UPDATE: Wizard Entertainment Lays Off More Staff

UPDATE 3:50pm EST: A represenative for Wizard Entertainment has confirmed for Newsarama that the company reduced its staff by seven employees on Thursday.

According to the company spokesperson, the majority of those laid off were among the Wizard editorial team, "a decision that was made in an effort to expand our base of freelance contributors," the spokesperson explained.

Other staff changes were made in Wizard's conventions department. Benji DeJohn, Wizard's West Coast Sales Representative, will take over management of the company's Wizard World Chicago and Philadelphia conventions.

The company, which among its assets includes Wizard Magazine, Wizarduniverse.com, and the Wizard World cons, has been subject to numerous rounds of staff lay-offs over the last several years, including most recently (October 2008) one that claimed the company's President, COO and long-time executive Fred Pierce.

More recently, the company postponed its Wizard World Los Angeles show scheduled for this March and canceled its November Texas event citing the poor economic climate.

Look for more information when it becomes available