min magazine 2008 Most Intriguing: Kenard Gibbs
Friday, November 7, 2008

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Kenard Gibbs
Co-founder, MadVision Entertainment

Kenard Gibbs is on the move again. Just this past September, Gibbs, 44, left his post as group publisher of Johnson Publishing’s Ebony and Jet magazines and president of the Ebony/Jet Entertainment Group to devote himself to his urban-themed content development company, L.A.-based MadVision Entertainment, which was launched in 2006 with partners Peter Griffith, former CEO of Hookt.com, and Anthony Maddox, former VP of Bad Boy Films (Sean Combs’ production company). MadVision’s focus is on developing and acquiring content for various media platforms: cable, broadcast, VOD, mobile and DVD. “Previously, I was only involved as an equity partner and board member for MadVision,” Gibbs says. “But now that I have resigned [from Johnson publishing], I will spend 100 percent of my time growing the company with my partners—looking at future acquisitions and content development opportunities.”

Gibbs and his MadVision team acquired the Soul Train franchise from Don Cornelius in May ’08 (representing more than 4,500 hours of content and thousands of photographs from its 37 years in TV syndication). Gibbs plans on reviving the classic TV show by releasing the archives as well as making new episodes.

The Soul Train deal continues a string of high-profile content moves from Gibbs. When president of Vibe magazine, he oversaw business development, and his successes included launching the Vibe Music Awards franchise and Vibe Vixen; creating a premium Ebony/Jet channel with YouTube; and helping produce a documentary for TV around the Ebony Fashion Fair called Ebony Fashion Fair: 50 Years of Style.




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