BARBETTE HAVRILIAK

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Barbette is a true New Yorker .  Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, she resides with her family in Manhattan.

After graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from New York University, Barbette worked in banking before joining the foreign correspondents' office of German publishing giant BURDA Media .

Fluent in German, Barbette specialized in features on art, fashion, and lifestyle.  While she researched stories and organized interviews and studio visits, she met many leading artists, fashion designers, photographers, and agents, who helped lead her to the 1987 launch of Barbette Media Services .

Barbette's contacts in the international publishing and entertainment industry — from agents and publicists to editors, authors, photographers, and stylists — are countless .  To this day, Barbette takes pride in being clients' “eyes and ears” in America, regularly finding compelling stories and images not found online or through photo agencies . 

Although she works on breaking news stories at all hours, Barbette finds time to devote to her love of home restoration and family ski getaways .

SIMONE PIPEK

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Simone’s career began in the fashion industry in her native Germany. An apprenticeship led to her work as a children's clothing designer, then to Niederrhein University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in fashion design and pattern making.

At Niederrhein, Simone fell in love with fashion journalism. After interning at various German magazines, she became a writer for ELLE Plus, where she stayed until she finished college.

Two weeks after graduation, Simone was working in NYC .  She became a researcher for Map New York, a writer and co-author of a German travel guide for NYC, and an associate for Visibility PR .

Through her more than a dozen years at Barbette Media Services, Simone's extensive connections and knowledge of the U.S. and German media market have allowed her to balance many BMS responsibilities, from researching complex photo and text features to finding and assigning photographers to breaking news stories .

Simone’s designer sense continues, most vividly through her work as a mixed-media collage artist.

FAIRWAY

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Freshly adopted from a kennel, Fairway started working at BMS as a puppy.  His early duties included entertaining the staff and the obligatory barking when the doorbell rang.

Today, Fairway concentrates on bringing calm into the crazy world of media and reminding the humans around him that a nap here and there is important.

Fairway, who is bilingual, is happy he can't be reached by email or phone.