About DASH

DASH was started by Daniel Sinton in his rental house in San Luis Obispo, California. Daniel was raised on a ranch just outside the small town of Shandon, California. His small public school produced very poor sex and drug education, despite an extremely high pregnancy rate and drug abuse problem. In an attempt to educate his friends in these subjects, he found it difficult to find good information in places other than books. After he graduated from Stanford University in June of 2002 he moved to San Luis Obispo to begin the long process of creating a solution to the problem that he found was rampant throughout the entire United States. A magazine seemed to be a much better medium than books or television to produce information on Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, and Health (“DASH,” if you will). Magazines are easy to read, readily available, and can be shared or held onto for reference.

As the project developed, Dan turned to the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Design department to help with the design of the magazine. Mary LaPorte and 34 of her students created individual proposals for DASH, and eventually John Kelty and Jenny Rennick’s design was chosen. John and Jenny have since helped to create the overall layout and design for the magazine. Another of Mary’s students, Jeff Kriege, brought his brilliant knack for creating amazing illustrations.

Yet another Cal Poly phenom, Shallon Lester, joined the DASH team in the early part of 2003. Shallon had been writing for the University’s paper and her flair for humor and strong writing has made her a great addition.

Finally two Stanford alumni, Brad Selby and Nick Ellis, and another Cal Poly alumni, Megan Avery, joined on to create the group that now makes up DASH magazine. Brad is the editorial director, Nick is our master of the web, and Megan is our Director of Marketing.

DASH magazine is attempting to do what no other organization in the entire United States has been able to do. It is trying to bring mainstream attention to Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, and Health education, presenting thorough, objective information to young people in a fresh and lively style. DASH is funny, edgy, and informative, breaking down the traditional boundaries between educators and students. The goal of DASH is to reduce the rates of teen pregnancy and STD/STI contraction, drug and alcohol abuse, and unhealthy living amongst teens.