About Us

VIBE magazine is the definitive voice of urban culture, influencing global music, life, and style for more than eight million readers around the world. The award-winning publication is the nation's leader in reporting entertainment, fashion, politics, and culture features for a multicultural audience in print and online. VIBE's innovation, journalistic integrity, brand equity, and overall swagger make it the No. 1 reference choice among male and female trendsetters in small and large cities in the U.S. and abroad.

VIBE Media Group, an affiliate of the Wicks Group of Companies, LLC, is a leading music lifestyle media company that publishes VIBE magazine and produces myriad other VIBE branded properties including VIBE.com, V Hollywood, VIBE Yardfest, and VIBE Books, which published The New York Times bestseller Tupac Shakur. VIBE magazine was founded in 1993 by multitalented music mogul Quincy Jones.

VIBE Executives

Steve Aaron, CEO

Steve Aaron serves as Vibe Media Group's chief executive officer. Aaron brings to VIBE more than 25 years of consumer media experience at such companies as Hachette Filipacchi, American Media, and Future US. Aaron is a media veteran with proven results in managing, launching, building, and acquiring businesses, and he brings a wealth of consumer media experience to VIBE, including Premiere Magazine, Elle Décor, Guitar World, Revolver, MAC/LIFE, and Country Weekly to name a few. 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.

Danyel Smith, Editor-In-Chief, Vice-President and Editorial Director

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 upon her return, was appointed editor-In-chief of VIBE and the Web sites, 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, Condé Nast Media Group, and The New York Times. Smith is the author of the San Francisco Chronicle best-selling novel More Like Wrestling (Crown, 2003), 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 M.F.A in Creative Writing from the New School University.

Edgar Hernandez, Publisher

Edgar Hernandez leads VIBE Media Group as Publisher, overseeing all publishing functions, including advertising sales and marketing activities and will be responsible for driving new revenue opportunities through in-book, online, and event integration.

Hernandez started his career at Mongoose Atlantic, a direct response firm, as sales associate. Within 12 months of growing new categories of business, he was promoted to ad director, a position in which he managed a team of 10 sales representatives. He led the team the following year to double-digit revenue growth and received a promotion to new business director.

Following the success of Mongoose, Hernandez moved at Stuff Magazine as account manager working on fashion, footwear, and fragrance. He grew the business by 12 percent within 12 months, with key partnerships within the footwear and fragrance category. Hernandez then moved to Complex Magazine as account director, before returning to Stuff as ad director.

Hernandez graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a B.A. in Journalism.

Olivia Scott-Perkins, Associate Publisher of Marketing

Olivia Scott-Perkins leads all marketing facets as VIBE Media Group’s associate publisher, marketing. Scott-Perkins is a 14-year integrated marketing communications leader with a proven track record for innovation, leadership, and high-quality work standard.

Her career spans partnership marketing, consumer promotions, sponsorship management, public relations, and general advertising and promotions account management experience while working at DDB, Leo Burnett, Ogilvy Action, Frankel, Atlantic Records, iN DEMAND Television, and Live Nation.

Scott-Perkins has developed and implemented successful brand and entertainment marketing collaborations with GlaxoSmithKline, Ghirardelli, Hilton, Motorola, Comcast, Pizza Hut, Wrigley's, Papa John's, Terra Chips, Hip Hop On Demand, Seagram's Ginger Ale, Keebler, ING, Jim Beam, Oscar Mayer, among others. Scott-Perkins is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia's Journalism School with a degree in advertising and is well-regarded on the entertainment marketing speaker circuit. She is a frequent guest speaker at New York University, the EPM Marketing Conference, and PMA Promotion Marketing Conference.

She is married to Albert Perkins and resides in Harlem, N.Y.

Angela Zucconi, Vice President, Finance

Angela Zucconi is responsible for all financial functions of VIBE Media Group. Prior to VIBE, Zucconi was manager of financial planning and analysis for Hanley Wood, L.L.C. in Washington, D.C., a business-to-business media company with $250 million in revenue.  Her role was to direct financial reporting, forecasting, and budgeting processes. Prior to her employment with Hanley Wood, Zucconi was employed as a financial analyst at SGI Federal, a provider of visualization and computer solutions.

Zucconi is a graduate of Loyola College, where she received a B.A. and M.B.A in Business Administration, both with concentrations in finance.

Ross Robbins - Director of Digital Media

Ross joined the VIBE team in 2006 and is responsible for the successful execution of digital media products over the company's digital properties. Ross brings a strong background in the development and management of interactive products and services. His career began at CBC Media, where he produced Web sites for various clients. Ross then ventured to Protocol Marketing to manage all online development. Most recently, Ross worked for Diggit Entertainment, a mobile-marketing company where he managed the production of wireless marketing campaigns and products. Ross received his B.S. in computer science from Binghamton University and his M.B.A from Baruch College.