No one knows Maine like Down East does.
Down East is an identity magazine for Mainers and for anyone whose heart and soul are fed by our state and state of mind. Since 1954, our mission has been simple: to hold a mirror up to Maine, showcasing its landscapes, traditions, flinty character, and unhurried way of life, as well as to confront its complexities intelligently and with heart. We believe rusticity and cool can live side by side — because they do in Maine. Our readers and online communities come to us to learn about out-of-the-way lobster shacks, Maine-made gift ideas, and under-the-radar spots to paddle, hike, and explore, but also for insight into the personalities and issues shaping our state. Simply put, people who love Maine love Down East.
A Maine brand with national relevance, Down East has been honored as Magazine of the Year multiple times by the International Regional Magazine Association. Our stories have been recognized and anthologized in the Best American series of the country’s best magazine writing and are regularly shared on best longform lists across the web. Recent guest editors have included lifestyle maven Martha Stewart and New York Times food editor Sam Sifton. Audiences in Maine and beyond come to Down East for the insight and familiar charm that come from 70 years of outstanding Maine storytelling.
Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t shout out our wheelhouse of talented contributing writers and photographers, and also our loyal readers who share their story ideas with us. If you’d like to pitch us a story, please review our submission guidelines.
Get to Know Our Staff
Down East is produced by a small team of people who love Maine. Some of our team members have lived in Maine their entire lives, and others fell in love with the Pine Tree State and never left.
Bob Fernald
President & CEO
Bob started calling Down East “home” in 1977, when his parents bought the magazine from owner and founder Duane Doolittle. Bob would paint walls, stuff envelopes, answer reader letters, and otherwise cause trouble before professionally joining the magazine in 1992 as the company’s controller. Today, he’s president and CEO, continuing Maine’s tradition of great family businesses. If you ask him what his favorite thing about Maine is, he’ll say, “Sailing on Penobscot Bay.”
Lawrence Hollins
Publisher
Lawrence started working at the magazine in 2007 to help get downeast.com up and running, and he was promoted to the role of publisher in 2024. Now, he oversees all things under the Down East brand. Passionate about art and agriculture, Lawrence also serves as president of the board of directors at the Maine Crafts Association and lives on a farm in the midcoast area with his family.
Will Grunewald
Editor in Chief
Will has been Down East’s editor in chief since August 2023 and has been with the magazine since 2016, after previously working at Washingtonian. He lives in Brunswick with his wife, Heidi, and a spunky little dog named Wally. On weekends, they’re usually found hiking or paddling, if they haven’t already retired to a local brewery.
Sarah Stebbins
Deputy Editor
Sarah was previously Down East’s home editor and most recently editor in chief of Maine Homes by Down East. Before joining Down East, in 2016, she was an editor at In Style and Martha Stewart Living magazines, and has bylines in Southern Living, This Old House, and Real Simple, among other publications. A native of Cousins Island, in Yarmouth, Sarah lives in Portland with her husband, two sons, and Mississippi mutt.
Charlie Pike
Editorial Assistant
Charlie joined Down East in 2024 after writing for the San Francisco Examiner, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, and The Sheet News. In addition to writing for the magazine, he also assists our editorial team in editing and assigning stories. When he’s not writing, you can find him running around Portland, crashing on skis, or falling off surfboards.
Abigail Solloway-Hilt
Digital Manager
Abby is a lifelong Mainer and started working at Down East in 2018 as a digital marketing coordinator. Today, she maintains Down East’s overall digital presence (please be patient while she updates and beautifies decades worth of stories on downeast.com; she is human). When not at her laptop, she enjoys exploring the state’s dog-friendly trails with her pup, Nutmeg, and teaching herself how to crochet.
Bridget M. Burns
Branded Content Editor
Bridget is a lifelong storyteller with over 15 years of professional experience writing and developing content for media. She holds a BFA in creative writing and joined Down East in 2022 after freelancing with the magazine since 2018. She crafts paid content stories for our advertisers and serves as editor of the Down East Brand Studio team, which creates custom publications for outside clients. She lives with her husband and two young daughters in a 130-year-old renovated barn that once belonged to the charitable Freedom Farm.
Miroslaw (Mirek) Jurek
Creative Director
Mirek has been bringing an international design perspective to the pages of Down East since 2005, when he joined the team as art director. Originally from Poland, he has worked for several U.S. and European magazines, including GQ Germany, Mojo, FHM, Mademoiselle, and Shooting Sportsman. During the summer, he can be spotted fishing for squid in Rockport Harbor.
Mike O’Leary
Art Director
Mike joined the team in 2016 as a senior designer and now serves as our art director. He’s responsible for the magazine’s layout, combining work from our wheelhouse of some of the country’s best writers, photographers, and illustrators. He enjoys hiking and biking in the summer and skating and skiing in the winter.
Tara Rice
Photo Editor
Tara has worked as a freelance travel and portrait photographer since 2007 and has photo credits in Travel and Leisure, Monocle, and Bloomberg. She joined the Down East editorial team in 2022 and is responsible for sourcing the beautiful photography that accompanies our stories. When she’s not behind the camera or assigning photo shoots, she’s enjoying all the Maine outdoors has to offer with her blue heeler pup, Leica, by her side.
Dave Waddell
Staff Photographer
Dave’s passion for photography began in his 9th-grade photo class and eventually inspired a 15-year freelance career. He joined Down East in 2022 and has since traveled the state capturing breathtaking wild landscapes, gorgeous restaurant plates, idyllic scenes, and environmental portraits of people at work and play. If you ever want to learn photography or improve your current skillset, Dave’s your guy — he hosts several Down East Adventures photo workshops.
Bhavana Scalia-Bruce
Content Developer
Bhavana has been a content developer since 2025 and is a Down East boomerang, having previously been part of the team as an editorial intern in 2020. She has since worked on a range of editorial products, including Full-Time Travel, Remodelista, Cool Material, and SeafoodSource News. When not at the keyboard, she can be found with her nose in a good thriller novel or practicing Pilates and yoga.
Laura Borchert
Circulation Coordinator
Laura joined Down East in the summer of 2024 as the circulation coordinator. She and her husband live in a 150-year-old Victorian home they’ve restored under the watchful eyes of their two cats, Mei and Ella. In addition to traveling, her free time is filled with gardening, reading, and enjoying all midcoast Maine has to offer.
Chad Hughes
Multimedia Manager
Chad started working at Down East in the mid-’90s, and after spending a few years away, he’s back to calling the midcoast home. When he’s not in front of a screen designing custom publications and marketing/advertising materials, you can find him putting in some miles on his road bike while avoiding cars (trees, if on his mountain bike) or rebuilding Volvo engines in his kitchen.
Betsy French
Retail Sales Manager
If you’ve ever purchased something from the Down East Shop, you have Betsy to thank. She handles everything for our online store — from bringing in new products and Maine makers to customer service. In her free time, Betsy enjoys spending time with her daughter, walking her family’s yellow Lab, Sam, boating on Penobscot Bay, and playing pickle ball.
Lianon Close
Project Manager
Lianon oversees initiatives that are non-routine and strategically important to Down East. She is always happy to talk about sponsorships or memberships that drive business and align with the ethos of Down East. She loves boating around Casco Bay with her family and walking in the woods with her two English Labs.
Michael O’Neil
Account Executive
Michael and his wife have lived in Maine since the early ’90s. Before relocating to the Pine Tree State, he was a full-time corporate photographer and still takes on volunteer-event photography work for local nonprofits and arts organizations. When he’s not in the office, Michael enjoys rowing, mountain biking, and exploring Maine’s public lands and parks. He recently rekindled his passion for vintage audio equipment and is always game to see live music.
Sally Cameron
Project Manager
In addition to helping with advertising sales, Sally has managed Down East Adventures — our curated selection of workshops, getaways, and uniquely Maine experiences — since joining Down East in 2019. In her spare time, Sally teaches tap dance locally and runs a Maine-crafted children’s apparel business with her mother-in-law.
Sam Fernald
Human Resources Coordinator
Sam has been with Down East for as long as he can remember. He spent the first six years of his life living on Down East’s 680 Commercial Street property, quickly becoming the building’s Eloise — he knew where the chipmunks stored their acorns in the carriage house, how many bats lived in the attic, and how to climb onto the roof from every office, much to his father Bob’s horror. Today, Sam has transferred his passion for people, plants, and animals to the workplace, overseeing Down East’s human resources department. A graduate of Claremont Graduate University’s Doctor of Public Health program, Sam also consults with a handful of policy-making foundations and non-profits, including NAMI Maine.
Bridget David
Project Coordinator
Bridget assists with print ad trafficking and our retail shop. Before joining Down East in 2024, she was a teacher and YMCA summer camp director. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, visiting new places with her dog, and finding ways to continue working with and supporting kids in her community.
Leslie Forand
Controller
Leslie joined our team in 2020 as an accountant and now leads our finance department. She’s been a massive Kansas City Chiefs fan for decades, well before Taylor Swift even looked at Travis Kelce. She enjoys rowing with the Megunticook Rowing Club, curling with the Belfast Curling Club, and spending Sunday evenings at Lucky Betty’s. She is also a member of the Camden Comets toboggan team.
Peter Wincapaw Jr
Facilities Manager
Peter started at Down East in 2014 as our shipping and maintenance coordinator. These days, in addition to packing and shipping orders and tending to Roxmont, the summer “cottage” on Route 1 in Rockport that houses our offices, he also prints posters and matted prints for the Down East Shop, among many other things. A lifelong Mainer, Peter enjoys fishing, ice fishing, hunting, trail riding on his ATV, hiking, and road-tripping to antique shops.
Interested in joining our team? Check out our current job openings.