The LIVESTRONG Foundation announced the appointments of Robyn Burchfiel as vice president of major gifts and Cameron Krier as director of government relations. Burchfiel comes to the Foundation with a wide range of experience in major gift fundraising and corporate management from her previous roles as director of gift and estate planning and director of leadership gifts at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Krier’s expertise in governmental affairs comes from a career devoted to public service. As vice president for federal affairs, advocacy and public policy for the Texas Hospital Association, she specialized in leading the development and implementation of federal legislative strategy for more than 450 members. (Release)

Jeffrey Thompson has been named vice president of digital strategy and business development at Shout! Factory. He had been VP of digital strategy and business development at Conde Nast. In the newly created role, Thompson will lead development of digital strategies and digital video partnerships to continue growing Shout! Factory’s cross-platform initiatives that leverage its content curation abilities. He reports to company co-founder and president Garson Foos. (THR)

Kate Solinsky was named senior director of brands and agencies at online content discovery platform Outbrain Inc. She had previously been account director at Time Inc. (Revolving Door)

Russell Peck, campaign manager for North Carolina’s newly elected Governor Pat McCrory, joins Mercury Public Affairs as a senior vice president. Peck expands Mercury’s network in the South, opening a new office for the firm in Raleigh, NC. Prior to his work with the McCrory campaign, Russell served as the executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party. Mercury is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. (UnderTheDome)

This week brings more evidence that publishing giant Condé Nast is remaking its PR/communications team for the new year. Last month we reported on the departure of Maurie Perl: industry leading light, Barbara Walters confidant and veteran of such titles as Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.

Now we’ve learned of another big-name departure–and the arrival of some new blood.

Shannon Eis, who led internal and executive communications at Condé , left last week for a new role as senior vice president of corporate communications at top PR firm MMW. Eis previously worked as senior vice president at Kaplow Communications (and yes, she will continue making regular appearances on The Late Show With David Letterman as a parenting expert).

This week brings news that Patricia Röckenwagner has been named Condé Nast’s senior vice president of communications. Industry vet Röckenwagner previously served as senior VP of marketing and communications for McGraw-Hill Companies and corporate comms director at Paramount Pictures.

It would appear that Condé Nast is reshaping its communications team as part of a larger strategic shift. Expect more announcements to foll0w.

In Industry Insider News, one of the New York media world’s biggest PR names has announced a major career change. Maurie Perl has a long history performing public relations work for some of the publishing industry’s best-regarded titles including Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.

Women’s Wear Daily goes so far as to call her “Condé Nast’s most powerful gatekeeper”; she spent more than two decades at the company performing PR duties for such names as David Remnick and Tina Brown and mentoring much of the industry’s younger talent. Before joining Condé Nast she worked at ABC News alongside Barbara Walters and others.

Brown says “She’s more than a publicist. She’s a consiglieri. No one can see all the angles like her”. Tough to find greater words of praise for anyone in the business.

Earlier this week an internal email revealed that Perl would be leaving as a result of Condé Nast’s decision to hire the Rubenstein agency for all media relations concerns. This move comes about because the company looks to further establish itself in “the scripted TV and feature films arenas”. Robert Green, executive producer of Huffington Post Live, will be the company’s new senior vice president.

No word on next steps for Perl, who has “no intention of retiring.”

As a way of continuing the 12/12/12 theme this week, we’ve compiled 12 tips for using Pinterest based on the collective expertise of two magazine brands that have enthusiastically adopted the platform: Real Simple and Glamour.

At the MPA Digital: Social Media conference on Thursday in New York, Kathleen Harris, managing editor of RealSimple.com, presented lessons learned over two years of using Pinterest. She also noted that it’s “where the bulk of our referral traffic comes from.”

Later Mike Hofman, digital managing director at Glamour.com, appeared on a panel about Pinterest. He described it as a “vehicle for lifestyle inspiration, and said Glamour even “re-engineered our website to be more like Pinterest.”

“If you’re not on Pinterest as a magazine brand, you’re not relevant.” That was the assessment of another panelist, Dick Porter, EVP of media sales at Meredith Corporation. Pinterest isn’t a fit for every company or brand, but others can still learn from these magazine brands’ experience.

The advice below makes it appear easy, but applying these tips may prove more elusive. While the examples concern brands that almost exclusively target females, these pointers can also be adapted by gender neutral and male oriented brands.

Our twelve tips:

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Conde´ Nast recently hosted MediabistroTV at its Times Square offices. Lucky magazine style editor and network television morning show contributor Lori Bergamotto walked the crew through Lucky’s offices revealing the hidden corners where nail polish and make up are put through their paces, colors and fabric samples are checked by the art department, shoes and handbags await their close-ups and racks of outfits hang around waiting for their models.

Take a look at all the small parts that make up a big fashion magazine like Lucky.

Next Thursday MediabistroTV premieres, “My First Big Break: Ken Burns.” You can view our other MediabistroTV productions on our YouTube Channel.

When we try to come up with sure-fire ways to make a big impression in today’s scattershot media world, the very first thought that enters our minds always seems to be “Start an upscale men’s fashion magazine!”

OK, not really—but Condé Nast has decided to take that step by re-launching “M Magazine”, a venture run by former New York Observer editor Peter Kaplan. Its first issue hits newsstands today followed by a big question: will anyone read it?

It didn’t work the first time—the title appeared in 1983 and folded during the early 90’s due to poor ad revenue. Kaplan sees the new quarterly as less of a fashion rag and more of a Euro-style intellectual journal—for American men who make over $200,000 a year. It’s very traditional: As Kaplan puts it, “M” is a “magazine to state the love of print” that runs on the power of ads by luxury titans like Versace, Dunhill and Louis Vuitton.

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According to Ad Age, New York Observer Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Spiers, is leaving to launch her own startup, which will focus on content and commerce in the health and wellness arena. (Ad Age) 

According to AdWeek, CNN has announced that Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide, will step down at the end of 2012. While earnings have increased under Walton’s leadership, ratings have dropped. (AdWeek)

Time Inc.’s Lifestyle Group editor Sid Evans has hired food editor Hunter Lewis away from Condé Nast’s Bon Appétit. Lewis will be executive editor at Southern Living, and will oversee food content in print and online. (AdWeek)

According to Business Insider, Anthony Bourdain, host of the Travel Channel‘s “Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations“, is leaving the Travel Channel for his own show on CNN, which will air on Sundays beginning early in 2013. To read an interview in AdWeek about why he is making the move, click here. (Business Insider)

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The well-documented rise of digital technology has not only changed the ways human beings consume information, but also changed how much they expect to pay for it: nothing.

Print media’s high hope is to transition its wares online, and to reinvent its outreach strategies so that consumers come back to the subscription magazine paradigm. Venerable competitors Time Inc., Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, and News Corp. joined forces in 2009 to form the joint venture Next Issue Media. That venture created a Netflix-inspired app to jump start sales and inspire iPad readers to purchase online subscriptions or single issues of magazines such as Vanity Fair, GQ, and The New Yorker.

Corralling all of these brands into one place could lead to more sales, but these publications need to do more than simply attract eyeballs. The public wants value.

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Tablets continue to gain momentum as more consumers and magazine companies have embraced the devices. Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer, described tablets as “a new medium — not print, not Web, and not mobile. It’s a balancing act, where tablet’s goal is to perform like PCs but still fit in your hands.” He spoke at the MPA Digital: Swipe conference on Tuesday in New York.

Verna reported that tablet usage has grown from 4.2 percent of the total population in 2010 to 17.3 percent in 2012. While men represented the majority of users (53 percent) in Q3 2011, the gender gap has since narrowed. Still, he said top magazine publishers think it will take time for reader habits to substantially shift from other media options.

At the event, magazine executives and editors discussed what sets tablets apart.

Read more

Calling all media experts! Conde Nast is looking for a new director of communications to join its New York-based corporate team. If you’re a creative mind with a team-player attitude, keep reading.

In this role, you’ll help promote growth divisions and initiatives, including the Conde Nast Media Group, Ideactive, Consumer Marketing, Editorial Development Group and Licensing. You’ll also contribute to social media strategy, while creating engaging pitches for executives, projects or initiatives.

To be considered, you’ll need 5-10 years of relevant experience, working with consumer and trade media. A robust contact database and experience handling red carpets, press briefings and conferences are more must-haves. Do you know your way around the social media space? Good. That will definitely come in handy. If you think you have what it takes, apply here.

For more job listings, go to the Mediabistro job board, and to post a job, visit our employer page. For real-time openings and employment news, follow @MBJobPost.