Anyone in the publishing industry knows that Condé Nast has had a rough month–to say it kindly. And for anyone who actually works there (or used to), this fall’s office atmosphere has probably been somewhat akin to being caught in the middle of a hurricane. Not only has the publishing empire folded six of their magazine titles (including Gourmet), but they’ve fired over 450 employees, a result of suggestions to cutback on their budget, by consulting firm McKinsey & Company who has seemingly been terrorizing Condé for months.
The most recent news in the company’s scary unemployment saga is that CEO Charles Townsend and Chairman S.I. Newhouse, Jr. are looking to hire PR heavy-hitters to do some serious damage control. And who could possibly fit the bill for such a daunting task as pulling Condé out of the quicksand? Apparently, media coach Michael Sheehan is number one on the list. Sheehan has worked with past president Bill Clinton as well as current President Obama. We’re curious to see what kind of positive morale Sheehan can conjure from Condé employees at this point.
