James McClain has been hired as editor at large for Variety Dirt, the publication’s coverage of breaking real estate news, Variety and Penske Media Corporation announced Monday.
McClain, along with Variety’s real estate editor Mark David, will launch the standalone real estate coverage site Dirt.com. The site will join PMC’s portfolio of media brands that include Variety, Rolling Stone, Robb Report, and Deadline.com.
In 2016, McClain launched a real estate blog called Yolanda’s Little Black Book. The blog drew over 20 million page views in the first quarter of 2019. David founded the Real Estalker blog in 2006 and joined Variety in 2014.
“It’s been a thrilling ride, from the little venture I started in my bedroom three years ago to the global powerhouse I’m now privileged to join,” said McClain. “PMC is an incredible partner who shares my vision of creating compelling, game-changing content for a worldwide audience that relies on Yolanda for the best in breaking real estate news and analysis. By joining Variety‘s Dirt and launching Dirt.com with Mark, I can scale that mission in an even bigger way.”
“James’ record as one of Hollywood’s most read and disruptive real estate reporters makes him the perfect fit for the Variety family,” said Variety co-editor-in-chief Claudia Eller. “As Variety’s coverage of breaking real estate news continues to grow, James and real estate editor Mark David will cement our reputation as the go-to source for industry insiders and readers.”
McClain will report to Eller and David.