View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
August 28, 2019updated 30 Sep 2022 8:15am

Lads’ mag pioneer James Brown leaves Four Four Two after six months as editor

By Charlotte Tobitt

Four Four Two editor-in-chief James Brown has left the football magazine after less than six months, having returned to editing for the role.

Brown, widely considered a key player of the “lads’ mag” era, joined the monthly Future Publishing title on 11 March.

He spoke to Press Gazette about his plans for digital growth and moving on from Four Four Two’s “old fashioned tendency” to focus on print after his first month in the editor’s chair.

Brown said he had not planned on returning to magazines and was in self-imposed retirement when he saw the role advertised and was enticed to return, saying it seemed like the “perfect job”.

He has now quietly left the company and Future began advertising for a replacement today.

Brown began his career at NME before launching Loaded in 1994. He went on to edit GQ for two years and then launched now-defunct men’s magazine Jack, which closed in 2004.

In the past decade he has acted as a media consultant to brands including the Mail on Sunday, helped to launch The New European newspaper, and runs creative agency Sabotage.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Four Four Two is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and marked its 300th issue in May.

Brown and Future did not respond to requests for comment.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network