Recently acquired Felix Dennis mag Mental Floss taps Playboy, Maxim vet James Kaminsky as editor

If a well-traveled captain is what it takes to steer a magazine out of relative obscurity, Mental Floss may soon find itself sailing into breezier seas.

The magazine--a bi-monthly compendium of factoids, listicles and esoterica--will announce on Tuesday its first marquee hire since the title was acquired several months ago by British publishing magnate Felix Dennis.

James Kaminsky, an industry veteran who's held top editorial slots at Playboy, Rolling Stone, Men's Journal and Maxim--the best-selling lad mag Dennis founded in 1995 and later imported to the United States--has been named editor-in-chief. He takes the helm today from Neely Harris, who was offered a managing editor role, but decided instead to move on to a new job as senior editor at ESPN the Magazine, said Will Pearson, co-founder of Mental Floss.

Kaminsky brings with him a glossy cachet that Mental Floss has coveted ever since Pearson and his Duke University buddy Mangesh Hattikudur conceived the publication back in 2000. Eleven years later, they've grown Mental Floss from a glorified campus zine to a slick, 100,000-circulation product found on magazine racks the world over. They've also developed a profitable side-business of t-shirts, books and board games that have bolstered the brand among its core audience of trivia geeks.

But Mental Floss still flies under the radar of most mainstream consumers, especially compared to Dennis Publishing's other American general interest title, The Week. (The company sold Maxim in 2007.) Kaminsky, along with corresponding hires on the sales and circulation sides, has been tasked with changing that.

"We're looking to introduce this magazine to more people, and I think he'll be an editor who can fine-tune it to reach a larger audience," Pearson told The Cutline.

Kaminsky's first stint within the Dennis empire came in the early 2000s, when he served as the no. 2 editor at Maxim. He left to join Playboy as editorial director in 2002, only to be ousted two years later. Kaminsky then climbed the ladder at Wenner Media--first as deputy managing editor of Rolling Stone; later as editor-in-chief of Men's Journal--before returning to the post-Dennis Maxim as editorial director in 2007. He lost that job amid a restructuring in March 2009 and has been consulting ever since.

The editor's testosterone-heavy resume may seem a curious fit for the twee nerd market staked out by Mental Floss. But Pearson said the editorial directors at the magazine are less interested in nailing down a history or science buff than someone who could "bring a unique voice to the magazine." While its core vision of "helping busy, intelligent people feel smarter while also having been entertained," will remain in place, expect to see some new columns and features, as well as more original reporting, recognizable bylines and cross-pollination of the print edition and website, said Pearson.

Kaminsky was unavailable for comment Tuesday morning, but said of his new gig in a statement: "Mental Floss is one of the most unique and smartest media brands out there. I'm thrilled to join Will and the team to take this great concept to the next level."

Mental Floss also on Tuesday will announce the magazine's inaugural publisher, Angus Macaulay, a former Rodale executive who previously held various sales and marketing positions at House Beautiful, House & Garden and Cosmopolitan; as well as its first circulation director, Leslie Guarnieri, whose magazine stripes include Conde Nast, Wenner Media and Discover.

Dennis, who cashed in on Maxim and has likewise profited from the success of The Week, bought Mental Floss in March for a reported mid-seven-figure sum after first learning of the magazine through a mailing-list partnership.

"I love their mix of businesses," he told the Wall Street Journal at the time. "I think this is the perfect fit here."