As of next week, I will no longer be at Time Out Chicago as its Web Editor. I’m moving to Playboy.com to be a Senior Editor, writing and editing content for the site.

I went round and round as to how to properly announce this, going so far as to write a longish post detailing how lucky I’ve been, over the past few years, to be in the right place and the right time for the explosion in online discussion and innovation, and how I’ve seemingly had the right mindset for how to properly guide sites from a bundle of potential to the leading voices in local online culture. But it all seemed to strike the wrong tone, and didn’t do enough to acknowledge all the people and moments along the way. And there were many.

So I’ll just say I’ve been incredibly happy/lucky to work with some talented folks, but I’m really looking forward to the future. We’ve done some great work at TOC, but I know there are still tremendous opportunities for whomever follows me. While not everything has gone the way I’d have liked, I was allowed to take chances there that paid great dividends and I hope they continue to embrace that spirit.

Those that follow media will surely know that Playboy’s had its share of turmoil over the past few months, like any other publication. Be that as it may, I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity to work for one of the great Chicago institutions. I’ve….er, been a fan of the publication for a long time and feel like I’m stepping into history in many ways. For someone who loves Chicago as much as I do, it’s a great position to be in. At TOC, I got to meet the mayor. So obviously Hef was the next step up.

Unfortunately, this means, going forward, that most of you will probably have to wait until you’re not at work to read anything I link to here. But at least you can honestly say you’re reading Playboy for the articles.