In honor of hMAG’s one-year anniversary issue, we thought it was necessary to explain the story of how Hoboken’s Lifestyle Magazine came to be and introduce the family who brings it to you every other month.

A little over a year ago, hMAG’s co-founders, Joe Mindak (publisher) and Kevin Cale (CCO), decided they wanted to give something back to Hoboken that would highlight its treasures and be a celebration for the Mile Square City to which they both call home. Already working for Tisha Creative, a design agency specializing in web, branding and package design, Joe and Kevin recruited fellow co-workers Simon Dabkowski to create hmag.com and Sang Lee (1963-2010) for artistic design. The magazine was shaping up as Chris Halleron came on as editor, River Clark as lead cover photographer and Melissa Melms as marketing/publication director. Sure, you’ve seen our names, our work, and maybe our faces, but now it’s time to REALLY meet the hMAG team.

Joe Mindak, Co-Founder/Publisher

Nickname: Bologna
Were you named after anyone? My dad, Joe Sr. But I turned out much better looking than him.
Birthday: 1/9/1973
Hair Color: Was black but I’ve added silver highlights
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 6’ 1”
Where did you grow up? Jersey(Exit 136)
Have any siblings? 3 sisters and a brother
Relationship status: 5 glorious years with my wife Audie.
Have any kids? 2: Finnski 5 and Sweetie, 2
Have any pets? Nope. Kids are enough right now.
Where did you go to school? University of Dayton - The Harvard of Ohio
What was your major(s)? Education, Minor in History
Favorite part of working at hMAG: Finding out about all these great places I didn’t know were in town.
How did you get involved? We had developed a few magazines for clients and thought, Hey, we can do this for ourselves.
Favorite thing about Hoboken: Being able to walk home from happy hour.
Least favorite thing about Hoboken: Tripping on the crappy sidewalks on my way home from happy hour.
Place to vacation: Key West. Love that town.
Movie: Come on, Braveheart. Best movie ever.
Food: Big juicy steak.
Drink: Always go with the Captain(and Diet Coke)
Smell: Freshly cut golf course as I’m getting ready to tee off
Band: Ramones, Indigo Girls, Jimmy Buffett
TV Show: You can’t get funnier than Family Guy
Sport/s: Any game that involves drinking beer. Horseshoes, ladders, etc.
Team/s: J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.
Restaurant in Hoboken: Three A’s(but only if Paco comes back)
Bar in Hoboken: Three A’s(but only if Paco comes back)
What makes you happy? The two most beautiful kids in Hoboken
Any hobbies? Triathlons(although you wouldn’t think it looking at my shape)
Where would you like to visit? Rome
What is your ultimate goal? Make sure my kids grow up happy.
Where do you want to live in the future? Hoboken of course.
Who is your hero? Same hero it’s always been, my Dad.
Three words to describe yourself: Happy, Happy, Joy(Joy)
City or Country: 50/50
Day or Night: Carpe Diem.
Coke or Pepsi: It’s not called a Captain and Pepsi
Coffee or Tea: Coffee
Cat or Dog: Dog
Hoboken or NYC: NYC is for people trying to be cool. Hoboken is for the cool people.
Drive or Walk: Bike
Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla
Wake up when alarm goes off or Snooze: I have two alarm clocks, Finn & Campbell

Kevin Cale, Co-Founder/Chief Creative Officer

Nickname: “Hey you! That’s my beer!!”
Were you named after anyone? Not sure, but had to be someone famous... ;)
Birthday: 5/31
Hair Color: Depends on the week. I’m already feeling lime green for next week!
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 6’ 1”
Where did you grow up? NorCal (and some time in NC)
Have any siblings? Two older brothers (one in Maui and one in FL)
Relationship status: Happily married to my amazing rock star wife!
Have any kids? 2 kids (River - 2 Yr & 4 months, Taylor - 2 months)
Have any pets? Are kids considered pets?
Where did you go to school? East Carolina University (School of Fine Arts)
What was your major(s)? Keg Standing, Foosball Playing (and a BFA)
Favorite part of working at hMAG: Giving something positive to Hoboken.
How did you get involved? Approached Co-Founder, Joe Mindak, about creating a positive Lifestyle Magazine for the town we love... live and work in!
Favorite thing about Hoboken: My peeps! (ok... and the new bike lanes!)
Least favorite thing about Hoboken: The “negative and corrupt” in town. You’d be amazed at what that energy could do if it were positive...
Place to vacation: Hawaii! “I like coconuts you can break them open, they smell like ladies lying in the sun!”
Movie: Whatever is playing at Pier A (still waiting on “Run Loa Run”... is that ever going to play at the pier? Please?)
Food: Cuban or Mexican
Drink: Baja’s Coconut Margarita with Hornitos! Ay Ay Ay Arriba!
Smell: The smell of a campfire always brings a smile to my face.
Band: Miike Snow, DMB, Flipsyde... DJS: Kaskade, Tiesto, LTJ Bukem... I guess if you see my booty shaken.. you know I am a fan!
TV Show: Fuel TV (Love extreme sports... you only live once why not throw yourself over a waterfall!)
Sport/s: White Water Kayaking, Competitive Ultimate Frisbee (not the version that involves dogs... or hippies)
Team/s: NY RED BULLS!
Restaurant in Hoboken: Zafra! Mojito pitcher please!
Bar in Hoboken: Northern Soul, come on... any bar that mixes live music, fine art, sports and drinking (with a laid back crowd) is #1 in my book!
What makes you happy? Right Answer: My beautiful family! Wrong Answer: The Taco Truck
Any hobbies? White Water Kayaking, Long boarding...
Where would you like to visit? The Taco Truck... I know it’s early but I bet they would open up for me. Right?
What is your ultimate goal? To keep living the dream!
Where do you want to live in the future? Charleston, SC... Boulder, CO... on a house boat on Lake Powell... in a cabin in the Sierra Mountains... on the cliffs of Zakynthos in Greece...
Who is your hero? I am so thankful for my parents. They are both the most amazing people I know. They give everything to others (even strangers and people they have never met), they give everything to each other as well as give everything to their family and friends. To this day, I still have never heard one bad thing about them nor have I met people I look up to more than them.
Three words to describe yourself: Flip-flops, Happy, Outdoorsy
City or Country: USA, USA, USA!
Day or Night: Day. You can’t whitewater kayak at night... well, safely.
Coke or Pepsi: Coke with Jack or Pepsi virgin
Coffee or Tea: Coffee
Cat or Dog: Frogs
Hoboken or NYC: Hoboken... who wants to look across a river at NJ?
Drive or Walk: Longboard
Chocolate or Vanilla: Margarita!
Wake up when alarm goes off or Snooze: Wake up when son jumps on my head.

Simon Dabkowski, Web/New Media Director/Partner

Full name: Simon Dabkowski
Birthday: December 2nd
Hair Color: Natural?
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5’ 11"
Where did you grow up? Born in Poland, grew up in Manhattan, matured in Brooklyn, and flourished in Hoboken.
Have any siblings? One sister, Agata. Born on my 2nd birthday.
Have any kids? Yes, a puggle named Peanut
Have any pets? Yes, a puggle named Peanut
Where did you go to school? Hunter College
What was your major? Computer Science
Favorite part of working at hMAG: Being a part of a team that build a company, a brand from scratch. Getting emails from hMAG fans in other parts of the world.
How did you get involved? Joe, Kevin: “Want to launch a magazine with us?” Simon: “Sure, sounds good.”
Favorite thing about Hoboken: It’s constantly changing and improving.
Least favorite thing about Hoboken: The foul smell after it rains and the drains overflow.
Movie: The Neverending Story
Food: Lola’s
Drink: White Wine Sangria from Zafras
Band: Thievery Corporation
TV Show: Sons of Anarchy
Sport/s: Soccer, Football, Snowboarding
Team/s: ‘meh.
Restaurant in Hoboken: The Taco Truck!
Bar in Hoboken: Quiet Woman RIP
What makes you happy? Seeing ‘peeps reading hMAG on the PATH
Any hobbies? I’ve recently taken up running.
Where would you like to visit? Thailand
What is your ultimate goal? Purchase a small island
Where do you want to live in the future? The world is my buffet!
Who is your hero? Steven Hawking
Three words to describe yourself: brave, honest, nuts
If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money? Study with the world’s most brilliant minds while circling the world 20 times over on a huge yacht. Helicopter in family and friends onto the yacht and search for sunken treasure.
If you were a superhero, what would you want your power to be? Stop, Play, Pause, Fast-Forward, and Rewind.
City or Country: City
Day or Night: Night
Coke or Pepsi: Coke
Coffee or Tea: Tea
Cat or Dog: Dog
Hoboken or NYC: ughh... I plead the 5th!
Drive or Walk: Walk
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Wake up when alarm goes off or Snooze: Wake up - every second counts

Melissa Melms, Publication Director/Partner

Nickname: Teacup & Melmsie
Were you named after anyone? Nope!
Birthday: 7/3/87
Hair Color: Dark, dark brown
Eye Color: Greenish-hazel
Height: 5’4”
Where did you grow up? Middletown, NJ… and YES, Central Jersey DOES exist!
Have any siblings? Younger sister, Heather
Relationship status: I love my boyfriend ☺ We actually met at Maxwell’s in Hoboken at a 7Mornings concert (see hMAG’s music issue)!
Have any kids? I take care of the guys at hMAG, does that count?
Have any pets? My parents have a pug that I named… Eddie (Edward Scissorhands Melms)
Where did you go to school? NYU (Steinhardt)
What was your major? Media, Culture and Communication
Favorite part of working at hMAG: No day is the same. One day I’m working on marketing and planning events and the next I’m writing articles for the website or magazine. I love getting to be a part of it all.
How did you get involved? Twitter! During the summer of ‘09 I found hMAG_Hoboken following me on Twitter so I started researching this magazine that had not yet been launched. Since I live in Hoboken, I loved the idea of having a Hoboken lifestyle magazine and sent my resume right over. I started off just helping with the launch party and doing some sales and slowly found my niche doing marketing and writing for the magazine and web.
Favorite thing about Hoboken: 1) I love being able to walk everywhere because I absolutely hate driving and 2) the bar/social scene
Least favorite thing about Hoboken: My family and best friends don’t live here… yet!
Place to vacation: Aruba. All I need is the beach, sun and a drink in my hand.
Movie: It’s a tie between Clueless (love me some Paul Rudd) and Fight Club. OOOHH or The Departed or Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Okay, I love a lot of movies.
Food: Pizza from Giovanni’s, sandwich from Fiore’s, or ropa vieja from Zafra.
Drink: Stoli-O-Red Bull from Dubliner and, well, any wine from Bin 14
Smell: Dolce & Gabbana “The One” perfume
Band: Locally- 7Mornings. They are amazing. In general, I love Neon Trees, The Smiths and Lady Gaga
TV Show: True Blood, Dexter and Mad Men
Sport/s: HOCKEY! I have season tickets for the NY Rangers.
Team/s: Rangers, Yankees and Giants
Restaurant in Hoboken: Margherita’s or Zafra
Bar in Hoboken: Dubliner, they have the best bartenders ;)
What makes you happy? Having my life together. I love my family, I love my boyfriend, I love my friends and I love my career. I am very lucky to be exactly where I want to be.
Any hobbies? Shopping of course. I also love Drawing.
Where would you like to visit? New Orleans for Jazz Fest, Hawaii and ANYWHERE in Europe. Top of the list: London, Paris and exploring Ireland.
What is your ultimate goal? “Don’t worry, be happy”
Where do you want to live in the future? One day… a swanky penthouse in Manhattan would be wonderful.
Who is your hero? Bob Ross and Marc Jacobs ;)
Three words to describe yourself: Driven, Silly, Nerdy
If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money? Plan a LONG vacation and… go shopping
If you were a superhero, what would you want your power to be? To read people’s minds… and see into the future
City or Country: City
Day or Night: Although I am a morning person, I’d say night
Coke or Pepsi: Diet Pepsi
Coffee or Tea: Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks
Cat or Dog: DOGS! Particularly, Golden Retreivers.
Hoboken or NYC: I lived in NYC during college and I moved to Hoboken instead. That says everything.
Drive or Walk: Walk – I’m the WORST driver.
Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla soft serve OR Chocolate-covered cherries. Okay, chocolate is my weakness.
Wake up when alarm goes off or Snooze: I wake up 5 minutes before my alarm goes off… on my own.

Christopher Halleron, Editor

Nickname: Hal
Birthday: November 2, 1974
Hair Color: Gone
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5’ 9”
Where did you grow up? Baldwinsville, NY
Have any siblings? Sister
Relationship status: Married
Have any kids? Son
Have any pets? No
Where did you go to school? Norwich University--Military College of Vermont
What was your major? History, English Minor
Favorite part of working at hMAG: Not to sound creepy, but I really enjoy watching a complete stranger as he or she is reading it on the train. It’s a weird, almost corny sense of accomplishment to see your work in someone else’s hand. All my years as a writer, it’s still humbling.
How did you get involved? After nearly a decade as a columnist for The Hudson Reporter, I felt it was time to branch out and cover Hoboken from a different point of view.
Favorite thing about Hoboken: I like the fact that Hoboken looks directly at the island of Manhattan but still remains connected to the mainland United States. That’s what gives Hoboken a unique sense of self—it’s not NYC, it’s not “Jersey”—it’s just Hoboken.
Least favorite thing about Hoboken: Politics—not just City Hall politics, but bogusly rigid business politics, social politics, barroom politics, playground politics. It’s pervasive and its ugly—and I really wish people could take it down a notch and not take themselves so seriously.
Place to vacation: West Cork, Ireland
Movie: Too many
Food: Free
Drink: Free
Smell: Autumn
Band: Too many
TV Show: Nature
Sport/s: Lacrosse, Hurling, Rugby
Team/s: B’ville
Restaurant in Hoboken: Too many
Bar in Hoboken: Too many
What makes you happy? Very little
Any hobbies? Wish I had the time
Where would you like to visit? Greenland
What is your ultimate goal? Comfort
Where do you want to live in the future? Wherever my family will be happiest
Who is your hero? I know too much about human nature to have “heroes,” but those I admire are those who have endured and accomplished without falling victim to their own shortcomings.
Three words to describe yourself: Not THAT bad.
If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money? As little as possible
If you were a superhero, what would you want your power to be? Flight—I hate traffic.
City or Country: Country
Day or Night: Night
Coke or Pepsi: Coke
Coffee or Tea: Tea
Cat or Dog: Dog
Hoboken or NYC: Hoboken
Drive or Walk: Walk
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Wake up when alarm goes off or Snooze: What alarm?