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Media

Comics Creator
Matt Kindt

Local writer/artist Matt Kindt’s star has risen fast, bringing in multiple Eisner and Harvey Award nominations—the comics equivalent of the Oscars and Golden Globes—plus a 2007 Harvey win for work on Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie’s Lost Girls. But critical acclaim alone does not an A-List winner make. Kindt makes the list because we love his work, plain and simple, from the meta-comic Bizarro World of Pistolwhip to the clandestine joys of Super Spy. supersecretspy.com

Sports Analyst
Bernie Miklasz

The sports-talk radio landscape changed as quickly as the Blues’ late-season luck this winter, with MOViN’ 101.1 morphing into 101 ESPN. Among the FM-flocking free agents, Miklasz’s move from the AM dial’s Team 1380 was the equivalent of Shaq going to the Suns. Though not as silky smooth as those TV-turned-radio sportscasters, the award-winning Post-Dispatch columnist remains among St. Louis sports’ elite, playing double coverage in ESPN’s noontime slot. 101.1 FM, www.stltoday.com

DJ Who Cares
Guy Phillips

Sure, Guy Phillips is celebrating his 30th year on the mics of Y98 FM, but it’s his tireless work for local non-profits that has us raising our glass. His calendar-busting emcee duties and board-of-director meetings take up 100-plus evenings a year, but he always sounds happy to lend his name, voice, and ideas to organizations he believes in, from The Saint Louis Men’s Group Against Cancer to A.L.I.V.E. (Alternatives for Living in Violent Environments), to name just a few. y98.com

Local Legend-in-the-Making
Joe Buck

The kid’s done all right for himself, becoming the youngest announcer ever to regularly cover the NFL on network TV; calling the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the All-Star Game; even recently landing his own HBO show. And through it all, the Bud commercials and Conan appearances, he’s stayed true to his roots. But don’t take our word for it: See our profile in this issue to meet the guy behind the mic.

TV Newsperson
Jasmine Huda

Too often, TV newscasters remind us why the insult “talking head” exists. KSDK general-assignment reporter Jasmine Huda embodies the antithesis of that phrase. Since returning here to her hometown two years ago, following stints in Springfield, Mo., and Washington, D.C., Huda has consistently reported with poise and intelligence—to the delight of news wonks across the area. ksdk.com

Morning DJs
The Total Information AM Team


Serious times demand serious reportage, and “in this economy”—don’tcha hate that phrase?—that means the NewsRadio 1120 KMOX duo of Doug McElvein and Debbie Monterrey. Each workday, without the typical morning-show folderol, the Total Information AM co-hosts give groggy St. Louisans a prelatte overview of events. Beyond providing the most exhaustive rush-hour traffic updates available, they smoothly cover the day’s other figurative jams, leavening it all with reports on lighter topics like (gulp!) the stock market. kmox.com
 

Digital Natives: Social Media Standouts

Twitterer
Mark Reardon

Mark Reardon already has his own show on KMOX and regular spots on KMOV’s Great Day St. Louis, but on Twitter he’s a force of nature, busting out more than 1,000 messages to 750-plus followers since his maiden tweet in January. Topical, sarcastic, self-promotional—isn’t that what Twitter’s all about? twitter.com/markreardonkmox

Flickr Photographers
Mark and Jen Halski

Mark and Jen Halski’s respective Flickr streams are by turns gorgeous and tender. The couple runs Halski Studio, an ad and design firm, so it’s no surprise they can do slick. But the photos of their daily lives—particularly those of their two young kids—are artful and full of joy, and the best thing they end up selling us is themselves. flickr.com/photos/markhalski; flickr.com/photos/16833989@N00

Forum
STL Hops

While some forums—and most online comments sections—are lamentable, glass-is-half-toxic affairs, STL Hops is a friendly foamer; members actually ask for explanations or offer to pick up a special brew on a trip to the West Coast. If other forums are a third-grade recess (with masked kids lobbing water balloons), this one’s a lovely outdoor patio. stlhops.com/forums

Company Blog
Life at HOK

So corporate communications can be cool. Launching Life at HOK last fall, the St. Louis–based, international architecture firm empowered employees at many levels and all over the world to publish posts, photos, and videos about their work lives. By allowing the direct and personal broadcast of individual voices, the company has strengthened its own. It’s an exceptional example of a company using social media well. hoklife.com