Avichayil blog

The Atlantic’s 2011 hiring spree begins with Richard Florida

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On the heels of its , The Atlantic is about to go on a hiring spree for 2011.

The venerable 154-year-old monthly and its associated web properties plan to add 27 names to their headcount this year, Atlantic Media Company president Justin Smith told The Cutline. Twelve will be editorial employees, bringing the newsroom total to 71, said Smith.

The Atlantic will announce the first of those on Tuesday: urban studies theorist Richard Florida, best known for his research on the "creative class" of upwardly mobile professionals who, he argues, are the principal drivers of economic development in the world's post-industrial cities.

Florida, who also teaches at the University of Toronto and runs arelated to his research, will join the staff as a senior editor next month. The move will make The Atlanticwhere Florida had been a regular contributorthe "main hub" for his "ideas and dialogue," according to a press release. Florida will write and create content, such as videos and interactive multimedia, across all of The Atlantic's platforms. Smith declined to confirm whether his newest employee would be writing his own blog, as other well-branded Atlantic writers do. But Smith did say the company plans to build programs around Florida in conjunction with its events business. "It represents our interest in someone who is a thought leader in an area we think is very relevant to the Atlantic brand and readership," he said.

Smith acknowledged that it was somewhat anomalous to bring on a staff writer whose background is rooted in academia and public speaking rather than journalismlet alone one who has a professorship and consulting shop on the side. (Florida will retain both, splitting his time between Toronto and Washington, D.C.) But Smith assured The Cutline that "we have guidelines and procedures, and we work with all of our writers who have other activities under way to make sure there are no conflicts." As for Florida, "I'm thrilled," he said in a statement.

If Florida's past work for The Atlantic is any indication, he may very well be good for business. The magazine's March 2009 issue, featuring Florida's cover story about "," sold 49,685 copies18 percent higher than the average number of copies (41,398) that sold during the first six months of that year, said Smith. The Atlantic's hope in the wake of Florida's formal hire is that those additional readers will also follow Florida to his new home in print and online.

And additional readers are precisely what The Atlantic needs right now, at least in the digital space. Newhave been sprouting on its website, and The Atlantic's brass hope these launches will help mitigate the likely traffic loss when Andrew Sullivancome April. Sullivan accounts for roughly 20 percent of TheAtlantic.com's 5 million unique monthly visitors.

If you're wondering whether The Atlantic is scouting for a marquee politics writer specifically to replace Sullivan, "We're not," said Smith. "Andrew's irreplaceable in a sense. But we're definitely talking to a lot of different people and looking to expand."

(Screen-grab of Florida via YouTube)