Playboy editorial director announces move to Los Angeles

Photo by Layton Ehmke

In a Facebook post this morning, Playboy editorial director/chief content officer Jimmy Jellinek announced, "It's official: The Jellineks will be moving to Los Angeles in August." Five comments later, including one from me telling him he'll be missed, the post disappeared.

Founder Hugh Hefner took Playboy private earlier this year. In early January, CEO Scott Flanders said Playboy had "no immediate plans" to move the operation to L.A.

But last fall, Playboy put a portion of its Chicago office space up for sublease.

In late October, Hefner told an interviewer, "We will be probably consolidating on the West Coast." Rumors of such a move have arisen and then been knocked down with regularity since at least early last year.

UPDATE: Jellinek, who was a good sport about my tweeting his news just before he removed it from Facebook, e-mails to confirm his move. However, he adds, he will be commuting to Chicago from his new West Coast digs. "The rest of the company stays here," he says.

Jellinek has been the life of the local media party since he arrived in Chicago, so I hope he comes back for long enough stretches to hang out.