Inspired In New York Honors LEN BURNETT & DOUG E. FRESH

Inspired In New York Honors

LEN BURNETT & DOUG E. FRESH

Hosted by: CHERYL WILLS (NY 1 News Anchor)

Event Date: November 15, 2011 in NYC

LEN BURNETT, Co-CEO & Group Publisher of Uptown Media Group & Vibe Lifestyle Network and American rapper, record producer, and beat box legend DOUG E. FRESH are being honored by INSPIRED IN NEW YORK on November 15, 2011 at Tian at the Riverbank in Harlem, NY. Attendance is by INVITE ONLY.

Len Burnett & Doug E. Fresh were both chosen to be honored by The Honorable Senator Bill Perkins due to their many years as innovators and trendsetters in the Music and Publishing Industries. Both honorees will receive a proclamation from New York for their contributions in the fields of media, arts and entertainment.

The crème de la crème of the entertainment industry will be in attendance to support and honor these trendsetters and innovators on their very special day. Special gifts and door prizes courtesy of Seven Brown, Owner of Harlem Skin Clinic www.harlemskinclinic.com and the Power of One Harlem Rewards Card for $1.00 you will be connected & save with the small businesses of Harlem.

For press inquiries and further information contact: camille@cmegrp.com.

RSVP: rsvp@cmegrp.com

Magic set to help Vibe Mag get its groove back

By KEITH J. KELLY

NY Post

Vibe Ventures hopes that the magic is back now that it has a new ownership team led by basketball legend Magic Johnson and supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle -- who are pumping an estimated $12 million into the ailing company in exchange for a majority stake.

The current owner, InterMedia Partners, a private-equity firm headed by Leo Hindery that took over in a foreclosure sale in late 2009, is going to stay involved. "We feel we can take it to a whole other level," Johnson told The Post.

The former Los Angles Lakers star, who will serve as chairman of Vibe Ventures, was pegged by Forbes in 2009 as one of the five wealthiest African-Americans in the US, with an estimated worth of $500 million.

In addition to the flagship Vibe magazine, Vibe Ventures includes Uptown magazine and related digital ventures and the rights to 1,100 episodes of dance show "Soul Train."

"We plan to find a way to build the 'Soul Train' brand and get it back on the air," said Johnson, who also promised to promote everything from music awards and live performances to business seminars and overseas licensing.

Johnson said the Yucaipa/Johnson Fund, formed from Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. and Magic Johnson Enterprises, has about $550 million available for future deals in all fields. He said he is on the prowl for more acquisitions in the urban entertainment and media arena.

"When advertisers and marketers want to get that urban eyeball, we want to be the company that they come to," said Johnson.

Vibe once jockeyed with The Source for a lead role covering hip-hop culture, but The Source was rocked by financial turmoil and forced to sell to new owners. With yesterday's deal, Vibe will get its fourth owner in its 18 years of publishing. The Wicks Group, which purchased the magazine for $35 million in 2005 from Miller Publishing, defaulted on its loan from Capital Source Bank in 2009 and forced a temporary shutdown.

Hindery's InterMedia Group took over and revived the magazine later that year. It plans to publish six issues of Vibe and six issues of Uptown this year. Robert Miller, part of the original Vibe launch team and a past owner, is involved as chairman of the Vibe and Uptown Magazine Group.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/magic_set_to_help_vibe_mag_get_its_wzaIY4V9wl9nyD9biJzTyK#ixzz1DZD6xpe1

Black is the New Green

Meet Len Burnett and Andrea Hoffman, the authors of the groundbreaking book, “Black is the New Green," , as they tell us how to follow in the footsteps laid down by brands such as Gucci, HSBC, Sony Electronics, and Aston Martin to become successful in the luxury market. Come hear the authors share their knowledge of the "Affluent African American" (AAA) consumers which boast current buying power of $87.3 billion.

Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Location: Macys, 151 W. 34th Street16th Floor
Time: 6pm – 8pm

The authors will offer up buying power estimates for the future and tell us how to skillfully tap into this growing consumer base. We will hear how to attract the "AAA" audience and learn how to create brand loyalty and product bonding in an affordable and measurable way. You cannot afford to overlook this market segment if growth is your business objective. Purchase additional copies of “Black is the New Green" at 30% off the national retail price.

About the Authors:
Leonard E. Burnett Jr. serves as Co-CEO and Group Publisher of UPTOWN Media Group and VIBE Lifestyle Network. UPTOWN Magazine is a bi-monthly publication for urbanites focusing on the lifestyle and culture of Affluent African Americans (AAA) which also comprises UptownLife.net, the interactive website, was well as Uptown’s signature and advertiser sponsored upscale events, and Uptown Social. Len is a pioneer in the urban media space, and has been transforming marketers’ perceptions of the importance of reaching the underserved urban audience for twenty years.

Andrea Hoffman is founder and CEO of Diversity Affluence, a research, marketing communications, and business development consultancy that helps brand managers, marketers, agencies, business development, and media executives to understand and market to affluent ethnic consumers. She is a marketing strategist, trend forecaster, and consultant with over 23 years of experience in marketing and communications. She has worked with brands such as Scholastic, Sony Electronics, Mercedes-Benz, BMW NA, NASCAR Café, Hachette Filipacchi Magazines, Nashville Entertainment Association, Alliance Bernstein and Fox Television.

Calling for a Life Line for Vibe Magazine

Owners of Uptown Aim to Acquire Shuttered Title From Capital Source
by Nat Ives

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The owners of Uptown magazine, including former Vibe Group Publisher Leonard Burnett Jr., are said to be near a deal to acquire the Vibe brand from CapitalSource, the major debt holder at Vibe when Wicks Group announced its shutdown in June.

Wicks Group paid about $35 million, with financing from CapitalSource, to buy Vibe in 2006. And since the magazine's shutdown, executives close to the matter said, CapitalSource has been trying to recoup some of the unrecovered debt by accepting offers from potential buyers.

A spokesman for CapitalSource didn't respond to voicemails and e-mails seeking comment. Wicks Group declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Uptown declined to comment.
It's unclear what Uptown has planned for Vibe if the deal goes through, whether Vibe will return to print and how often it will publish, for example, or whether it will return as an online-only brand.

In any case, however, Vibe's resurrection would be welcome news not only for its fans but for the magazine industry, which has said goodbye to many titles as recession exacerbated the challenges posed by a changing media business.


~ ~ ~ UPDATE: Hours after the story was reported, Uptown and its private equity backer, InterMedia Partners, said they had completed a deal to buy Vibe.