Meet the Ripples Team
We’re a crew of dedicated creatives who believe in storytelling as a catalyst for change.
Andrew Vogel
Managing Partner, Head of Storytelling & New Business
Andrew's passion for storytelling started in journalism, where he was an award-winning sports feature writer and columnist for a daily newspaper in Wooster, Ohio.
In addition to writing and editing, he has experience in graphic design and project management. He joined the Ripples team in 2022 and has immensely enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with authors during the challenging and sometimes exhausting—but incredibly fulfilling—journey to see their book come to life.
Nicole Wedekind
Managing Partner, Head of Publishing & Marketing
Nicole is known for her creative thinking, fresh perspective, passion, and results—all of which give her a knack for helping authors thoughtfully tell and publish their stories.
Her depth of agency and consulting experience spans collaborating with clients (of all types and industries), strategic planning to help launch and grow marketing efforts, and an eye for thoughtful client service delivery. Plus, she’s got a huge heart for books and this community to boot.
Dorothy Miller-Farleo
Head of Production
Burtch Hunter
Lead Designer
Burtch has designed over 150 titles in nearly every genre, including many coffee-table books, a dozen recipe books, and several national bestsellers. “My philosophy is to create a contemporary yet classic look that will never appear dated,” he said. “A book should be a product that is not only striking and attractive to the buyer in the bookstore, but also something the reader is proud to display on their table at home. It should be both beautiful and easy to read.”
In 2009, he received the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Cover Design by the Independent Book Publishers Association.
Jeff Hilimire
Founder and Chief Strategist
Jeff founded Ripples Media in 2021. After publishing his first book, The 5-Day Turnaround, in 2019 and being completely turned off by the entire process of working with a traditional publisher, like a true entrepreneur, he decided to start his own publishing company.
He founded Ripples out of a belief that traditional publishers are too "old school" and the most successful book promotion plans are accomplished through personal branding, a variety of media channels, and a community of other supportive authors.
Jaye Liptak
Copy Editor
Jaye has collaborated on book projects with a number of Ripples authors. She has written long- and short-form copy for advertising agencies, corporate clients, press headlines, professional speeches for conferences and award shows, wedding toasts, song and poetry parodies, and everything else in between. Most of all, she is passionate about supporting fellow writers in creating their most concise, error-free, reader-friendly material.
She has tackled everything from the light editing of one-sentence headlines to the heavy editing, story structuring, and co-writing of 200+ page manuscripts. Jaye is passionate about language, people, October baseball, good food, great comedy, and terrible puns.
Jon Reese
Copy Editor and Writing Coach
Jon Reese comes from a scholastic media career, where he advised students in an award-winning convergence media program and provided state and national leadership. He has consulted on editorial and design projects with multiple nonprofits, programmed multi-day retreats, and facilitated small- and large-group workshops. Jon leads climate action work, volunteers with Longleaf Hospice, and works as event staff at local concert venues. His goal with new authors is to support their unique creative process, to encourage their authentic voice, and to help distill the project's benefit to readers.
Carolyn Asman
Designer
As a designer, Lyn deeply connects her creative work with her core values and passions—especially her natural curiosity. Joining the Ripples Team has given her the opportunity to collaborate with diverse authors across a range of subjects, constantly fueling her inquisitive spirit. She thrives on new challenges and loves helping transform authors' manuscripts into vibrant, polished works ready for readers to enjoy!
Away from her design workspace, you might spot Lyn dirt biking or capturing dynamic moments at Subaru events via her photography lens.
Rachelle Kuramoto
Advisor and Strategist
Rachelle co-founded Ripples with Jeff Hilimire and now serves as an Advisor. Her invigorating day job is as the VP of Content for Panoramic Ventures.
She’s been fortunate to have built a whole career out of content strategy, writing, editing, and connecting with people through their stories. And if you can’t find her, she’s probably curled up in a corner with a book.
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