Abrams Media To Launch Law and Crime Site LawNewz.com

I’ll admit it’​s probably pretty dumb that it’s taken this long. I mean, as someone whose entire career has been linked to the highest profile cases and legal stories, I start (among others) a ​“girl geek” entertainment site, a fashion site, and a sports site? It’s time for LawNewz.com. Yeah I know the name isn’t perfect. After all, what is with that zany Z? But one of the my great regrets about “Mediaite” is people often don’t know what it means or how to pronounce it. At least I won’t have that problem here — maybe just a little clarification: “but with a Z.” ​

Not only is it time for me to launch a law and crime site because of my own history as the legal correspondent for NBC and ABC News for too many years​, but as the creator of a number of web properties I see a gaping hole in the landscape. I remain stunned that there still isn’t a site out there as comprehensive or relevant in the law and crime space as there is level of interest. So today we will begin to hire a handful of reporters and editors (including video contributors) from entry level to a senior level position for this new site which we hope to launch in early December. The layout will mirror a major redesign that we are planning to roll out on Mediaite in the next few weeks.

Yes, its also time for Mediaite to move into the mid-2010’s. The new design will be simple, accessible and not that fundamentally different from the architecture of the current Mediaite site. With front page traffic on Mediaite at over 2 million monthly unique visitors to that page alone, ​it’s just ​too substantial for us to risk losing in an effort to make that page more artistic or edgy. With that said, you will see real change in the new design on all pages with some more “magazine” style” elements on​ the front page of both sites.

This may be the most exciting time in this company’s history as we are soon going to be ​​invest​ing​ again in our James Beard nominated ​chef site TheBraiser.com (we have a position available there as well) and announced the launch of beauty and fashion site RunwayRiot.com coming in November. With Managing Editor and top “plus sized” model, Iskra Lawrence at the helm, we expect RunwayRiot.com (you can sign up for the newsletter here​) will change the way the fashion industry looks at, and caters to, women who don’t fit into sample sizes. It hasn’t even started yet it’s already shaking up the runway as is evidenced by the fact that the ​announcement ​alone was covered by Esquire, Bustle, Yahoo, ​Playboy, Fashionista, Fashion Times​, Maxim, WWD, and Politico​ among many many others. Thank you to those who​ noted​ Iskra’s awesomeness and the importance of what this site represents.

So here we go: LawNewz​ covering the ​dumb ​things people ​sometimes ​do, RunwayRiot seeking to change the dumb things the fashion industry sometimes does (and highlight some underappreciated fashion and fashionistas that need to be seen) and trying to convince myself that it wasn’t dumb to launch a site all about celebrity chefs.

P.S. If you want to apply for a job at LawNewz, click here and if you want more information about the launch please email Edica@Mediaite.com.