JUNE 23, 2022
VIBE, Chase Sapphire® and SHE Media Launch VIBE Voices of the Year Campaign
3-Month Digital Program Will Honor Black Women Gamechangers
NEW YORK, June 23, 2022 -- VIBE, Chase Sapphire® and SHE Media today launched VIBE Voices of the Year, a 3-month digital campaign across VIBE and SHE Media that will shine a much-deserved spotlight on exceptional Black women across industries and communities who are making their mark with ground-breaking contributions in their fields. Each honoree will be featured in a VIBE cover story and a promotional campaign across the SHE Media Meaningful Marketplaces network of websites owned and operated by Black women.
The first group of VIBE Voices of the Year honorees is:
· Shavone (Charles), for achievements in technology.
· Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, for achievements in beauty
· Adrienne Smith, for achievements in sports
A second group will be announced later in the three-month celebration.
The VIBE Voices of the Year were selected by an editorial panel led by VIBE editor-in-chief Datwon Thomas. Other members of the selection panel include Christine Imarenezor, Executive Editor, VIBE, Eugenia Miranda Richman, Editor-in-Chief of SheKnows.com, and Jiji Ugboma, founder, Clever-ish Magazine and Senior Manager of Publisher Engagement, SHE Media.
“VIBE is honored to have this opportunity to recognize these powerful, culture-shifting Black women gamechangers through the Voices of the Year,” said Thomas. “This campaign will celebrate and amplify their powerful voices through a series of memorable digital activations presented by Chase Sapphire across VIBE and SHE Media channels.”
“Congratulations to the VIBE Voices of the Year honorees. Chase Sapphire is thrilled to team up with VIBE and SHE Media to celebrate all of these trail-blazing women and recognize the lasting impacts they are making in their respective fields, as well as across their communities and beyond,” said Marleta Ross, General Manager of Chase Sapphire.
“Voices of the Year is a longstanding SHE Media initiative that celebrates culture-shifting creators and the incredible work they’ve done in their respective fields,” said Samantha Skey, CEO of SHE Media. “We were delighted to partner with VIBE and Chase Sapphire to extend this recognition to a new audience.”
About The VIBE Voices of the Year
TECH - Shavone Charles (known as Shavone)
Shavone is a true renaissance woman who is a classically trained musician, author, tech change agent and current head of DEI at Tik Tok. She is also supporting Black women in music and amplifying the stories of creatives of color by launching Magic In Her Melanin, her very own creative collective and in-house agency that will serve as a key platform for all creative direction surrounding her art and music.
BEAUTY - Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye
Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye is the founder of Ami Colé, a clean beauty brand for people with melanin rich skin. A trailblazer in both the beauty and business categories, she combined her passion for beauty with 8+ years of marketing experience within both large scale heritage brands such as L’Oreal and breakthrough start-up environments like Glossier to create Ami Colé.
SPORTS - Adrienne Smith
Her love for television, film, education, and sports has led her around the world and resulted in a myriad of incredible opportunities. As an athlete, Adrienne Smith has won two gold medals and two national championships in the sport of women’s tackle football. As an entrepreneur, she is the co-founder of Harlem Hip-Hop Tours, the founder of Gridiron Queendom, and the creator of Blitz Champz. Whether on the field or off, Adrienne’s raison d’etre is to “empire” (empower+inspire) others.
About the VIBE Voices of the Year Panel
Datwon Thomas is the Editor-In-Chief of VIBE Magazine and Vice President of Cultural Media for MRC. Mr. Thomas held positions as Founder and Editorial Director of the men's lifestyle guide, KING Magazine; the urban car enthusiast's favorite, RIDES Magazine; and was the Editor-in-Chief of hip-hop's street authority, XXL Magazine. In addition he's also presided as Founder/Editorial Director of XXL Presents Hip-Hop Soul, a publication dedicated to documenting the successful hybrid genre of R&B and Hip-Hop. Thomas was also EIC of hip-hop photojournalistic magazine RESPECT.
Christine Imarenezor is the Executive Editor at VIBE, where she oversees the website’s daily editorial content and manages its dynamic team of editors, reporters, and writers. Prior to joining the team, she began her digital journalism career as a contributing writer at the now-defunct Concrete Loop and was an early adopter of social media marketing while managing artists’ social media accounts in Bad Boy Entertainment/Warner Music Group’s new media department. An alumna of Northwestern University, Christine received her B.A. in Communication. She's a former high school band nerd, who loves gospel and R&B music and enjoys day hiking every now and then.
Eugenia Miranda Richman is the Editor-in-Chief of SheKnows.com, She Media's flagship site and premier parenting destination. As an editorial strategist and award-winning journalist, Eugenia has led the evolution of SheKnows from a lifestyle publication to a site that serves moms holistically with the latest food, celebrity, health and parenting news, plus shopping stories, essays and features on all the issues that matter to them. As an Argentine-Nicaraguan editor with 15+ years of experience in publishing and digital media, Eugenia is not just bringing new content offerings to SheKnows but diverse perspectives and voices.
Jiji Ugboma is the founder of Clever-ish Magazine and a former VOTY Winner herself. In her role as Senior Manager of Publisher Engagement at SHE Media, she provides editorial and audience growth strategies for partner publications in the SHE Media Collective. Jiji is a writer who believes in the power of content to power valuable conversations that effect change. Her work champions the discourse of self-actualization and mental health for young adults and has been featured in publications like CNBC, Variety, BlogHer, Bustle, Eater, and her own website Clever-ish Magazine. In her spare time, she writes about the Nigerian food scene in New York.
About VIBE
Founded in 1992 by iconic music and film producer Quincy Jones as a print publication, VIBE is a leading entertainment and lifestyle brand delivering content across multiple media platforms to a diverse audience around the world. With over 25 years of celebrating Black culture, VIBE continues to embrace the soulful roots that chronicle the artists, celebrities, sounds, fashion, and events—from hip-hop and R&B to the modern-day converging music landscape. VIBE has significantly refocused its efforts to the digital space as a top-tier trusted brand for music and entertainment fans, while also highlighting themes like the social justice movement, sparking dialogue that informs and issues change. In 2020, VIBE officially joined the esteemed Penske Media Corp. portfolio of content brands with plans on continuing its legacy of excellence.
About Chase
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading financial services firm based in the United States with assets of $4 trillion and operations worldwide. Chase serves more than 66 million American households and 5 million small businesses with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: More than 4,700 branches in 48 states and the District of Columbia, 16,000 ATMs, mobile, online and by phone. For more information, go to chase.com.
About SHE Media
As a top 10 lifestyle media network reaching more than 100MM monthly visitors, SHE Media focuses on the power of content to move our culture forward through the celebration of passion and purpose.
We believe that media companies can and should be a force for good in the world. Ranging from food and family to health, career and entertainment, our rich collection of content is curated from thousands of diverse sources. Comprised of a community of creators and hand-picked publishers within the SHE Media Collective and the flagship brands, SheKnows, BlogHer, STYLECASTER and Soaps, we produce digital and live media content that connects and inspires millions.
SHE Media's BlogHer is the leading content and live media event platform for women entrepreneurs and creators. With a mission to provide economic empowerment to all women, the SHE Media Collective curates a community of 5K independent publishers and social content creators, providing the foundation for a scalable, sustainable economic model for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
SHE Media is also the creator of innovative platforms that include: SheKnows Hatch, an award-winning video series featuring Gen Z-generated content; and BlogHer's Voices of the Year, honoring powerful, culture-shifting women across industries. Part of Penske Media Corporation (PMC), SHE Media is based in New York, with offices in Los Angeles, and Chicago. Follow SHE Media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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