GOODBYE AND HELLO: Monday marked the first day of a regime change at Brant Publications, where Fabien Baron and Glenn O'Brien began their new jobs as co-editorial directors of its titles, Interview, Art in America and The Magazine Antiques. The day also marked the end of Ingrid Sischy's era as Interview's editor in chief.
Sischy remained in the offices very late into the night on Friday, the day the deal closed for co-founder Peter Brant to buy the stake in the business owned by ex-wife and Brant Publication's chief executive officer Sandra Brant. Sischy, who attended Elton John's annual Oscar party in Los Angeles on Sunday (sitting next to Donna Karan, Ellen DeGeneres, Billy Joel, Mary J. Blige and Sharon Stone, among others), said Monday that she'd just finished her editor's letter and, thus, had completed editing her last issue of the magazine (April). "It feels really good," Sischy said. "This is a decision that we very much believe in. It's been a great 18 years. But I am now done." Sischy said a party is in the works for the staff. She didn't know the date yet, but it will probably happen during the next few months. She declined to talk about what's next for her.
Day One for O'Brien and Baron brought different duties (one half of the duo — Baron — was absent from the office while attending the shows in Paris, but O'Brien stayed Stateside to kick off the transition).
"I had breakfast ordered for the Interview staff this morning, and we talked about plans for the next few issues. Everybody seems great," O'Brien told WWD. Then he moved into Sischy's old corner office, which he said was the only vacant one at the magazine. But where will Baron sit? "When Fabien gets back, we can fight over it," O'Brien said. "Or we can get two chairs." O'Brien said the office was "filled with lots of good photography books. I donated them to our company library."
The new chiefs are in the process of hiring a publisher to replace Sandra Brant, whose contract ends in a month. Though O'Brien would not name names, sources close to the magazine believe Alan Katz, former publisher of Vanity Fair and of defunct Condé Nast magazine Cargo, was one of the people contacted. Two other positions on the ad side also need to be filled, but O'Brien said those people likely will be appointed by the new publisher.
Sischy remained in the offices very late into the night on Friday, the day the deal closed for co-founder Peter Brant to buy the stake in the business owned by ex-wife and Brant Publication's chief executive officer Sandra Brant. Sischy, who attended Elton John's annual Oscar party in Los Angeles on Sunday (sitting next to Donna Karan, Ellen DeGeneres, Billy Joel, Mary J. Blige and Sharon Stone, among others), said Monday that she'd just finished her editor's letter and, thus, had completed editing her last issue of the magazine (April). "It feels really good," Sischy said. "This is a decision that we very much believe in. It's been a great 18 years. But I am now done." Sischy said a party is in the works for the staff. She didn't know the date yet, but it will probably happen during the next few months. She declined to talk about what's next for her.
Day One for O'Brien and Baron brought different duties (one half of the duo — Baron — was absent from the office while attending the shows in Paris, but O'Brien stayed Stateside to kick off the transition).
"I had breakfast ordered for the Interview staff this morning, and we talked about plans for the next few issues. Everybody seems great," O'Brien told WWD. Then he moved into Sischy's old corner office, which he said was the only vacant one at the magazine. But where will Baron sit? "When Fabien gets back, we can fight over it," O'Brien said. "Or we can get two chairs." O'Brien said the office was "filled with lots of good photography books. I donated them to our company library."
The new chiefs are in the process of hiring a publisher to replace Sandra Brant, whose contract ends in a month. Though O'Brien would not name names, sources close to the magazine believe Alan Katz, former publisher of Vanity Fair and of defunct Condé Nast magazine Cargo, was one of the people contacted. Two other positions on the ad side also need to be filled, but O'Brien said those people likely will be appointed by the new publisher.
