The Media Carousel: Hearst Fashion Team Changes and Other Media Comings and Goings – WWD


The ever-revolving door in the media industry continues to spin. Here, WWD rounds up some recent notable moves.

Starting with some brand-new news, Hearst Magazines has announced that Kristen Saladino has been promoted to lead its central fashion group. She replaces Aya Kanai, who became editor in chief of Marie Claire late last year. In her new role, Saladino, who has been with Hearst Magazines for almost six years, will oversee the central fashion group, which styles for Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, Good Housekeeping, among others, along with digital shoots and HearstMade. She has been the executive fashion director for the Hearst’s women’s lifestyle group since January 2016.

At the same time, Cassie Anderson has been promoted to fashion director of Cosmopolitan, a newly created position that will see her work closely with editor in chief Jessica Pels. Anderson has been at Hearst Magazines for almost a decade, joining Cosmo and the central fashion team from Bazaar.

And that’s not all at Cosmopolitan. Faye Brennan, its sex and relationships director, has left to become editor in chief of Galvanized Media-owned, health food web site Eat This, Not That! Brennan was previously a senior editor at Women’s Health. She is expected to be replaced in due course.

Lastly at Hearst Tower, Chrissy Rutherford, the special projects director of talent and social at HarpersBazaar.com, has stepped down after eight years at the company. Her replacement is yet to be announced.

Over at Condé Nast, Cory Sealey has joined as the director of business development for The Talent Group, working to partner brands with celebrity, influencer and editorial talent. Prior to that, he was on Chanel’s in-house marketing team.

Elsewhere at Condé, Ben French has joined The New Yorker as vice president of consumer product. French, who will be focused on new editorial products and revenue streams, joins from the New York Times, where he held a variety of product-management and strategy roles over eight years.

Bustle Digital Group, meanwhile, has promoted Jason Wagenheim as president and chief revenue officer. The newly formed role is effective immediately and he will report to the company’s chief executive officer, Bryan Goldberg. He joined BDG in 2016 as chief revenue officer.

David Pecker’s American Media laid off the entire editorial staff of Men’s Journal in New York last week. It plans to merge Men’s Journal’s editorial operations with Carlsbad, Calif.-based The Adventures Sport Network, which it acquired last year. From April, all editorial operations will be run out of that West Coast office. The New York staff will stay on until the end of March. May will be the final issue they have worked on. Its sales team will remain in New York.

Lastly, but by no means least, there has been an executive shakeup at the Chicago Tribune. Bruce Dold, editor in chief and publisher since 2016 is out after more than four decades at the newspaper. He will be replaced by owner Tribune Publishing’s chief content officer Colin McMahon, who will take on the additional title of editor in chief of the Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing is yet to name a new publisher.

Also heading for the exit is managing editor Peter Kendall. Chrissy Taylor, the other managing editor at the Tribune will remain in place.

For more, see:

Will Fashion Editors Be Allowed Back at Their Desks After Attending Milan Fashion Week?

Michael Bloomberg Offers to Release Female Staffers from NDAs

Men’s Journal Lays Off Entire Editorial Staff

Let’s block ads! (Why?)