Hannah Jennings-Voykovich
Editor
Hannah works as the editor of express, which encompasses more than just writing and editing the print publication and managing the website. Hannah’s role involves organising issue themes, coordinating a team of feature writers, opinion columnists and reviewers, as well as being the public face of express at many community events. Hannah previously worked as the editor of automotive trade title Autofile, and before that edited the Auckland University’s infamous Craccum magazine. She has also written for a number of lifestyle and music titles including Rip It Up, Real Groove and Pulp magazines. Hannah’s spare time is primarily taken up by the very physical sport of women’s roller derby, and as part of Auckland Roller Derby League, Hannah has travelled around the country and the world to play. She also works as head of public relations at Auckland Roller Derby, writing press releases and coordinating the league’s media inquiries. Hannah is also a vintage and retro collector – her Western Springs home is full of Crown Lynn crockery, vintage cameras and typewriters.

Jordan
Sales & Marketing
Jordan has been working within the publishing industry for close to 20 years both in Auckland and internationally. He is thrilled to be back in New Zealand, where The Gay Market Segment is burgeoning thanks to over 25 years since Homosexual Law Reform and the free press. After hours Jordan runs a weekly contemplative music therapy session and enjoys spending the weekends on the coast, windsurfing, reading and playing chess.

Vaughan Meneses
Sales & Marketing

Vaughan is the general manager of OUTLine NZ and has been around the Aotearoa gay scene since coming out at 17. His professional background is diverse with work in counselling and community development; through to sales and marketing in the corporate field. Vaughan has joined the express sales team to help us meet the demand of our growing business. This is a great opportunity for him as it provides him a nice life balance between community and corporate work.

Amy Jane Todd
Publisher & Design
Amy’s role is to oversee the running of the express and ensure its success financially and ethically. She also directs the design, marketing and branding of express in its many guises. Previously Amy worked as the Branding and Marketing manager of Premium Real Estate Group and as a designer for Brand New World, an advertising agency in Sydney. She has designed for many brands apart from the last six years with express, including The Australian, Merrily Lynch, Sunbeam, Kia Motors and Australian Doctors International. And has produced ads for publication in Conde Naste, Trend Magazine, Who, The New Zealand Herald, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Melbourne Age and KiaOra (Air New Zealands inflight magazine), among many others. Amy has traveled extensively and has an intense interest in the spectrum of cultures and societies of people both in New Zealand and around the world. She has lived in Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, Sydney, Milan, Prague and London. Amy is a practicing artist, having had exhibitions of her work in Vienna, Melbourne and Auckland. She lives in an old villa in Ponsonby with a lovely garden along with her dog Lady Penelope.

Dean Spooner
Admin
Dean came to become part of the express team through husband Chris Banks, who writes news for the magazine. Dean has a huge amount of experience in publishing and print and comes to express after a long stint at magazine and newapaper distributors Gordon and Gotch. Dean can be seen on the day express is delivered wearing his signature pair of black stubbies and trucking magazine stacks up and down the stairs. Dean’s cheerful personality [Ed Note: and collection of Hanson CDs] is a welcome addition to the day-to-day staff.

Tux Hika
Photographer
Tux works as chief photographer for express magazine. Every weekend, Tux is out and about at the hottest GLBT events and nightclubs, snapping photographs for our scene section. Tux is also experienced in studio work, and has shot a number of striking covers and centrefolds for express. Tux is studying a Masters in Photography at Unitec. He has an interest in fashion photography, and has worked as a runway photographer at Air New Zealand Fashion Week for two years, as well as many other catwalk shows. In his spare time, Tux enjoys times with friends and sun-filled days at the beach and volunteers his time as much as he can to the NZAF packing condoms and lube for GLBT venues.

Peter Witton
Distribution
Peter works as express‘ distribution manager, dropping the publication around Auckland City in our trusty white Corolla. You may also recognise Peter the magazine itself – Peter was interviewed for a special feature on the Deaf community and graced the cover as the sexy posterboy for being Deaf and gay!

Anthony Butler
Accounts
Anthony works as the accountant for express, and is in charge of making sure accounts payable and GST returns are up to date, as well as producing monthly management reports. Anthony has an extensive portfolio of clients, and works as the accountant for various auction houses, automotive firms and garden centres. The very suavely-dressed Anthony is available whenever express needs his help, and likes to spend his spare time cooking, gardening and playing golf.

Contributors

Chris Banks
News writer
Christopher Banks is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist and musician. He is a founding trustee of Number 8 Films, which has produced the gay short films Teddy, Communication and The Colonel’s Outing. In the late 1990s, Banks wrote and produced a string of number one hits for his pop group, Deep Obsession. As well as express, he has written for GayNZ.com, London’s Gay Times magazine, and reported for TV2’s Queer Nation. He is married to Dean, his partner of fifteen years. He is very fond of Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick, Cluedo, and Are You Being Served?.

Andy Boreham
Contributing writer / columnist
Andy is a 28-year-old gay from Wellington who has an issue with authority figures and likes to eat cereal in the middle of the night. This year he is studying Law, Media, and philosophy full-time at Victoria University, as well as running a popular gay lifestyle website and organising a number of popular GLBT events in the capital (Out in the Square, etc). He’s a cat man, but only because dogs smell.

Aaron Halliwell
Contributing writer
Aaron grew up in the Hutt but managed to escape all the way into Wellington. There he teamed up with Andy and began gay magazine Up and got involved with lots of GLBT events including Out Takes, Proud festival, The Glamazons, and the gay and lesbian fair. Nowadays he works full time as a spin doctor for a law enforcement agency and co-runs popular gay lifestyle website www.aaronandandy.com, as well as still organising GLBT events such as Out in the Square. In his spare time he dances round the lounge in his undies to Kylie and Dannii Minogue.

Gurv
Man About Town
Gurv is our new Man About Town, covering the hottest parties, gigs and shindigs around town. Going to a gallery opening? He’ll be there. Heading out to the clubs? You’ll see him. The community is now under the watchful (and slightly tiddly) eye of this scene queen – email gurv@gayexpress.co.nz to get him along to your next event.

Jimi Tindall Hunt
Columnist: life, love and fun
Jimi Tindall Hunt is a 30-year-old Auckland guy who works in television current affairs and writes a personal column for express. He started writing for express in 2009 with a column called Single, Gay and Almost 30, but since the big three-oh came and went, Jimi has continued to share the trials and tribulations of dating and life in the +25 bracket in his column 30, gay and beyond. His work runs the gamut from looking at ageism within the gay community to fashion crimes on Ponsonby Road – it’s a frank account of funny, cringwe-worthy and downright embarrassing moments while out experiencing the fruits of Auckland… so to speak.

John Ingle
Wine reviewer
John has had a long and illustrious career as a sommelier, having stakes in places such as Vinnie’s and Prohibition. A former owner of Number 5 restaurant, he now owns and operates the impeccable Pinot Plus on Auckland’s North Shore. He was awarded sommelier of the year in 2005 at the Lewisham Awards.

Diana Rands
Columnist: CADS, addiction and dependence
Diana’s first column for express was ‘Di’s Dos and Don’ts’ in Nov.2001 – it was one of her first tasks in her new role at Auckland CADS as Gay Communities Trainer. This first column did not last long, but was reinstated in January 2006 and is still going strong. The role at CADS (and recently at OUTline) makes the most of Diana’s many years of experience. Her roles have included: social worker, family therapist, partner in an outdoor adventure company ‘Wanderwomen’ and trainer. Last year she and her partner tied the knot, and between them they have three wonderful children, who all have at least two lesbian mothers!

Andrew Rumbles
Book reviewer
Andrew Rumbles has wide experience in both book publishing and retail, and was also one of the driving forces behind the first Hero Party! Andrew is an experienced writer and avid book lover who brings his experience in hunting out the best GLBT books to express with his reviews.

Campbell Stodart
Contributing food writer
Best known for his recent mixologist work at Lola Bar in Ponsonby, but can now be seen as the smiling face behind the counter at Urban Café, a gay-owned café in trendy Newmarket. It’s also home to John Key’s famous teapot! Pop in and say hi!

Leif Wauters
Contributing writer
With years of San Francisco event production and community involvement under his belt, Leif moved to New Zealand in 2010 to join his civil partner down in the Waikato. A frequent party reviewer for SF-based blog The Juice Box, he brings a balanced perspective and community spirit to his commentary for express. A Microsoft Excel trainer in Hamilton by day, Leif’s off-time is spent reveling in Auckland’s dance scene, cherishing his friends, giving back to the community where he can and exploring the world with the man he loves.

Amie Wee
Contributing Writer
Amie Wee is a frank, opinionated macho femme with a penchant for shooting from the hip. When not working at her day job, editing porn for Steve Crow’s www.vixen.co.nz, she’s updating her blog, crevicecanyon. A long-standing sex writer for express, Amie’s work challenges readers to be sex-positive, body-positive and unafraid of who you are (and what turns you on).