The New York Post reports that everyone was in pretty good spirits. Charles Townsend, the CEO of Condé, said, “We had a very good year — up in high single digits,” and said the company’s digital business was doing well.  Si Newhouse was sitting at a table with Scott Dadich, David Remnick, Brandon Holley and a few others. This seating arrangement can mean something or nothing. Feel free to pick one and spread those thoughts to everyone you know.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The idea to include GQ was Timberlake’s, and for that, he even got a tour of its offices:

Once the publication agreed, Gluck [the movie's director] was able to tour the magazine’s real offices and chat with editors to get an authentic pulse. ‘We built the entire set of GQ based on their building,’ he says. Associate publisher Marcy Bloom even introduced him to Si Newhouse in the Condé Nast cafeteria.

Two takeaways from all of this: 1) Si Newhouse eats in the cafeteria! and 2) No matter how bad this movie is, at least Timberlake isn’t making music anymore.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The magazine and fashion worlds are buzzing this morning with the news that Conde Nast alum Brandon Holley has been named editor-in-chief of Lucky.

Holley was most recently the editor for Yahoo’s female-focused Shine channel and also presided over cult favorite Jane before it shuttered in 2007. According to WWD, she’ll now be tasked with expanding Lucky “across multiple platforms.”

But here’s the big question: What happened to former EIC Kim France?

“This is a decision we came to together,” Conde Nast editorial director Tom Wallace said. “Kim France created a brand and not many people in this business can say that. Conde Nast owes her a lot.”

And it seems France has only nice things to say about her employer as well. “I am exceptionally grateful to Conde Nast and Si Newhouse for what has been a tremendous opportunity, and something I will remember with only fondness,” she later said via statement.

And as usually happens with media’s revolving door, there’s already speculation about who may follow France out the door. NBC New York has its eyes on creative director Andrea Linett as the next to bounce.

Well, congrats to Holley and a big shout-out to France as well. Regardless of the reasons for her exit, a 10-year reign as founding editor isn’t too shabby.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Condé Nast‘s anti-fraud hotline is actually working, as it turns out. Although Si Newhouse wouldn’t point any fingers to the actual press, Keith Kelly reports today that a Wired employee was fired for poaching stuff from the company store, someone may have pocketed an extra $10k off the record, and there is an ongoing investigation into an employee taking cash in exchange for writing certain fashion tips. A lot of blind items to go on, and it can’t help the image of Condé headquarters being filled with backstabbers in stilettos that can now pick up the phone whenever they’re holding a grudge.

Read More: Conde sleuths — Keith Kelly

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• New York Post: Condé Nast publisher Si Newhouse was present with the Glamour dancers practicing in the company cafeteria for Fashion Week, and was even seen “bobbing his head” to their Lady Gaga routine. Human after all!

• New York Times: Is Mort Zuckerman going to run for senator?

• FishbowlDC: Is Jake Tapper running for D.C. mayor?

• Reuters: Google’s new Buzz platform is already causing some privacy issues that the company needs to address.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Full press release after the jump.

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In order to avoid an embarrassing computer hacking like the one that hit GQ and other titles last year, or some similar fraud, the magazine publisher has set up a 24-hour fraud tip hotline, Keith Kelly reports today.

In a memo sent to staff yesterday, CFO John Bellando explained that the hotline was intended to allow employees to report instances of any “release of proprietary information, accounting/audit irregularities, falsification of company records, theft of goods/services/cash,” and even “unauthorized discounts/payoffs.”

From the outside, it would seem like this sort of thing is rampant at Condé. If that’s the case, will this move help stem the tide? We’re also wondering if releasing Bellando’s memo to Kelly would be cause to call the hotline. In any case, don’t stop sending those tips our way!

Read more: Fraud crackdown shocks Condé Nasties –New York Post

Previously: Conde Nast Promotes Execs, Awards Top Publishers

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Today’s report in Mediaweek adds that Condé may be taking it one step further in seeking a new life for its now-defunct titles, Cookie, Domino and Gourmet, in the form of things like branded kitchen appliances. In this respect, execs have been reportedly telling staffers to look to rival publisher Meredith Corp. for inspiration; the Midwestern company has been pumping out Better Homes & Gardens-branded products for years.

But, of course, don’t expect any products connected to Condé Nast brands to cheapen its namesake –that’s a fear Si Newhouse has always had, which has kept the publisher out of licensing deals before. Thoughtfully chosen, high-end partnerships are probably where this company will end up, much like last month’s tie-in with Vogue and e-commerce site Gilt Groupe. But even if Condé can squeeze some money out of its dead titles’ brand names, those products can’t make up for the magazines we miss so much.

Condé Nast’s Cultural Shift –Mediaweek

Previously: Conde Keeps Gourmet Alive In App Form

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

GQ‘s “Man Of The Year” iPhone app has already made close to $20,000 since mid-November, and the entire January issue has been downloaded 12,000 times as of this writing. Considering that each issue/download goes for $2.99, that’s a promising amount of cash and a hint of the money to be made in digital downloads in the future.

Although, if you look at magazine applications as providing the same service as a full subscription (like the one you could buy on an e-reader), the question still remains if the consumers purchasing the product are the same people who would buy a physical GQ subscription anyway. In which case the company is actually losing money from their monthly newsstand costs. However, magazines never really survived on their newsstand sales anyway, relying mostly on advertising revenues, and it’s nice to see at least one revenue number on the rise.

“We threw a great idea at a new medium and it is sticking,” Condé Nast CEO Charles Townsend said.

Condé said they are now planning more content for the iPhone, and, although the single download price of a digital GQ will remain $2.99, repeat customers will be able to get it for $1.99, as “subscription offerings are being evaluated.”

Condé Nast is slowly but keenly tapping into the digital market, as evidenced by November’s launch of the late Gourmet magazine application. Condé’s actually found a way to isolate the market for the dead title’s new digital life. Now if only they could shutter all their magazines so people would have no choice but to by the application. Wait, what?

Press release after the jump.

Previously: Condé Keeps Gourmet Alive In App Form, How To Lose Your Brand Identity And Influence Consumers: A Condé Story, Condé Keeps Gourmet Alive In App Form

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Condé Nast, which took some tough hits in 2009 (along with most other magazine publishers), is now trying to raise employee morale — and trying to find its golden goose — by offering $10,000 every quarter to the staff member who comes up with the best idea for improving the company, The New York Observer reports. We’d suggest that $40K a year could pay for an outside consultant, but that’s so 2009.

The new Si Newhouse is all about being warm and accepting, as evidenced by last week’s Observer profile of the nicer, humbler, Chuck Townsend, Condé’s CEO. So get to work, Condé employees; there’s $10,000 up for grabs.

Read more: The $10K Contest at Conde Nast: Help the Company! –New York Observer

Previously: Condé Nast Hires Consulting Co. For “Realignment”, Conde Nast’s Positive Outlook

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

While the two women were “personal friends” who the employee had known for years and despite the lack of any nudity (the woman kept her sports bra on in the confines of her closed, private office), the word got around to Cond&eacute Nast‘s HR team and the woman was dismissed immediately with no severance, Kelly reports. Cond&eacute is now looking into revoking her unemployment benefits as well, he added.

Maybe this anonymous worker should have gone to work at The New York Post, which allegedly has much more lenient personnel policies.

Read More: Cond&eacute Nast boob-job exec is gone in a flash –New York Post

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Yesterday, we reported on news that Condé Nast was considering licensing partnerships as a way to create additional revenue streams. Despite skepticism over Condé boss Si Newhouse‘s interest in such plans, it looks like these sorts of deals are not that far away.

This week, two Condé Nast titles are rolling out new partnerships with two e-commerce sites, WWD reports today.

Shopping magazine Lucky will unveil its pairing with theOutnet.com, Net-a-porter’s outlet site, on Friday, with a new series of flash sales exclusively with the title. The sales, promoted on luckymag.com and in Lucky‘s February issue, will be accessible to Lucky newsletter subscribers only. The sales will feature discounted items available for a limited time, whose prices decrease as the clock counts down.

Additionally, fashion bible Vogue has paired with members-only e-commerce site Gilt Groupe to offer ready-to-wear looks under $500, based on the magazine’s “Steal of the Month” page. The sale, which runs through January 18, even includes links to photos and stories on Vogue.com and a place to subscribe to the magazine.

For these two titles, these partnerships seem like natural extension of the brands, providing Condé with extra cash while not diluting the brand. In return, these e-commerce sites get publicity in national magazines, the opportunity for new customers and a way to set them apart from their competitors. Seems like win-win. And we’d much rather see pubs trying to make money this way rather than starting a wine club. Maybe they’ll even try launching their own e-commerce sites, like DailyCandy did last year with Swirl.

Read More: Vogue and Lucky Launch Partnerships –WWD

Previously: How To Lose Your Brand Identity And Influence Consumers: A Condé Story

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

But today’s story wasn’t about how Newhouse has mended his ways to incorporate Condé Nast Digital into his magazines’ 10-year plan. Instead, the quote serves to reinforce how anti-Newhouse the idea of marketing the Condé brand for licensing purposes is. But it’s been a tough two years for the company and a lot of concessions have had to be made: we may not be so far off from a reality where Gourmet gets a second life in the form of cookbooks and baking supplies.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

In the last 24 hours, we’ve come across two polls seeking to name someone “Person of the Year,” and looking for the public’s helpful insight in order to do it. Whether the actual winner of these polls will be named Person of the Year — or if they are just a way to draw visitors and hits — remains to be seen.

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Read on for a break down of some of the numbers

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