James Kaminsky, until recently the editor of Men’s Journal, has been hired away to fill the role of editorial director at Maxim magazine.
The editorial director position Kaminsky fills is new to the Maxim masthead. However,áhe is not new to the publication. He served as Maxim executive editor from 1999 to 2002. Kaminsky also worked for Playboy as an editorial director.
Ken Brownridge, CEO of Maxim owner Alpha Media, worked with Kaminsky when they were both at Wenner Media. Brownridge partnered with Quadrangle Group in June to purchase Maxim, Stuff and Blender and has since been shaking things up with the men’s magazines. Stuff has been reduced to an online-only publication, and other titles have seen the shuffling and departure of staff.
Recent Maxim staff changes include the loss of Jimmy Jellinek, editor since May 2006, and executive editor James Heidenry. Alpha Media has also relocated former Stuff staffers into other positions with the company. Former Stuff editor Dan Bova is now executive editor of Maxim.
Maxim’s ad pages remained relatively flat between last year and this, and ad sales have gone up slightly. However, the “laddie” magazine genre as whole appears to be slipping, with Maxim competitor FHM folding earlier this year. Kaminsky said in a statement that he intends to up the editorial content for Maxim, making it, “funny, sexy and useful.”
