentation at Accelerating Change conference (Nov 5–7, 2004).
Founded Grassroots Media Inc. (project)
Founder of Grassroots Media Inc., the organization behind Bayosphere and other grassroots journalism efforts.
Left San Jose Mercury News
Departed the Mercury News in January 2005 to work on a citizen-journalism startup (Bayosphere).
Spoke at South by Southwest Interactive
Appeared at SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas (March 11–15, 2005).
Launched Bayosphere
Launched Bayosphere (May 2005), a citizen-journalism site intended to make it easier for the public to report and publish on the Internet; project of Grassroots Media Inc.
Bayosphere closed
Bayosphere ceased operations in January 2006 after under a year of operation.
Joined/Started Center for Citizen Media
Moved on to the Center for Citizen Media (non-profit) affiliated with UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and Harvard's Berkman Center after Bayosphere closed.
Co-founded Dopplr
Co-founded Dopplr, an online travel application project, in 2007.
Named founding director, ASU Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship
Appointed founding director of Arizona State University's Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Published 'Mediactive' (first noted publication year)
Published Mediactive, a book on digital media literacy (sources list 2009; other citations show Dec 2010).
Mediactive publication (site timestamped Dec 9, 2010)
Mediactive appears with a date of December 9, 2010 in some citations; book addresses digital media literacy.
Joined Global Editors Network board
Named a board member of the Global Editors Network since its creation in April 2011.
eJournal archives discovered and restored
Gillmor's eJournal archives, long believed lost, were found in the Internet Archive and restored at Bayosphere.com (restoration noted in later sources).
Listed among influential journalists in tech media
Consistently listed by industry publications as among the most influential journalists in his field (general recognition across years).
Co-founded News Co/Lab at ASU (co-founder role)
Co-founder of the News Co/Lab at ASU's Walter Cronkite School, an initiative to experiment on improving the information ecosystem and counteracting misinformation (ASU profile credits him as co-founder; exact founding year not specified in source).
Professor of Practice, ASU Walter Cronkite School
Served as professor of practice and helped develop Cronkite School's BA in Digital Media Literacy; date range spans multiple years (ASU profile).
Director, News Co/Lab (role noted)
Listed as director of News Co/Lab, an initiative to elevate news literacy and awareness at ASU's Cronkite School (Wikipedia notes he was director; exact date of assuming director role not specified).
Teaching Digital Media Literacy courses at ASU
Taught MCO 425/426 Digital Media Literacy I & II across 2020–2024 academic terms (ASU course listings).
Professor profile lists investor/co-founder activities
ASU profile notes he has been a co-founder of and investor in a number of digital startups (details not enumerated in source).
Board member, The Signals Network
Serves on the board of directors of The Signals Network, a non-profit supporting whistleblowers (Wikipedia entry notes membership; date not specified).
ASU contact/profile updated
ASU directory/profile entries reflect ongoing teaching, research and involvement in digital media literacy and News Co/Lab activities.
Continues teaching Digital Media Literacy (Spring 2024)
Listed as instructor for MCO 426 Digital Media Literacy II for Spring 2024 term at ASU's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and Cronkite School.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Dan Gillmor and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Kamala Harris
Born 1964 · Age 61
American politician and attorney; U.S. Senator (2017–2021); 49th Vice President of the United States (2021–2025); Democratic Party 2024 presidential nominee. First female, first African American, and first Asian American U.S. vice president.
Nick Szabo
Born 1964 · Age 61
American computer scientist, legal scholar, and cryptographer known for originating the concepts of smart contracts and Bit Gold, key precursors to modern cryptocurrency and blockchain systems.
Jeff Bezos
Born 1964 · Age 61
Founder and executive chairman of Amazon, founder of Blue Origin, owner of The Washington Post and Bezos Expeditions; prominent investor and philanthropist.
Melinda French Gates
Born 1964 · Age 61
American philanthropist, former Microsoft product manager, co-founder and former co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, founder of Pivotal Ventures, author and advocate for women and families.
Jack Ma
Born 1964 · Age 61
Chinese entrepreneur, co‑founder of Alibaba Group, founder of the Jack Ma Foundation and Yunfeng Capital; major figure in Chinese e‑commerce and philanthropy.
Paul Graham
Born 1964 · Age 61
English-American computer scientist, programmer, essayist, entrepreneur, investor; co‑founder of Viaweb and Y Combinator; author of On Lisp, ANSI Common Lisp, Hackers & Painters; creator of Arc and Bel and of Hacker News.