BlackBook Raids Out for New Prez

THE NEW BLACK Book

BlackBook has taken revenge on Out for hiring away editor in chief Aaron Hicklin last year. On Friday, Joe Landry quit his job as publisher of Out to become president of BlackBook. Co-owner Ari Horowitz denies that Landry's arrival will mean the end for vice president/publisher Jyl Elias: "She'll continue in that role. That's not changing."

Just about everything else at BlackBook is changing, however, beginning with the downtown style mag's offices. (They're moving to a larger space nearby on Broadway.) Horowitz and his partner, Eric Gertler, say they are days away from announcing a new round of financing from existing investors, and they're talking about applying to have BlackBook's circulation audited. Meanwhile, editor in chief Steve Garbarino is on the verge of hiring two new staffers, necessary if he plans to successfully boost frequency from six issues a year to 10. Though Garbarino said in November that the frequency change would happen this year, Horowitz now says, "The earliest we could go monthly is '08."