Mullen honored as one of 20 under 40

Patrick Mullen, new media director for the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., is one of this year’s "20 under 40," the group honored by Presstime Magazine as the young leaders who have the talent, hard work and innovation to carry the newspaper industry into the future.

As Mullen recalled in an article in the magazine, published by the Newspaper Association of America, he grew up with a newspaper on the table every morning, not surprising for the son of a pressman for The New York Times. Today, as new media director, he "is devising fresh ideas for delivering the news, looking beyond the traditional newspaper to innovative platforms that will reach consumers wherever they seek information."

The article quotes Joe Vanderhoof, publisher and president of the Times Herald-Record, as saying that Mullen possesses not only the creativity to dream up new products and services but also the business sense to make his ideas a reality. Under Mullen's leadership, Internet revenues consistently have exceeded yearly goals. "Patrick has this ability to make decisions and offer up new concepts that have what I call a 360-degree view—the view of their impact internally, as well as externally," he said.

Mullen led the development of an online, self-serve classified advertising service that's accessible anytime. Responding to readers' demand for online content that is constantly updated, his team launched varsity845.com, a Web site covering high school sports.

Mullen also led the rollout of HudsonValley.com, a video, reviews and ratings-driven local search engine that merges all of the Times Herald-Record's event calendars and advertising into one site. The application soon will be launched at all Web sites operated by the newspaper's parent, Ottaway Newspapers Inc. in Campbell Hall, N.Y.

Vanderhoof described Mullen as a "wunderkind," adding, "His mind works at warp speed, constantly sharing information, developing ideas and driving their execution."

Contact:

Ottaway Newspapers, Inc.
97 Route 416
PO Box 401
Campbell Hall, NY 10916

Ken Hall, Corporate Communications
845-346-3182