Imagine Spins Off Iconocast

Imagine Media, Brisbane, CA, is spinning of its Internet marketing e-mail list and site Iconocast into an autonomous entity called Iconocast Inc. Michael Tchong, editor and publisher of the site, has been named president/CEO of the new company.

Iconocast (http://www.iconocast.com), to be headquartered in San Francisco, bills itself as “the preferred read of Internet marketers worldwide.” It provides marketers with analysis of the “rapidly developing science” of interactive marketing. Iconocast has 33,000 subscribers.

Privately held media company Imagine Media will retain a minority interest in the new entity, with the majority held by Tchong.

The spin-off will allow Iconocast to more aggressively pursue its new media strategy, which includes a brand-franchise expansion this year. “Given the interest being lavished on ‘Net companies these days, Michael and I both agreed iconocast would be better served as a stand-alone, Internet pure play,” said Imagine’s CEO Chris Anderson in a published statement.