Sam Jensen Page
Samuel Francis, formerly Sam Page, (born September 19, 1974) is a celebrity fitness coach and bodyguard in Los Angeles, California.
Early life and education
Born September 19, 1974, in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Francis became an entrepreneur at the age of 13, with the opening of Sam's Candy, Inc., which soon grew to three locations.[1] Francis won the Governor of Utah's "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 1991.[2][3] In 1992, he was nominated by Senator 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.[4]
Early career
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 co-founded and published Hero magazine for gay men which ran from 1997-2002 and won distinction as "One of the Top 10 Magazines" in the United States.[4][5][6] HERO rode the wave of the "mainstreaming" of LGBT culture, publishing the first automotive column in a national gay magazine, the first gay wedding guide, etc. HERO differed in advertising and editorial policy from other leading gay men's magazines and did not accept adult or tobacco advertising. The magazine was also more inclusive of couples and men over forty than other magazines at the time. The September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center impacted venture capitalists negatively impacting HERO, the publication ceased operations in early 2002.[7]
Modeling and fitness
After a year of modeling and acting, 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, he decided to dedicate his life to health and fitness.[8][9] 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, contributing fitness editor of PLUS Magazine and PASSPORT', a gay travel magazine. He also provides fitness education to the Thrive Tribe Foundation , and the Life Group LA.[10]
References
- ↑ Scarlet, Peter (3 May 1991). "Students Profit From Own Businesses, Win Entrepreneur Contest" Salt Lake Tribune.
- ↑ Salt Lake Tribune (1 April 1991). "Governor to Honor Young Businessmen".
- ↑ Egan, Dan (3 January 2000). "One-Time Utah Whiz Kid Makes Waves With a Unique Magazine" Salt Lake Tribune.
- 1 2 Belgau, Ron (April 1998). "Sam Francis, 23, of Los Angeles, Calif.", Oasis Magazine. Retrieved on 5 December 2007.
- ↑ Elaine Herscher (18 April 1998). "Newest Gay Magazines Put Focus on the Family" San Francisco Chronicle
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Lou Chibbaro (9 Nov 2001). "Gay Media Businesses Weigh Impact of Sept. 11 Attacks" The Washington Blade
- ↑ Dean Keefer (July 2004). "Sam Tyson Constructs the Ultimate Fantasy" Playgirl Magazine
- ↑ Darrin Frei (April 2003). "Sam Tyson: From Publishing to Porn" Genre Magazine
- ↑ {{cite web In 2014, Francis was named one of the "20 Most Amazing HIV-Positive Gay Men" in the world in PLUS Magazine, and later named in similar fashion in The Advocate. |url =http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1456783/bio |title =Sam Tyson - Biography |publisher =IMDB |author =T. Del Mar |format =Website |accessdate =2012-07-17 }}