Our Authors

Mercedes Lilienthal

As a contributor for The New York Times and several automotive outlets, I create award-winning content involving vehicular adventure travel, the automotive industry, and inspiring women in it. My husband and I own three customized right-hand-drive turbo-diesel 4x4 Mitsubishis: a Delica Space Gear and two Gen 2 Pajeros. We also own a modified daily driver. A dual citizen of the United States and Germany, my work includes writing, photography, and various PR/marketing services. Follow me: Facebook @crankshaftculture and @mercedeslilienthal, Instagram @crankshaftculture and @mercedes_lilienthal, and Twitter @crankshaftcult and @writerwithgrit.

Staff

John Pangilinan

John Pangilinan has a diverse skill set and portfolio having worked for nearly two decades at the intersection of automotive, fashion, lifestyle, and art - bridging industries and interests in a way that few people can.As an automotive enthusiast, John has been embedded in car culture and has brought his unique and distinct style to every custom vehicle he has had a chance to work on either for himself or clients. His personal car builds have received numerous awards – a Ford design award in 2021 and 2011, a President’s Choice Award by Hyundai Motor America in 2013, and Scion Tuner Challenge achievements in 2008 and 2010 – and in 2013, John made SEMA News’ “35 Under 35” list.As a PR & marketing specialist, John has worked throughout his career working with many of the top automotive brands in the industry and has built an impressive roster of clients that include projects with Stance socks, Hyundai, eBay, Old Spice, KW Suspension, Gran Turismo, Grand Prix of Long Beach, and Reign Energy Drink. Today, his company JP+CO, is the PR agency of record for Toyo Tires and continues to work with brands including Pelican, Ford/Lincoln, and more.On the event side, John has produced multiple events from product launches to press reveals. This includes the Toyo Tires Trailpass, which is an annual event that is focused on education and relationships within the outdoors, off-road, and overlanding community. John is on the advisory board for the Pow! Wow! Long Beach, an art festival that brings both internationally renowned and local artists together to beautify the city of Long Beach. He also co-founded the OG Moto Show, an annual event in Los Angeles that gathers thousands of enthusiasts to celebrate craftsmanship and artistry within the moto community.The Southern California native balances time between work and quality time with his wife and two young kids.

Mark Han

Jerry Tsai

Jerry has been a part of the launch or editorial teams of a host of enthusiast media publications spanning over a decade and is proud to be a part of the OVR creative team. As a fan of anything that rolls, he enjoys vehicles of all types including ones that crawl the trails as well as those that scrape the floor and everything in between. With seemingly boundless creativity, you’ll find Jerry constantly creating something new, whether it’s through writing, photography, graphic design or model making and even arts and crafts. Jerry is a consummate enthusiast of many genres of interests and is continually getting into new interests and reviving old ones. Don’t be surprised if you run into Jerry on an off-road trail, on a hike at a national park, at a firing range or at an RC car race; he may even turn up at a Comic-Con or at a warbird museum.

Ryan Kennelly

Born a SoCal Native, Ryan Spends his time Building vintage 4x4’s and running trails all over the western United States. To pay the bills, Ryan is the Engineering Team Leader for Smittybilt. Creating parts & Kits from a napkin sketch and getting them onto the shelves at your favorite off road retailer. In Ryan’s current Remuda you will find KTM 990 Adventure, 1972 K5 Blazer, 1972 K10 short bed Pickup, 1975 F100 shortbed 4x4, 1979 Toyota Hilux and a 2014 Silverado 4x4 upfitted with a Four Wheel Camper. Ryan’s adventures have lead him to places like The cloud forests of Ecuador, The Jungles of Costa Rica, the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia, 49 US states, Canada and Mexico by 4X4.  For more details on Ryan’s current projects follow along on Instagram @dirtstar2002

Ryan Lee Price

Ryan Lee Price is a freelance writer living in Corona, California, with his wife and kids. When not exploring the flora and fauna of the backwoods, he is busy climbing Southern California’s tallest peaks.

Jonathan Hanson

Jonathan Hanson’s overlanding experience encompasses more than 200,000 miles across six continents, from the Sahara, Atacama, and Simpson Deserts to Arctic Tundra. He has written for over two dozen magazines, and is the co-author, with Tom Sheppard, of the Vehicle-dependent Expedition Guide, the bible of overland travel. His wife, Roseann, created the Overland Expo in 2009 and they ran it for ten years. Together Jonathan and Roseann have worked extensively on wildlife conservation issues, particularly in the American Southwest and East Africa.

Andy Lilienthal

As a lifelong automotive enthusiast, Andy’s been involved with cars, trucks, and SUVs for decades. For more than 20 years he has written and talked about automobiles, whether as review subjects, in racing coverage, or as the topic of feature stories. He has written award-winning content for numerous publications and has a penchant for unique vehicles from across the globe. In fact, he currently has three JDM turbodiesel Mitsubishis in his stables: two Pajeros and one Delica. He loves to explore, travel, and see the world—especially by 4x4.

Sean P. Holman

Sean P. Holman is a longtime automotive enthusiast and veteran off-road journalist who worked for Motor Trend Group for nearly 20 years, eventually overseeing content for the company’s Truck & Off-Road Group as its group content director. Sean is also the co-creator and co-host of the number-one truck enthusiast podcast, The Truck Show Podcast with Lightning & Holman. When he is not busy chasing down all things truck, Sean can be found enjoying life with wife and two daughters in Huntington Beach, California, working on his ’67 Ford F-100 project truck, his ’42 Ford GPW Flat Fender, or out on the trail exploring with his modified ’23 Jeep Wrangler 392.

Matt Ritscher

Matt Ritscher is a writer, photographer, and the marketing director for Tactical Application Vehicles.  He has spent the past eight years in the outdoor and off-road industries. He is passionate about new and innovative gear and the brands bringing them to market. As with many in the off-road industry, he is a fan of the Toyota platform, and the 1st gen 4runner is his all-time favorite vehicle. Matt is based in Colorado and spends his time cycling, shooting photos, and exploring new restaurants in search of quality food and drink

Dan Grec

Dan Grec is an adventurer, photographer, and videographer. Growing up in Australia, family camping trips gave Dan a passion for wilderness exploration in remote destinations. After studying and working as an engineer, Dan left it all behind in search of a more vibrant life, setting out to turn his dreams of grand adventure into reality. Over a decade and a half Dan has driven his vehicles to the wild and remote corners of fifty-six countries across five continents, documenting what he sees and learns as he sinks into local cultures. With no end in sight, Dan is now outfitting a vehicle for four season travel to colder regions of the planet.

DrivingLine

Recognizing that every individual's motoring journey is unique, we seek to give form to both untold as well as celebrated facets of the automotive world.

Brett T. Evans

Since starting my career a decade ago at Truck Trend (RIP), I've had the distinct joy of writing about the world's best cars, trucks, SUVs, and adventure vehicles. After six years at TT and four years at Motor1, I've branched out into media, consulting, and public relations. I own a 1996 Lexus LX450 for camping, off-roading, and mall-crawling, and its slow-witted charm makes it more fun to drive than my two-seat sports car. 

Dann Kanigan

Credibly reintermediate backend ideas for cross-platform models. Continually reintermediate integrated processes through technically sound intellectual capital. Holistically foster superior.

Alfonso Saris

Phosfluorescently engage worldwide methodologies with web-enabled technology. Interactively coordinate proactive e-commerce via process-centric “outside the box” thinking.

Craig Madsen

Leverage agile frameworks to provide a robust synopsis for high level overviews. Iterative approaches to corporate strategy foster thinking to further the overall value proposition.

Hanna Vaccaro

Bring to the table win-win survival strategies to ensure proactive domination. At the end of the day, going forward, a new normal that has evolved from generation X is on the runway heading towards.

Miracle Kenter

Podcasting operational change management inside of workflows to establish a framework. Taking seamless key performance indicators. Keeping your eye on the ball while a deep.

Ryan Baptista

Completely synergize resource taxing relationships via premier niche markets. Professionally cultivate one-to-one customer service with robust ideas. Dynamically innovate resource-leveling customer.