Meet Our Team

Joanne Hayes

Publisher & Founder

Joanne Hayes is a 26-year veteran of the publishing industry, having worked for 12 years as an Account Executive for an award-winning Journal Register Company newspaper group, Southern Rhode Island Newspapers, and 3 years as the Marketing Director of SO Rhode Island, a publication of the award-winning magazine company Providence Media, prior to her move to Atlanta in 2009.

Simply Buckhead Magazine was conceived by her company, ValueStream Media Group, and began publication in 2010, with Joanne at the helm as Publisher and Founder.  The publication quickly became the “must-read” publication for people who live, work, shop, dine, entertain, travel, have families, homes, and pets and participate in philanthropic efforts, and has literally been read online all over the world. 

ValueStream Media Group is a media partner and sponsor to CURE Childhood Cancer, Bert’s Big Adventure, Atlanta Community Food Bank, The nsoro Educational Foundation and Joanne currently serves as a Board Member for the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Giannina Bedford

Giannina S. Bedford is multi-faceted writer and editor. Her work covers design, travel, food and business. She’s penned Simply Buckhead’s home feature since inception and held a variety of editorial roles at the magazine. Her freelance work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, USA Today, Virtuoso Life, Hemispheres and TravelandLeisure.com. She also contributes regularly Atlanta Business Chronicle. Fluent in Spanish, Giannina was born in Miami and grew up in Brazil, Chile, Hawaii and Australia. She currently lives in Dunwoody with her two kids and husband.

Jennifer Franklin

Senior Contributing Editor

Jennifer Bradley Franklin is a multi-platform journalist and author, often covering travel, food, design, beauty and celebrities. She serves as a senior contributing editor for Simply Buckhead. Her work appears in Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, Architectural Digest, Delta SKY, People, Food Network, USA Today and others, and she’s the proud co-author of the 2016 book Make it ZERO: The Movement to Safeguard Every Child, in which she wrote about poverty, hunger and other social issues facing America’s youth. When she’s not discovering a far-flung destination, Jennifer loves exploring new restaurants in her hometown. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, doesn’t mind taking a detour.

H.M Cauley

Copy Editor

Atlanta-based freelancer H. M. Cauley grew up eating scrapple in Philadelphia where she paid for her journalism degree at Temple University by working as an usherette for the Phillies. Before moving to Atlanta in 1990, she worked in newspapers, academic public relations and human resources for Macy’s. She is the author of three Atlanta guidebooks and a regular contributor to the several local and state-wide publications.

In 2012, she earned a double Master's in Rhetoric/Composition and Creative Writing from Kennesaw State; in 2017, she completed a Ph.D. in Rhetoric/Composition from Georgia State, where she designed, taught and won an award for a writing course designed around Sherlock Holmes. Since graduating, she has earned credits towards a bachelor’s in French. She is now an instructor in GSU’s Communication department and Emory’s Continuing Education division.

When not working, Helen is a voracious reader of mystery novels, a swimmer and an avid cook who believes Béarnaise sauce makes anything taste exquisite.

Alan Platten

Creative Director

Alan’s design career began in the UK in the nineties. He spent eight years working for IPC Media (now TI Media), where he helped launch the home interest title ‘Homes & Ideas’. He then freelanced for various magazine publishers in London for a further two years before hopping the pond to Atlanta in 2004.

Since then he has designed award-winning publications for brands such as Callaway Golf, Sotheby’s International Realty and John Deere, redesigned the globally-distributed Ask Audio magazine and has been Creative Director for Simply Buckhead since 2012.

In his other life, he produces electronic music, catches live bands coming to town, practices Qigong and consumes more coffee than is advisable.

Michelle Johnson

Senior Advertising Account Executive

Michelle Johnson has been working in marketing and advertising in Atlanta for over 20 years. She started her career at BBDO South and worked for several large agencies on national brands. She transitioned from the agency world to the client side to work with The Coca-Cola Company. Michelle has been with Simply Buckhead since 2019, taking her experience from both advertising agencies and client work to enter into media sales.

Mike Jose

Director Of Audience Development

Originally from New Orleans, Mike Jose has been a resident in the Atlanta-area since 2001. Taking his background in Digital Marketing and his experience in the city, he’s been able to help brand and market several successful businesses throughout the South East.