For successful entrepreneur and media mogul, Leonard Burnett Jr., power is not something to wield, but to give away gladly.
“Power to me is the idea of being able to help others,” says the 60-year-old Edgewater resident. “It’s about connecting the dots through relationships and experiences. The satisfaction comes not only in making a profit and creating shareholder value, but in helping others achieve their goals and moving them forward.”
Moving forward in spite of the tumultuous nature of business, is something Burnett has done throughout his career. A pioneer in the urban media space, his expertise in advertising sales and marketing leadership enabled him to successfully launch seven major magazines; including being part of the launch team of the iconic Vibe Magazine founded at the height of the Hip-Hop era by the late Quincy Jones in 1993.
In 1999, Burnett, a graduate of Florida A&M University School of Business and Industry, co-founded the urban publishing company Vanguarde Media, where he was group publisher of Heart & Soul, the nation’s first health and fitness magazine for African American women, and Savoy, which spotlighted African American politics, style, entertainment and sports, along with other publications targeted at the Black audience.
Currently, Burnett serves as co-founder and group publisher of Uptown Media Ventures, is partner and co-founder and CRO of Hero MEDIA, a Black owned digital media agency and venture lab that creates community through content and commerce.
He is also co-founder of Homestead Entertainment, a distribution and production company created to provide alternative solutions for independent filmmakers, and partner of Roam Pictures Group; an independent production company that identifies and produces entertainment that features people of color.
In spite of being in the mix with some of the country’s biggest names in entertainment, business and politics, Burnett possesses a refreshing humility, which he attributes to his Midwest roots and the example set by his parents.
“Mom is the matriarch with her grace, strength and resilience. She paved the foundation for my faith,” says Burnett who grew up in Detroit and is the proud father of two college students. “Dad was an entrepreneur and my guiding light showing me the value of hard work, character and showing up with integrity. Together they were my first role models and greatest teachers.”
Burnett, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, also acknowledges the hundreds of colleagues he’s worked with over the years saying he learned from every one of them. One of those lessons, he says, is to never get too high or too low and to continue to grow and evolve.
Brett Wright, a partner in Uptown Media Ventures, says Burnett’s success stems from his core. “He is just a good guy, a good human being, a great father and family man,” says Wright. Another longtime colleague, Ron Gillyard, describes it this way: “It’s Len’s we not me mentality that sets him apart.”
Burnett says he couldn’t have come this far without the support of the Black community.
“My entire career is based around selling the importance and impact of the African American culture,” reflects Burnett. “Our people and our culture have never let me down.”
