Philly Bios - Editorial - Philadelphia Magazine

Editorial Biographies

Larry Platt, Editor
	A respected national journalist and author, Platt took the helm as Editor-in-Chief of Philadelphia magazine in September 2002. Under Platt’s direction, the magazine has won 16 City and Regional Magazine awards and has been named the nation’s third-best newsstand performer (behind Cosmopolitan and Barron’s) by Capell’s Circulation Report. Most recently, Philadelphia magazine was nominated for the much-coveted National Magazine Award in General Excellence. Previously Editor-at-Large, Platt, a journalism graduate from Utica College and a Master of English graduate from New York University, has been affiliated with Philadelphia magazine for 16 years, writing features on sports, politics, media and business. His work has appeared in GQ, the New York Times Magazine, Men's Journal, Playboy and Salon.com, among other publications. In 1997, as a senior writer, he left to write his first book, Keepin' It Real: A Turbulent Season at the Crossroads with the NBA (Avon Books). In May 2002, Temple University Press published New Jack Jocks: Rebels, Race and the American Athlete, an anthology of Platt's national sports pieces over the years. Most recently, Platt is the author of Only the Strong Survive: The Odyssey of Allen Iverson (Regan Books, October 2002). ("Iverson's past has been strip-mined by many," writes Sports Illustrated's Gary Smith. "Platt has gone back with a hand shovel and sifter and found what everyone missed.") Platt, a native Philadelphian, has appeared on numerous television shows, including Nightline, ESPN Outside the Lines, and HBO Real Sports. Platt lives in Ardmore.
Tom McGrath, Executive Editor
	McGrath is former executive editor of Men's Health magazine and former editor of Atlantic City magazine. McGrath, a graduate of University of Scranton, is the author of MTV: The Making of A Revolution (Running Press) , a business/cultural history of the cable network, and his writing has been published in George, Glamour, Child, Success, P.O.V., and other national publications. He has won several writing/reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, and he has appeared on NPR, the Fox News Channel, MSNBC, the BBC and other TV and radio outlets.
Robert Huber, Features Editor
	Huber, a Penn State graduate, has been with Philadelphia since 1991 as a copy editor, contributor and now features editor and writer. His articles, essays, and short stories have been published in Esquire, GQ, Details, South Carolina Review and many other publications. Huber’s profile of Joe DiMaggio Jr. was in Best American Sports Writing 2000, and his Philadelphia profile of John Chaney appeared in BASW 2007; his profile of Bill Cosby won the Gold Medal from the City and Regional Magazine Association in 2006 for personality profile. He is co-author of Forever Young (Viking), a memoir of a friendship with John F. Kennedy Jr., which appeared last year, and co-edited The Philadelphia Reader (Temple University Press), a collection of Philadelphia magazine profiles, also published in 2006. Huber is currently working on a novel about the dubious state of romance post 1970.
Michael McCormick, Design Director
	Having previously served as an art director at Cincinnati Magazine, Indianapolis Monthly and Louisville Magazine, Michael McCormick continues his quest to work at every city magazine in the country with this chapter at Philadelphia. He also oversees the design of Philadelphia Home and Philadelphia Wedding (two of his favorite magazine genres). McCormick, a graduate of Drake University, has received numerous design and editorial awards from the City and Regional Magazine Association and the Society of Professional Journalists, and is extremely proud to be part of this magazine team that has secured two General Excellence National Magazine Award Nominations. In his free time, he enjoys letterpress printing and all things typography-related, can whip up a wicked batch of royal-iced sugar cookies, occasionally hits the footlights in a community theater production and when asked, will do a triple time-step. Michael lives in Center City with his partner and his dog, Molly.
Michael Callahan, Articles Editor
	A former deputy editor at Redbook, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan, Callahan is also the former editor in chief of New Jersey Life. A six-time winner for outstanding magazine writing from the Society of Professional Journalists, he is a contributing editor for O at Home and Golf Digest; an adjunct professor of journalism at his alma mater, Temple University; and a member of both the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Golf Writers Association of America. His work has appeared in more than two dozen publications, including Vanity Fair, Vibe, The Utne Reader, Men’s Journal, Real Simple and the London Sunday Telegraph.
Sandy Hingston, Senior Editor
	Hingston, a native of Bucks County, first joined the magazine in 1990. She graduated summa cum laude from Duke University. Her bi-monthly column on raising her two children, "Loco Parentis," won the gold award for regular column from the City and Regional Magazine Association this year; it joins silver and bronze awards she has previously won from the CRMA. She has also won awards for her work from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Association for Women in Communications. She is the author of 18 historical romance novels, including The Suitor and The Affair.
Christine Speer, Senior Editor
	Speer, a Tennessee native, received a B.A. in journalism from Indiana University and an M.A. in social sciences and political theory from University of Chicago before heading to Indianapolis Monthly magazine. There, after two years covering the food scene as dining editor, she moved on to reporting on the rest of the city's cultural fabric while honchoing the front-of-book section — a role she's continued to play here in Philadelphia since arriving in 2007.
Ashley Primis, Food and Lifestyle Editor
	After graduating from Duke University, Primis decided to explore the other side of food writing by attending culinary school in San Francisco, which led to a cooking position at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. Her interest in the Philadelphia food scene resulted in an internship at Philadelphia magazine and eventually her current position as managing editor. Reporting regularly on food and style for the magazine, her work has also appeared in Lucky, Charlotte Magazine, Philadelphia Wedding, Philadelphia Home, and the Chestnut Hill Local.
Lauren McCutcheon, Home & Design Editor
	Lauren McCutcheon is, in her opinion, the only graduate of Jenkintown High School at Philadelphia magazine. Born in or around Chestnut Hill Hospital, she attended Davidson College, where she studied French literature (her excuse for not knowing more words in English). Lauren is a former columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Weekly, and was involuntarily "retired" from her editor's position at Citysearch.com. She's written a couple of how-to books and done a few assignments for O at Home, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Better Homes and Gardens, and whatever newspaper serves Bridgeport, Pa. These days, she's editor of Philadelphia Home and A.C. Now, and a lifestyle writer for Philadelphia. She's still waiting for those journalism awards to roll in.
Carrie Denny, Fashion Editor
	Denny, a Philadelphia native and graduate of Penn State University, began her career at Philadelphia magazine as an intern, and is now fully submerged in the worlds of fashion, lifestyle, and the wedding planning of gazillions of Philadelphia-area brides. Beyond her daily work for Philly Mag and Philadelphia Wedding, her writing regularly appears in Lucky, and she has also written and reported for In Style, Philadelphia Home and Pennsylvania’s Wine & Spirits Quarterly. Her first book, The Bride’s Instruction Manual: How to Survive and Possibly Even Enjoy the Biggest Day of Your Life (Quirk Books), will hit stores in January 2009. She lives in Center City, and as often as she can help it, Avalon.
Amy Korman, Senior Writer
	Korman, who writes features and lifestyle stories, is a Philadelphia native. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Skidmore College, and has worked at Philadelphia magazine for more than 15 years; she was also an editor at Men's Health magazine. Her work has appeared in Men's Health, Time Out New York, Town & Country and Cosmopolitan.
Richard Rys, Senior Writer
	Rys, who covers media, music, sports and personality profiles, holds a master's degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Born in Philadelphia and raised in South Jersey, he has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists and was named a finalist for the 2003 Livingston Awards, which recognizes journalists under the age of 35. His work has also appeared in Men's Health, Men's Journal, Best Life and Men's Fitness, among other publications.
Matthew Teague, Senior Writer
	Teague is a native of Mississippi, and has written for GQ, Esquire, Details, Outside, Men's Journal and other magazines. He lives in Narberth with his wife, Nicole, and their daughter Molly.
Dan P. Lee, Writer at Large
	Lee, a former newspaper reporter and native of Cape May County, N.J., graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His magazine writing has been anthologized in Best American Crime Writing.
Steve Volk, Staff Writer
	Staff writer Steve Volk joined Philadelphia in July 2007, after serving 10 years as a reporter in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. A generalist, he has written extensively about media, cops, the courts, politics and the local drug game.
Janine White, Managing Editor
	A former senior editor at Boston Magazine’s Home & Garden, White became executive editor at Philadelphia Home in June 2007 and contributes to Philadelphia Wedding and Philadelphia magazine. Past publishing gigs include New England Travel & Life, Boston Magazine’s Concierge, the Centre Daily Times in State College, and Alternative Medicine magazine. In between editing and writing about homes, she works on renovating her own Philly fixer-upper with the hope that one day she’ll be able to invite people over.
Victor Fiorillo, Research Editor
	A native of the area, Fiorillo joined the Philadelphia magazine staff in 2001. In addition to overseeing all aspects of research and fact-checking, Fiorillo writes regularly for all sections of the magazine.
Jenna Bergen, Deputy Online Editor
	Bergen joined Philadelphia magazine in 2005 as an editorial intern and held the position of research editor for Philadelphia magazine’s branded publications before finding a home at phillymag.com, where she heads up the health content. Besides writing for Philadelphia magazine, her work has appeared in SELF, Women’s Health and Men’s Health. Her first book, Your Big Fat Boyfriend: How to Stay Thin When Dating a Diet Disaster, hits stores this January.
Zoey Sless-Kitain, Photography Director
	A Philly native and graduate of Tyler School of Art, Sless-Kitain has held an array of positions in various fields including theater management, public relations, event coordination and photography. Her photography has most recently appeared in two books, The Insider's Guide to Cape May and Philadelphia magazine's Ultimate Restaurant Guide.
Andrew Zahn, Associate Art Director
	Andy Zahn graduated from Tyler School of Art in 2000 with a MFA degree. After spending a year working as an art director in New York, Zahn returned to Philadelphia as the Assistant Art Director and in 2003 was promoted to Associate Art Director.

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