About Us

The VIBE Media Group is a leading music/lifestyle media company that publishes the award-winning VIBE magazine, the preeminent brand in urban and music culture, which was founded by Quincy Jones in 1993. Additional VIBE Media Group properties include VIBE.com, a website that draws 1.8 MM unique visitors a month (Nielsen Netratings, Oct. 2007); VIBE Video-on-Demand channel (on Comcast and Time Warner Cable); VIBE-TV; VIBEVerses.com (an online rap battle website); The VIBE Awards, and the wireless content service mVibe.

VIBE Executives

Steve Aaron, CEO

Steve Aaron, a highly respected industry veteran, serves as Vibe Media Group's Chief Executive Officer. Aaron brings to Vibe over 24 years of consumer media experience at such companies including Future US, American Media and Hachette Filipacchi. Aaron is a publishing veteran with proven results in launching, building, acquiring and managing media businesses. Aaron brings to the Company a wealth of consumer magazine experience, including Guitar World, Revolver, Maximum PC, MAC/LIFE, Country Weekly, Country Music, Elle Decor and Premiere Magazine, where he was the only SR. Vice President & Publisher to lead the Magazine to significant profitability. Aaron has done volunteer work for the Coalition for the Homeless and works with the Hyde Charter school in the South Bronx. He received a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from St. Lawrence University. Aaron is married and has two sons Jake and Mike.

Danyel Smith, Editor-In-Chief

Danyel Smith returned to VIBE in July 2006 as Editor-in-Chief. A former editor-at-large for Time Inc., Smith initially joined VIBE in 1993 and was appointed music editor a year later. In 1996, she was awarded a National Arts Journalism Program fellowship and was appointed Editor-In-Chief of VIBE, and the websites upon her return, serving until 1999.

Smith has written for Elle, Time, Cosmopolitan, Essence, The Village Voice, The New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Spin, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Conde Nast Media Group, and the New York Times. Smith is the author of the San Francisco Chronicle-bestselling novel, More Like Wrestling (Crown) and she wrote the introduction for The New York Times-bestseller, Tupac Shakur. Her second novel, Bliss (Crown), was published in 2005. Smith comments regularly on pop culture for VH-1, WNYC, and CNN. She holds a master of fine arts in creative writing from the New School University.

Edgar Hernandez, Associate Publisher

Edgar Hernandez leads the magazine’s publishing team as Associate Publisher of Advertising Hernandez joined VMG in 2007 after leading the sales effort at Stuff magazine where he served as Ad Director and, prior to that, as a sales executive at Complex magazine. Hernandez graduated from UMass Amherst with a BA in journalism.

Gary R. Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer

In November of 2007, Gary R. Lewis was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, he is leading worldwide marketing and communications strategy and execution. Lewis joined Vibe in November 2006 as the Associate Publisher, leading marketing and promotions.

Lewis’ history with Vibe dates back to 1998, when he served as Vice President of Marketing. Prior to re-joining Vibe, Lewis was the Director of Corporate Sponsorships at Time Inc’s., Essence Communications. For more than 15 years Lewis has successfully developed and launched numerous targeted and fully integrated marketing initiatives. Beginning his career at the National Football League he has un-paralleled expertise in sports, entertainment, urban, youth and cause related marketing. Lewis is frequently a featured speaker on numerous media, academic and civic panels.

Lewis received a B.S. from Florida A&M University and is also a graduate of the U.S. Army ROTC & Airborne School in Fort Benning, GA. He resides in Montclair, NJ with his fiancé Kiara and two dogs.