Burlington, Vt. – Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent weekly newspaper, has been on a hiring spree. The editorial department now has 10 full-time staff reporters covering news, arts, food and features; in sales, six full-time account executives offer marketing solutions to hundreds of Vermont businesses through the company’s weekly newspaper, ancillary publications and digital products.

“It takes a lot of people working at full capacity to put out as much content as we do every week,” says publisher and coeditor Paula Routly. “And we keep upping the ante. This is the biggest — and arguably, the best — team we’ve ever had. I’m just so grateful that we’re able to attract and retain such amazing employees.”

We’ve recently welcomed the following to the Seven Days staff:

Julia Atherton, Account Executive

A 2005 graduate of Champlain College, Julia has more than eight years of experience in brand marketing — at the Greater Burlington YMCA, Heritage Aviation and Burlington’s Lisaius Marketing, where she worked with clients such as Long Trail Brewing Co., Farrell Distributing and Vermont Gas. At Seven Days, she’ll be working with real estate and South Burlington businesses. When she’s not strategizing with clients, you can find her planning her next big adventure — she loves to travel.

Logan Pintka, Account Executive

Logan made the most of her four years at Saint Michael’s College. In addition to earning a degree in business administration — and a minor in marketing — she won an athletic scholarship for varsity basketball and served as captain of her team. She worked in college, too, as a code enforcement officer for the Winooski Police Department. Logan comes to Seven Days from Hibu, where she worked as a client services representative. Her skills in account management and customer relations make her a great addition to the sales team. When she’s not working, Logan is likely training for the marathon or painting landscapes.

Mark Davis, Staff Writer

Mark is an award-winning journalist with 10 years of experience. In his last position, as a cops-and-courts reporter for the Valley News, he was the lead reporter during the paper’s coverage of Tropical Storm Irene. He was on the board of the New Hampshire Supreme Court’s Committee on the Judiciary and the Media and was the vice president of the New Hampshire Press Association Board of Directors. Mark has been covering cops, crime and corrections for Seven Days since October.

Ethan de Seife, Staff Arts Writer

Ethan has a PhD in film studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He’s spent the last eight years teaching at Hofstra University, Gettysburg College and Quinnipiac. He’s also written two books: Tashlinesque: The Hollywood Comedies of Frank Tashlin and This Is Spinal Tap. In 2013, he moved from New York City to Burlington to improve his quality of life. At Seven Days, Ethan primarily covers cultural news and features, and blogs about film. When he’s not working, he’s most likely watching movies and hanging out with his wife, Laura, Dutch the dog, and cats, Potato and Ira.

Alicia Freese, Staff Writer

Alicia left her native Vermont to study international relations at Pomona College, where she ran on the varsity cross-country team and later became its interim head coach. While in school, she interned at AIDS-Free World and Whereabouts Press and studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. After graduation, she wrote and edited media-analysis reports for Rethink Media, a company that helps nonprofits in the foreign policy and civil liberty sectors. In 2012, Alicia came home to work for VTDigger.org as a politics and education reporter. She’s covering Burlington for Seven Days.

Xian Chiang-Waren, Staff Arts Writer
Xian has done a lot since she graduated from Middlebury College in 2012: She was an editorial fellow for Mother Jones Magazine in San Francisco; worked as an agriculture reporter for the Addison County Independent; and she recently returned from Spain, where she taught English as a second language. Hired last month, Xian is now writing about the arts for Seven Days. Her hobbies include yoga, swimming and hiking.