About

Holly McGhee still carried MADELINE around in 3rd grade — until Mrs. Carrier, her school librarian, tricked her into reading longer books by giving her one with her name on it, HOLLY IN THE SNOW. After college, Holly headed straight into the book world of New York City, where she has enjoyed being a secretary, an advertising manager, a sales rep (for one month), and in the six years prior to opening the doors at Pippin, an executive editor at HarperCollins.

Now, as the President and Creative Director of Pippin, she is dedicated to shepherding books that make a difference into the world. 

Ashley Valentine remembers the day she discovered THE STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES at her local library. Her 9-year-old mind blown, she realized that words and pictures were friends she always wanted around. Years later, Ashley studied painting in college and created visual narratives of her own. She moved on to teach kids' art classes, managed events at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and was studio manager to author and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi. In 2016, she packed up her things and relocated to the Big Apple to join the fierce team of Pips. Here, she hopes to further her passion for story through supporting others in sharing theirs.
 

Marissa Brown has always been a reader. She is never without a book (or three, just in case). But it wasn't until high school that she realized she could have a career in books. She studied English Literature at DePauw University in Indiana prior to attending the NYU Summer Publishing Institute. There she was introduced to the world of literary agencies and immediately knew she wanted to become an agent, which led her to Pippin.

Marissa assists in managing the licensing of Pippin titles for live stage and audio. You can reach her at mbrown@pippinproperties.com for more information.

Julia Ermi probably should have known she would end up in the book world when her fourth-grade teacher had to confiscate the Percy Jackson she was reading under her desk. Instead, it took her over a decade and a degree in journalism from Boston University to reach that predestined conclusion. After interning for The Horn Book Magazine, where she read, reviewed, and fell in love with a number of Pippin masterpieces, she became a Pip herself, hoping to have the chance to help bring more masterpieces to print.

Julia assists in managing the licensing of foreign and translation rights for Pippin titles. She also handles permissions. You can reach her at jermi@pippinproperties.com for more information.

Sabine’s love of books began in childhood, after a particularly long wait at the dentist office led her to seek more substantive works than three-year-old magazines. Since then, she’s fostered a love for strange and earnest stories, from the endless hunger of a caterpillar to the magical realism of the Buendía family. After graduating from Boston University with a degree in Neurohistory, Sabine interned at PBS’s documentary series P.O.V. in the Programming and Production department. She is overjoyed to bring these curatorial and storytelling skills to Pippin, delving into the publishing industry that shaped so much of her childhood — and her trips to the dentist's office.

Sophia Petrane has been an avid reader ever since she was young. Her mother, a former English teacher, took her to the library multiple times a week to pick out new books after finishing her most recent choices. Sophia’s love for reading and writing continued to grow throughout her adolescence. When she entered college, she knew that she wanted to continue pursuing those passions. Today, Sophia is a rising junior at The College of New Jersey, where she is majoring in English and minoring in Graphic Design. After graduating, she hopes to enter the publishing industry and contribute to the world of literature.