• by Melynda Fuller , July 10, 2019

As fans wait for the launch of Graydon Carter’s Air Mail newsletter this summer, the outlet’s editorial staff is expanding with many names linked to the former Vanity Fair EIC.

The masthead now stands at 28 people, with nearly half of staffers having worked with Carter at some point, according to WWD. Many of those joining were let go by Conde Nast following Carter’s exit.

WWD reports that Michael Hainey, who worked with Carter when he was EIC of Spy magazine, will serve as Air Mail’s deputy editor. Hainey recently left Esquire after its own EIC, Jay Fielden, departed.

Many former colleagues from Vanity Fair are joining Air Mail, as well. 

Jim Kelly will join Carter’s Air Mail as its books editor. Kelly was a contributing editor at Vanity Fair for nearly a decade.

Bridget Arsenault, who worked at Vanity Fair for almost a decade, will be Air Mail’s London editor. Marc Leyer, who was Vanity Fair’s director of finance and business operations for 17 years, will join the newsletter in that same position. Former associate publisher of Vanity Fair for nearly a decade, Anjali Lewis will lead brand partnerships at Air Mail. 

Joining as cartoon editor is Bob Mankoff who spent 20 years at The New Yorker.

Longtime Vanity Fair contributing editor Laura Jacobs will be Air Mail’s art intel report editor. Julia Vitale, who was an assistant at Vanity Fair during Carter’s tenure, will join as senior editor. Vanity Fair alums Adam Nadler and Scott Jolley will also join Air Mail as its copy editor and production editor, respectively.

Other staffers joining Air Mail include Asheley Baker as style editor, John Tornow as Chief Technology Officer and Isabelle Harvie-Watt as a strategic adviser.

WWD included an excerpt from Carter’s final letter for Vanity Fair, in which he wrote: “I like working with people I can trust and who have been through the same wars. I always say that about 75 percent of the time, an editor knows pretty much what to do. As for that other 25 percent, a wise one will surround himself with smart, experienced colleagues who can help steer him toward the best possible decision. And it’s that final 25 percent that makes the difference between success and failure.”

Air Mail is reported to include a Saturday newsletter, articles and podcasts, but will avoid national politics. Each edition will have a single sponsor, according to a report by The New York Times.