Billy Penn has a new lead developer and a manager for events and sales, bringing our full-time headcount to 11 after filling these crucial roles on the business and product side.
Russell Heimlich, who spent time at the Pew Research Center and The Wirecutter, is Billy Penn’s new lead developer. At Pew, Russell consolidated the site’s infrastructure from a series of outdated CMSs into a uniform publishing platform using WordPress, upon which Billy Penn is built. Last June, he spoke to an audience at WordCamp in Philadelphia about his experience. He’s an Art Institute of Philadelphia graduate who lives with his wife and family in suburban Maryland.
“I love the web. I’ve spent a large chunk of my life studying what this unique medium is capable of and how it affects people in so many different ways. The web is a living thing; It’s never done,” Heimlich said. “We’ve come a long way and yet there is still even more left to do. And I can’t wait to dig in and get started making Billy Penn even better for our readers.”
Allison Hartman is Billy Penn’s new manager of events and sales. A Penn State graduate and proud Fishtown resident, she comes to Billy Penn from digital agency D4 Creative Group in Manayunk, where she created content and managed online communities for local businesses. She was a community specialist at Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners, and also worked at Philly’s OG ticketing startup Ticketleap. She’s always ready with a restaurant recommendation.
“I love Philadelphia, and I am thrilled to be a part of a uniquely built team who feels the same way about our city. I knew Billy Penn would be a solid match for me as soon as I noticed the volume of its online voice, as well as the passion that goes into each piece of content,” Allison says. “When it comes to events, we’re only going to bring you the best. Experiences over things, always.”
Please join us in welcoming Allison and Russell to Billy Penn; her first day is April 11, and his is April 20th. The hires will close out a round of growth for Billy Penn, on the heels of our investment from Gannett, announced earlier this month. But we expect more new positions in our next cities to be announced shortly — so stay tuned.
