[1] Items found and published have ranged from love letters to homework assignments, and they are contributed by people who find them in a variety of public places, all over the world.

Originally presented as photocopied fliers of some of the best finds, they realized that the volume of found material they collected warranted a full magazine.

Laying the material out in a zine format, Rothbart and Bitner took their creation to a local Kinko's, intending to make 50 copies to share with their friends who provided the magazine's content.

Realizing that their project appealed to more than just their friends, Rothbart and Bitner renamed their collection of photocopied finds Found Magazine #1 and started gathering material for future editions.

The success of Found allowed both Rothbart and Bitner to leave their day jobs and work full-time on the magazine and other personal projects.

Rothbart moved to Ann Arbor, where Found is now headquartered, while Bitner went to New York City where he managed their East Coast office for a short period of time before leaving the project.