He will join Emap's former editorial director of consumer magazines David Hepworth at his new venture, Development Hell. Hepworth is working on the launch of a new magazine, described as Heat for older men. Former Emap and IPC Media chairman David Arculus and Jerry Perkins, director of Emap Digital, are also part of the new venture.
Ellen was founding editor of the music magazines Q and Mojo, and worked on Smash Hits. He also worked with Hepworth on the launch of Heat, which has been Emap's big success story of the last few years.
According to reports, staff at Emap were told of his departure in an email. In it, Barry McIlheney, managing director of Emap Elan, said: "World renowned raconteur and Paul McCartney lookalike Sir Mark Ellen [sic] has told his last anecdote at Emap and is off to join his former magazine and TV colleague Dave Hepworth in a publishing start-up."
The loss of senior Emap figures Hepworth and now Ellen follows the ousting of Emap CEO Kevin Hand, who lost his job after the ill-fated £720m purchase of Petersen in the US. Hand has recently been successful in winning the rights to publish the women's glossy Red through his new company Hachette Filipacchi, which had originally published the magazine as a joint venture with Emap.
The new title being planned by Development Hell has been described in some reports as a cross between Heat and The Oldie.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
