Biography

Born in 1954, Jon Krakauer grew up in Corvallis, Oregon, where his father introduced him to mountaineering as an eight-year-old. After graduating from Hampshire College in 1976, Krakauer divided his time between Colorado, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest, supporting himself primarily as a carpenter and commercial salmon fisherman. For the next two decades, however, his life revolved around climbing mountains.

In 1996 Krakauer climbed Mt. Everest, but a storm took the lives of four of the five teammates who reached the summit with him. An analysis of the calamity he wrote for Outside magazine received a National Magazine Award. The unsparingly forthright book he subsequently wrote about Everest, Into Thin Air, became a #1 New York Times bestseller and was translated into more than twenty-five languages. It was also Time magazine’s Book of the Year, and was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1998, as a tribute to his companions lost on Everest, Krakauer established the Everest ’96 Memorial Fund at the Boulder Community Foundation with earnings from Into Thin Air. As of 2012, the fund had donated more than $1.7 million to such charities as the American Himalayan Foundation, Educate the Children, Veterans Helping Veterans Now, the Access Fund, and the Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center.

Krakauer’s writing has been published by OutsideGQNational GeographicRolling StoneArchitectural digestPlayboyThe New YorkerThe New York Times, and Byliner.com. An article he wrote for Smithsonian about volcanology received the 1997 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism. His 1996 book, Into the Wild, remained on the New York Times bestseller list for more than two years.

In 1999 Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, intended “to honor writers of exceptional accomplishment.” According to the Academy’s citation, “Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer. His account of an ascent of Mount Everest has led to a general reevaluation of climbing and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport; while his account of the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation after challenging the Alaskan wilderness, delves even more deeply and disturbingly into the fascination of nature and the devastating effects of its lure on a young and curious mind.”

In 2003, Krakauer published Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, about religious fundamentalism in the American West. While researching Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, published in 2009, Krakauer spent five months embedded with combat forces along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. In 2011, he published Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way. All of his proceeds from this latter work have been donated to the Stop Girl Trafficking program at the American Himalayan Foundation.

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Booksby Jon Krakauer

Classic Krakauer

Three Cups of Deceit

Iceland

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

Eiger Dreams

Where Men Win Glory

Into the Wild

Into Thin Air

Under the Banner of Heaven

Missoula

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Waldo Waldman
Waldo Waldman
May 19, 2024
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I’ve been Speaking professionally for 21 years and work with the largest agencies in the world. I’m a Hall of Fame keynote speaker and a New York Times best selling Author. I have can honestly say in full confidence that Seth Dechtman and his team at Keynote Curator is the best agency I have been honored to work with. I’ve witnessed Seth’s client focused relationship skills On multiple occasions. His clients love him and he’s detail oriented and has great communication skillls. But most importantly, I’ve been on the receiving side of his servant, focused leadership style. He treats me like a valued partner and emulates everything a wingman is.
David Allison
David Allison
May 17, 2024
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Seth and the Keynote Curators team are tenacious and determined to do right by their clients and their speakers. I appreciate our relationship so much, and highly reccomend this group to anyone looking to book a speaker for an event.
Meir Statman
Meir Statman
May 10, 2024
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It is wonderful to join Seth in helping people reflect on their financial and life well-being and enhance them.
Trevor Wilde
Trevor Wilde
April 24, 2024
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This was an amazing experience. the Keynote Speaker we had was perfect for our event and will definitely be having another for our next one!
Sandro Forte
Sandro Forte
March 22, 2024
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Brilliantly hosted, with great content. An absolute ‘must add’ to any podcast list!
Jon VanDeventer
Jon VanDeventer
November 18, 2023
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I've been working with Seth at The Keynote Curators for over 3 years. I always look forward to our meetings because of both his professional expertise and his enjoyable, engaging personality. We have fun during our virtual meetings while developing innovative strategies and accomplishing goals. It's obvious from working with Seth over a number of years that he is always making event planning and booking services an easy process and providing responsiveness that sets him apart. He's an excellent partner who gets invested in your business and collaborates through every step of a process that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Jason Galaska
Jason Galaska
November 7, 2023
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Seth and his team were fantastic to work with in 2023 and we look forward to working with Keynote Curators to find potential speaker matches for our events in the future. Thank you, Seth, for your professionalism!
Hailey Wilson
Hailey Wilson
October 23, 2023
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A Treasure Trove for Anyone Involved in Speaker Selection! As someone deeply involved in the intersection of marketing and technology at AImpact, I find the process of selecting the right keynote speaker to be a critical part of any successful event. Seth Dechtman's "The Keynote Curators" podcast is nothing short of a godsend for anyone facing the challenges and opportunities that come with this task. Seth brings an almost poetic understanding to the power of words, acknowledging that a speech isn't just a scheduled event but a transformative experience that can change the dynamics of an entire room. His enthusiasm for the craft is contagious, making each episode a joy to listen to.
Nicole
Nicole
September 14, 2023
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Seth is super knowledgeable about the needs of meeting planners to have a successful event and partners with you to find just that right fit!
Duncan Sigurdsson
Duncan Sigurdsson
August 28, 2023
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Working with Seth Dechtman and The Keynote Curators is always true partnership. In the three plus years that we have been involved in various projects, I can tell you that they always deliver. We have done some really cool stuff together. Any meeting professional, conference planner or event producer will greatly benefit from partnering with The Keynote Curators. High praise to Seth and his team.

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