Garnett Lee becomes editorial director for GameFly media, including Shacknews [update]
1UP editor and podcast personality Garnett Lee has joined GameFly to become the editorial director for all of the game rental service's media properties. He will now take charge of GameFly's recently acquired and created sites, which include Shacknews, FileShack, Ponged and Gameanswers.com.
Lee was one of the few survivors in the great 1UP culling that occurred earlier this year, when the former Ziff-Davis property was purchased by UGO. GameFly, as we've mentioned before, is slowly shifting from its core competency of being a game rental service to becoming an internet publishing outfit.
Update: We spoke with Garnett Lee and his comments about the change are after the break.
Speaking with Joystiq, Garnett Lee told us, "Leaving 1UP was definitely a heart-wrenching decision. It really came down to having such an amazing opportunity with GameFly Media. They are not only committed to but passionate about making Shack and the group around it one of the top game sites on the Net. It's like being asked to take a driver's seat on a racing team."
"There's a lot I'll miss about 1UP but it really breaks down into two parts: the friends I've worked with there and the audience. The silver lining is that those relationships carry over to my new position. My friends at 1UP know what a great thing this is for me so while sad they're also excited for me. We're a pretty close group in games media and I know we'll still be seeing each other. And Shack has a great community already with I hope many more members to come."
Whether he'll continue podcasting?
"That's easy: Most definitely. What and when are TBD. As I get settled in I'll be formulating a new show plan that draws on what I've learned and heard from the audience over the past few years and fits in with our editorial vision at Shack."
