QUICK EXIT: That experiment didn’t last long. It was revealed late Thursday that Kate Lanphear will exit on Nov. 13 as editor in chief of Maxim, which she joined only a year ago in an attempt to transition the lad mag title into something more sophisticated.
From the start, the effort — which began with a relaunch last March — seemed an odd coupling, given Lanphear’s previous experience as style director at T at The New York Times and at Elle. Her goal was to switch it from a focus on babes in bikinis to something more upscale — say, a closeup of Taylor Swift’s face.
But while ad pages were up 63.8 percent in the January-to-September period, according to Publishers Information Bureau, only last week the magazine relaunched yet again, with better paper stock and a larger size. At the same time it drastically cut its rate base, to 900,000 from two million.
In the anodyne statements typical of such partings, Kevin Martinez, publisher, said, “Kate has played an integral role in evolving the Maxim brand, and we would not be where we are today without her valuable leadership. We wish her all the best.”
Lanphear, for her part, said: “Working at Maxim has truly been a rewarding experience. I’m proud of everything all of us at Maxim have accomplished and how far the magazine has come in the past year.”
“We appreciate all the hard work Kate has put into the magazine and how far it has evolved during her time here,” said Robert Price, chief operating officer at Maxim. “This fall, we are taking the next step in our evolution and will continue to upgrade the brand across fashion and luxury.”