about city magazine

City Magazine is the complimentary, monthly magazine that Southwest Virginians trust as the most informative source for regional arts, entertainment, events and more. Launched in 1996 by award-winning fashion photographer Karl J. Phillips, from a humble beginning—just 3,000 copies distributed among 100 locations—the publication has since blossomed to become the area’s longest-running and most widely-distributed publication that is locally owned. Today, City serves over 500 locations and boasts a monthly readership of over 60,000 savvy Virginians in Roanoke, Salem, Floyd, Lexington, New River Valley, Botetourt, Rocky Mount, Smith Mountain Lake, Warm/Hot Springs and surrounding areas.

Long a staunch supporter of the arts, City’s informative features cover art, music, theater, as well as dining, shopping, nightlife, spirits, travel and exceptional people within the community. City also offers the region’s most comprehensive calendar of events, spanning art exhibits to fundraisers, winery happenings to workshops to sporting events.

Mirroring its dynamic hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, City Magazine continues to grow and evolve while remaining faithful to Phillip’s original vision. In June 2006, the magazine once again proved its innovative spirit by partnering with Channel 10 WSLS for the television segment, City Magazine’s ‘Round Town. Airing Thursday evenings and Friday mornings each week, the segment reveals City’s “best bet picks” for weekend entertainment, including festivals, concerts, sporting events, fundraisers, shows and more. Hosted by popular News Channel 10 anchor/reporter Juliet Bickford, City Magazine’s ‘Round Town is fast becoming a valuable resource for viewers planning an unforgettable weekend.

With ‘Round Town, City Magazine reaches 284,000 people a month. It’s one of the many ways that City maintains a passionate, interactive relationship with its audience, its advertisers and its community.

Also in 2006, City expanded its team by hiring a powerful line-up of seasoned writers and professionals. To learn more about the City team, see below.

As the Voice of the Valley, City Magazine continues to leave a distinctive mark on the region it serves. In celebrating its tenth anniversary, the City team looks forward to a second decade of growth, success and innovation.

Karl J. Phillips, Publisher [bio] [email]
Diane G, Director of Advertising [bio] [email]
Paul Chambers, Editor [email]
Allie Hasson, Communications Manager [email]
Brian Zickafoose, Creative Director [email]
Eleanor Levine, Copy Editor

David Hungate
Doug Miller

Ally Baker
Sarah Cox [bio]
Dr. Dave Durham [bio]
Mark Hurley [bio]
Douglas Jackson [bio]
Gene Marrano [bio]
Nicci Ray [bio]
Bill Philips [bio]
Gail Tansil Lambert [bio]
Billy Wallace [bio]
Jared Webb

Karl Phillips is the Publisher and visionary behind City Magazine. An award-winning fashion photographer with over thirty-five years of experience, Karl’s work has graced ads for Sidney’s, Leggett’s, Belk’s, Hanes Hosiery, and many others. Outside of photography and City Magazine, Karl’s passions include golf, travel, music, his children, and grandchild. Although publishing consumes most of his time these days, Karl considers himself an artist at heart.

Diane G has worked in the fashion industry for over twenty years as Fashion Coordinator and later Studio Director for Phillips Studios in Roanoke. Diane has been with City since its inception in 1996 and recently took the reigns as Executive Director of Marketing and Advertising. She also owns and runs Studios II Limited, a modeling agency. Diane is an avid collector of wine and is very interested in fashion, travel, health and well-being, and maintaining close ties with her family. Diane’s mantra is to “live life to its fullest and learn something new every day.”

writer bios

Sarah Cox loves to eat and write about food—probably in that order. She believes that most good cooking is the result of excellent ingredients, a dollop of wine, and Miles Davis in the background. This is all while her daughter emails her from UVA with a grammar question, and her son’s drum tempo shakes the floor, thus helping reduce the red sauce. Sarah has eaten in working men’s cafes in Tehran, coffee shops in Salzburg, beer halls in Munich, and train stations in Copenhagen, but she likes her mom’s cherry pie best of all. Sarah is a graduate of The University of Virginia and the Hollins Masters program in writing. She is a contributing writer to Taste of the City.

Dr. Dave Durham is a local physician. You can watch him on M-W-F FirstHealth with Dr. Dave on the FOX Ten O’Clock News. He is an occasional writer for City’s Wellness column.

Longtime restaurateur and local luminary Mark Hurley is City’s regular writer for Taste of the City, a column profiling people, trends, and businesses that make up the region’s burgeoning culinary scene. He is a Roanoke College graduate who began his fifteen-year restaurant career working and managing at Corned Beef & Co. Mark later opened and ran the popular Grandin Road neighborhood restaurant, Hurley’s Restaurant, between 1994 and 2000.

Doug Jackson joins City Magazine as writer for Spirits, a column celebrating the cultural and historical significance of one of Virginia’s favorite pastimes: the leisurely drink. Douglas is a Delaware native and a graduate of the Hollins Writing program, UC Irvine, and Duke University. In 2005, he was winner of The James Andrew Purdy Prize for Fiction. Douglas is happy to call Roanoke home after Navy tours in Scotland and Hawaii, and a stretch working for a regional public policy center in California’s Central Valley.

Roanoke Valley journalist Gene Marrano has written for a number of local publications over the past ten years. The sales-and-marketing executive turned reporter is also the host and lead producer of “Studio Virginia,” a weekly arts and culture broadcast heard Thursday nights, 7:30, on WVTF Public Radio. He also hosts “The Interview with Gene Marrano” on Cox Communication’s WCOX-9. At this point, Gene has lost track of how many people he has encountered with a microphone or notepad—these range from presidential candidates to prominent actors, from climbers who have scaled Mount Everest to astronauts, homeless people, and all sorts of local heroes.

Nicci Ray’s interests lie in arts, entertainment, fiction and fine cuisine. A Roanoke native, she has worked with such publications as The Roanoke Times & World News, Artbeat Magazine, Radford News Journal, Christianburg Messenger, NRV News and In The Loop Magazine of The Tampa Tribune. Nicci holds a degree in Print Journalism from Radford University. She writes City’s Metropolis section, exploring shopping, trends, events, and destinations in Southwest Virginia.

Bill Philips is the on-premise manager for Blue Ridge Beverage, working in wine distribution and education for over 30 years. In addition to serving on the advisory board of the Virginia Wine and Food Society, Bill is a member of the Court of Sommeliers and has served as a judge in the Governor’s Cup. Bill is an ardent believer in Virginia wines and is very close to the industry that he loves. He shares his thoughts, suggestions, and tips on Virginia wine in the Bill’s Picks column.

Gail Tansil Lambert, writer for City’s Visitor’s Guide, is a former Latin teacher of Montgomery County who holds three degrees from Hollins University. Gail regards travel as the ultimate pleasure. Her articles have appeared in publications in Roanoke, New England, and California.

Writer of City’s After Five column is Billy Wallace, a lifelong musician, writer, and a Virginia transplant born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He moved to the Valley in 2004 with his band, The Wading Girl, of which he is lead vocalist and guitarist. When not on tour, Billy enjoys attending shows and supporting the local music scene of which he is an integral part. Billy holds a B.A. in English from Ohio’s Wittenberg University. You can learn about the Wading Girl and hear samples of their music at www.thewadinggirl.com.