Get to know the people of Side Trip Media. We have varied backgrounds with a wealth of experience, but we share one thing in common—the belief that the best way to get from Point A to Point B isn’t always a straight line.
Paul Millman | Founder | paul@sidetripmedia.com
Publishing executive. Interior-design expert. Team leader. Paul Millman is an entrepreneur with a knack for tapping into a niche market and giving it a magazine. For over a dozen years, Paul has been in the fields of design and publishing, spearheading or managing leading publications including the New York–based Java Journal, Cups Magazine, and In-Café Play. Paul also served as associate publisher of The Onion but left at the end of the first term of the Bush Administration to seek more inspiring subject matter.
At the helm of Side Trip Media, Paul led the development of ARRAY, a unique shelter magazine created to give readers an “insider’s look” into the world of interior design, as well as lifestyle and culture news with special focus on the showrooms at the New York Design Center. Paul then developed Café Beyond online magazine for Bed Bath & Beyond; he also hosts the Café Beyond Podcast Show, featuring DecorBeyond & CuisineBeyond. Almost 700,000 subscribers now read Café Beyond to discover everything from ideas for incorporating new products into the home to recipes from celebrity chefs discussing the finer points of turkey basting. In addition to heading Side Trip Media, Paul is also a principal and creative director of the enormously popular Blue Radish Group cafés in Manhattan. In his spare time, he enjoys a strong cup of coffee and cooking up new online media content.
Ted Lambert | Executive Editor
A writer since age 9, Ted enjoys collaborating with art directors, designers, photographers, and other writers. He has covered cultural and lifestyle news for over a decade and brings a strong visual sense to his work at Side Trip as well as top-notch copywriting skills. Ted has worked as a writer and editor for print and online publications, television news and entertainment programs, and commercials. Experienced on on both the creative and management sides of publishing, from 1999 through 2001 Ted served as managing director of Scenario: The Magazine of Screenwriting Art. From 2001 to 2003, he was the movie columnist for Blender magazine, and before that he served as director of corporate relations for IFC Rant magazine and Filmmaker magazine. Ted has also been a contributor to The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Men’s Fitness, among other publications, as well as television networks including MTV, VH1, Bravo, AMC, the Independent Film Channel, and USA Network.
Saira Kathpalia | Creative Director
An intrepid traveler, Saira Kathpalia is a globe-trotting, New York–based graphic designer and art director. With a world of influences, she applies a fresh approach and an inventive eye to all her Side Trip projects. Her travels and experiences through China, Russia, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam have been captured in Peering through the Rim—A Personal Portrait. She is always busy working on a variety of projects, from publishing to branding and advertising.
Jennifer Fragale | Managing Editor
Jennifer is Side Trip’s many-armed goddess of multitasking. Her knowledge of art and photography is combined with organizational and management skills that allow her to corral writers, designers, publicists, and the rest of humanity under tight deadlines. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Jennifer worked for acclaimed photographer Danny Clinch from 2002 to 2006 as special projects coordinator, digitally enhancing his photographs of musicians and celebrities into print-ready works. She later joined photographer Daragh McDonagh to manage all his studio, Web, and imaging needs. Jennifer also keeps her finger on the pulse of Contemporary Art as a part-time digital consultant at Lombard-Freid Projects. At any moment, you may spot Jennifer on the street, smiling from behind the lens of one of her many plastic cameras.
Andrew French | Photographer
Side Trip is lucky to work with a staff photographer who is equally adept at capturing the contours of a room or a human face. When not on assignment with us, Andrew shoots magazine and commercial work for clients including Time, Food & Wine, and Men’s Health. He also teaches photography and film at the International Center of Photography and New York University. Andrew recently completed The Luxury Bathroom (Clarkson Potter), which will be released in August 2008, and he’s currently shooting a coffee-table book about wine-cellar design.
Leanne French | Features Editor
Leanne French is a New York–based writer who specializes in covering interior design, entertainment, parenting and travel. As the features editor of Sidetrips, she writes for ARRAY magazine, among other projects. She has also been a regular contributor to Architectural Record, Good Housekeeping DIY, House Beautiful Kitchens/Baths, House Beautiful Home Remodeling & Decorating, and Flair magazines. She has also written parenting features for Time Out New York Kids, Pregnancy magazine, Nickjr.com and FoxNewsKids.com. For television, she has written for truTV, MTV, VH1, Fuse, Oxygen Media, Women’s Entertainment Television, Metro Channel, and the USA Network. French also directed Untapped, a documentary film about the trials and triumphs of a small-town dance school.
Jill Heisler
Jill Heisler is a double threat (if not a triple) with vast experience as both a writer and marketing expert for leading publishers. Jill is the Marketing Director of Lifestyle for Forbes, ForbesLife and ForbesLife Executive Woman. Her career in publishing includes tenures at Travel + Leisure; Harper's Bazaar; O, The Oprah Magazine; and Brides and Modern Bride. As a freelance writer, she specializes in personal essays, restaurant and book reviews, style and interior design features, and health and beauty trends. She has written for Advertising Age, Array Magazine, BedBathandbeyond.com, Blue Radish Group, Business Marketing, Condé Nast Traveler, SirensMag.com, Skirt Magazine, and Travel + Leisure. Jill is also a life coach who specializes in nutrition, healthy eating, exercise, career issues, and relationships. She holds a BSJ from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
