ABOUT US

CEO and Publisher

Grace A. Capobianco, CEO, and Publisher of Downtown Magazine NYC has dedicated her professional life to developing innovative media products that engage, inform, and bring entire communities together. She started her first company, Tropical Publishing, when she was 27 years old and created the first Chamber of Commerce magazine for the Palm Beaches, The South Florida Office Guide, as well as Up the Coast, a guide to Jupiter. In addition, she helped launch and relaunch publications like Alternative Medicine and NewBeauty, and custom publications for brands like the American Hotel Motel Association and GNC.

In 2007, Capobianco created Downtown Magazine NYC launching in 2010—a quarterly print and online publication with a readership of over 250,000—to celebrate the strength, perseverance, and sense of community in Lower Manhattan, post-9/11. Downtown immediately filled the information void by providing local, relevant, and luxury lifestyle content about the people, places, and things that make downtown the most vibrant and fastest growing business and residential community in the nation. Grace forged partnerships with the area’s renowned business owners, community leaders, and influential individuals, and today the magazine and its online platforms and social media channels have become the voice of Lower Manhattan, with an impressive advisory board of local leaders who ensure the landscape of content is most beneficial to the community.

Editor in Chief

Deborah L. Martin is a 30–year veteran of the magazine publishing industry. In 1996, she became one of Hearst Magazine’s youngest managing editors, for House Beautiful magazine, a position she held for almost 17 years, serving four editors–in–chief.

In 2005, she formed her own custom publishing firm, MM Publishing Inc., creating and publishing magazines for luxury hotels such as The Hotel Bel–Air in Los Angeles and the Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod. She continued her work in the luxury market at GreenGale Publishing, helping to shape titles such as Los Angeles Confidential, Gotham, Hamptons, and Austin Way, eventually becoming the Director of Editorial Operations for the company. Martin also served as both the managing editor and the editor–in–chief of the magazine for Maison&Objet Americas’ Miami launch in 2014. She spent two years as the Executive Managing Editor for New York Spaces, working with Editor in Chief Jason Kontos, and helped launch Exuberance, the first design magazine for the LGBTQ community.

In a freelance capacity, she has worked for clients such as Aspire Design and Home, Metrosource Magazine, and South Florida Interiors, among others.

Executive Director and Associate Editor

Sabrina Little grew up in Nampa, Idaho, and graduated from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor’s in Animal Science. After working in the animal health industry for a decade, she came across an opportunity to follow her other creative passions and step into the world of media.

While working closely with Ms. Capobianco, she’s excited to continue to learn, grow, and experience life through the lens of journalism.

Her hobbies include writing, creating digital art, traveling, and spending time with her cats and dog.

Email: sabrina@thedtmag.com

Instagram @dtmag_sabrina

Multimedia Director

Andrew Matusik double majored in Fine Arts and Politics at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA.  His art degree emphasized contemporary painting.  Matusik set out on a journey of extensive global travel to view the world, and in doing was inspired to pick up a camera.  He started his photography career in LA, first working as a photographer’s assistant to renowned European photographer Neil Kirk.

Influenced by Steven Meisel, Nick Knight, Jerry Schatzberg, David Sims, and Richard Avedon, Matusik has shaped his talent to become one of the first and best compositing photographers. Matusik creates images that are impactful and dramatic with a bold influence of color and depth of field. He enjoys manipulating the environment to create fictional realities. It’s what he calls an equal negative-positive relationship with space.

Matusik has been in New York City for over 15 years and splits time in Los Angeles and have has extensive stays in Paris. He has shot numbers advertising campaigns and has been producing editorial and celebrity content for magazines for over 17 years, published in Italian Vogue, Shape, Vibe, Vixen, Harpers Bazaar Asia, GenLux, Entertainment Weekly, Lucire and Zink; published in the New York Times, Popular Photography and his unique style has been featured in both APERTURE magazine and After Capture.  In total, he has published over one hundred fashion stories for over 25 publications with 35 covers and 2 books. His runway work has also been published in over 54 worldwide publications including Cosmopolitan, Bazaar, Paris Match Vogue-Brazile, Italian Vogue, Style.com, Elle.com. In addition, Matusik has photographed countless celebrities including Brie Larson, Gal Gadot, Ellen Page, Milo Ventimiglia, Alexandra Daddario, Zachary Quinto, John Nobel, Debbie Harry, Sam Waterston, Nathan Fillion,  EVE, RZA, Kelis, Terry O’ Quinn, Elisabeth Mitchel, Paris Hilton, Huge Dancy, Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, Sarah Shahi, Denise Richards, John Varvatos, and the Jersey Boys, etc… (www.matusikphotography.com)

Matusik additionally founded and established one of the world’s first premiere post production houses, Digital Retouch.  He has been a forceful contributor to the industry’s technical transition to digital as well as the cover transition from supermodels to celebrities. “Digital Retouch” has been utilized by over 75 publications including Italian, British, Russian, Greek, Spanish, and French Vogue, Elle, GQ, InStyle, and Interview. Digital Retouch has produced 74 covers, and retouched over 90 celebrities, including such “A” list staples such as Jennifer Lopez, Ann Hathaway, Scarlet Johansson, Natalie Portman, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore, Beyonce Knowles, Gal Gadot, Brie Larson, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Garner, Justin Timberlake and much, much, more…

Andrew bought, designed and built a custom Studio/Loft in the Flatiron district, Manhattan in 2013. “The Loft at 333 Park Ave” transforms from a living space/production facility, a photo studio and then a Parisian salon/lounge to a banquette hall and art gallery with ease. Every inch is utilized and all elements are designed to maximize, transform, or function in three or four capacities. It is a white pallet, a canvas waiting to be painted, stories to be made and told.

Artistically or in life, Andrew is a man who looks for inspiration and strives to always better himself; “I live life with passion and purpose in every aspect. Andrew’s goal is to live a balanced life, and to passionately take on life with purpose and gratitude, joy and humility, and to be a leader in his community.

Associate Editor

Noemi Florea is a designer and writer seeking to integrate multimedia design with systemic change. She is the Associate Editor of Downtown, where she works with New York business owners, coalition leaders, and stakeholders to explore the social movements that power the city’s progressive change.

Food Editor

Fernanda is a multimedia journalist passionate about New York City. Her love for the diverse cuisines and culture that exists in the city is reflected in her stories. 

She majored in Journalism in Brazil, her home country, and studied at the New York Film Academy. Her studies helped her become a professional capable of creating content in all of its forms: text, video and social media. Plus, through her experiences around the world she has developed a keen eye for different stories.

Fernanda works as a reporter and freelance writer covering the most diverse subjects. On her social media, she shares restaurants tips and experiences in NYC and other cities around the world.

instagram.com/fernandamueller/

Marley Gifford is a 21-year-old who grew up on the East Coast in Newport, Rhode Island. She currently studies journalism and fashion merchandising at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. 

Marley is part of the fashion magazine at her school where she has served as a design and layout team member, writer, editor, and spokesperson for the magazine.

You can find Marley writing, painting, scavenging for the best gluten free bagel.

Lindsay Fiedler is a Winter and Spring 2022 Layout Editor and Graphic Design intern at Downtown Magazine. She moved from Connecticut to major in Communication Design at Parsons New School for Design in NYC.

Lindsay currently designed the 2022 Downtown NYC, Miami, and LA media kit. She is passionate about designing and creating arrangements of illustrations and graphics. She loves helping Downtown and their creative team GLYPH to publish eye-catching spreads for its readers.

Samantha Doria is the Summer 2021 Photo and Video Production intern at Downtown Magazine. She is currently a senior majoring in Media Studies and Production at Marist College. Samantha is passionate about production and sees it as an important way to inform and entertain others while also expressing herself. She is really excited to contribute her skills and learn a lot from Downtown Magazine this summer!