Samuel Kensinger Francis

Sam Page, formerly Samuel K. Francis, is a fitness journalist and trainer in Los Angeles, California. His last name was legally changed by the Los Angeles Superior Court August 17, 2007 to that of his domestic partner, Bronson Page.

File:Sam francis.jpg

Sam Page training in Balboa Park, San Diego

Career

Young entrepreneur

Born on September 19, 1974, in Sandy, Utah, Page became an entrepreneur at the age of 13, with the opening of Sam's Candy, Inc., which soon grew to three locations. . A native of Salt Lake City, Page won the Governor of Utah's "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 1991 . In 1992, he was nominated by Sen Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and later appointed to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY, but instead attended Gonzaga University where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism.

In 1996, as editor-in-chief of the Gonzaga Bulletin, he received three first-place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. He worked briefly as a reporter for the Spokesman-Review, the daily newspaper of record in Spokane, Washington .

HERO Magazine

In 1997, he published and co-founded HERO Magazine, a magazine for gay men which ran from 1997-2002 and won distinction as "One of the Top 10 Magazines" in the United States. HERO Magazine rode the wave of the "mainstreaming" of gay culture, publishing the first automotive column in a national gay magazine, the first gay wedding guide, etc. Like a gay man's Oprah Winfrey, HERO turned away from the "sex sells" attitude of other gay publications, and did not accept adult or tobacco advertising. The magazine was also more inclusive of couples and men over 40 than other magazines at the time. The attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 spooked venture capitalists worldwide, and the magazine was one of the casualties. The publication ceased operations in early 2002.

Modeling & Fitness

After a year of modeling and acting under the stage name Sam Tyson, including centerfolds in Playgirl and Attitude (magazine) (UK), playing the lead in the sold-out run of the play, "My Boyfriend, the Stripper" in Austin, Texas, and a foray into the adult entertainment industry, (which some critics saw as ironic given HERO Magazine), he decided to dedicate his life to health and fitness. He began working off-camera, training top producers of ABC's television show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2004, and co-hosted a fitness program on SIRIUS Satellite Radio with gay radio pioneer John McMullen until McMullen's departure from the company in December 2006.

He currently operates two fitness studios in Southern California, and is a blogger, fitness writer and editor for Horizon Barcelona, the gay lifestyle magazine of Barcelona, Spain. He provides fitness and HIV education to the Strength in Numbers international network, and the Being Alive Coalition His partner is actor/screenwriter, Bronson Page.

Citations

1. Peter Scarlet (03 May 1991, pg. B3) "Students Profit From Own Businesses, Win Entrepreneur Contest" The Salt Lake Tribune
2. No Byline (01 April 1991, pg D6) "Governor to Honor Young Businessmen" The Salt Lake Tribune
3. Dan Egan (03 Jan 2000, pg. 1A) "One-Time Utah Whiz Kid Makes Waves With a Unique Magazine" The Salt Lake Tribune
4. Ron Belgau (1 April 1998) "Profile in Couarge: In Los Angeles, 23-year-old Sam Francis has a new vision for gay America" Oasis Magazine
5. Judy Weider (19 Aug. 1997, pg. 63) "The Best & Brightest Under 30: Sam Francis" The Advocate
6. Elaine Herscher (18 April 1998, pg. 1A) "Newest Gay Magazines Put Focus on The Family" San Francisco Chronicle
7. Samir Husni (Jan 1999) "One of the Most Notable Magazine of 1998: HERO, The Magazine For the Rest of Us" Samir Husni's 1999 Guide to New Consumer Magazines'
8. Lou Chibbaro Jr. (9 Nov. 2001, pg. 14) "Gay Media Businesses Weigh Impact of Sept. 11" The Washington Blade
9. Dean Keefer (July 2004, pg. 58) "Sam Tyson Constructs the Ultimate Fantasy" Playgirl
10. Darrin Frei (April 1998, pg. 70) "Sam Tyson: From Publishing to Porn" Genre Magazine

Additional references

1. Judy Weider (19 Aug. 1997, pg. 63) "The Best & Brightest Under 30: Sam Francis" The Advocate
2. Lynn Smith (15 March 1998, Life & Style) "For the Man In Your Life" Los Angeles Times
3. Elaine Herscher (18 April 1998, pg. 1A) "Newest Gay Magazines Put Focus on The Family" San Francisco Chronicle
4. Ron Belgau (1 April 1998) "Profile in Couarge: In Los Angeles, 23-year-old Sam Francis has a new vision for gay America" Oasis Magazine
5. Eric Hunter (4 June 1998) "Will Monogamy Sell?" Cincinnati CityBeat
6. David Heitz (23 June 1998, pg. 48) "Hip to Be Square: A New Magazine Targets Young Men with 'Hot Monogamy' The Advocate
7. Wayne Hoffman and Ernie Glam (17 July 1998, Pg. 21) "Sex & Sensibility: Gay Media Turn Away From Sex to Woo Advertisers and Attract New Readers" New York Blade News
8. Ernie Glam (April 1998 pg. 9A) "HERO offers readers a pro-monogamy alternative" New York Blade News
9. Wayne Hoffman (24 July 1998, pg. 29) "Sex & Sensibility' The Washington Blade
10. V. Dion Haynes (30 July 1998, Tempo Pg. 1) "Two New Magazines Offer Help and Guidance to Alternative Families" The Chicago Tribune
11. Michael Gardunio (26 Aug 1998, Pg. 12) "You're My HERO" Q Ink Northwest
10. No Byline (03 Sep 1998) "Magazines Target Alternative Families" The Des Moines Register
12. Judith Silberfield and Thomas Doustaly (September 1998) "États-Unis" Tetu Magazine
13. No byline (September 1998, pg. 27) "Helpful Sources: HERO Magazine" Our World: International Gay & Lesbian Travel Magazine
14. No byline (Aug. 1999) "HERO Worship" Attitude Magazine
15. Anne M. Russell (28 Jan 1999) "Finding Funding" Folio Magazine
16. L.M. (Oct. 1998) "New Magazines: HERO" Folio Magazine
17. Rex Wockner (25 June 1999) "Media Report" Fab! Magazine
18. No Byline (Spring 1999) "Paging Ahead" min magazine
19. Dan Savage (June 1999, pg. 62) "Faithlessly Yours" OUT Magazine
20. Dan Egan (03 Jan 2000, pg. 1A) "One-Time Utah Whiz Kid Makes Waves With a Unique Magazine" The Salt Lake Tribune
21. Michael Colford (15 Oct 1999, pg. 114) "HERO: The Magazine for the Rest of Us" Library Journal
22. Kate Fitzgerald "Promo Spotlight: Gay title 'HERO,' Altoids join up for traveling kissing booth" Advertising Age
23. Michael Colford (1 May 2000, pg. 51) "Best New Magazines of 1999" Library Journal
24. Eileen P. Gunn and Kate Kitzgerald (19 June, 2000, pg. 61) "Highly Targeted Interests Drive [Gay] Magazine Growth" Advertising Age'
25. No Byline (August 2000, pg. 7) "Magazine Publishes Wedding Guide For Men" Stonewall News Northwest
26. James Brady (No Date, pg. 38) "Brady's Bunch" Advertising Age'
27. Sean Maher (31 Aug. 2000) "Gay Games Announces New Sponsor" Sydney Star Observerl
28. Lou Chibbaro Jr. (9 Nov. 2001, pg. 14) "Gay Media Businesses Weigh Impact of Sept. 11" The Washington Blade
28. Samir Husni (Jan 1999) "One of the Most Notable Magazine of 1998: HERO, The Magazine For the Rest of Us" Samir Husni's 1999 Guide to New Consumer Magazines'
29. Darrin Frei (April 1998, pg. 70) "Sam Tyson: From Publishing to Porn" Genre Magazine
30. Dean Keefer (July 2004, pg. 58) "Sam Tyson Constructs the Ultimate Fantasy" Playgirl
31. Dean Keefer (Summer, 2005, pg. 44) "Body Work: Handsome and Handy, Sam Tyson Constructs the Ultimate Fantasy" Playgirl Magazine's MEN AT WORK Special Edition #50

External links

• Sam Page his official website