Keith Clinkscales is an accomplished media executive currently serving as a Senior Vice President for ESPN, Inc. With over 20 years of experience, Keith Clinkscales is proficient with media including television shows, documentaries, movies, magazines, books, and online content. His success as a media executive has been shown by his ability to increase audience involvement while generating profit.

As President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VIBE magazine throughout the 1990s, Keith Clinkscales increased circulation from 100,000 to 700,000 and established the magazine’s image as a representative industry standard of urban culture. Under the leadership of Keith Clinkscales, VIBE magazine was nominated for several National Magazine Awards and was named by AdWeek as one of the “Top 10 Magazines of ’98.” In the early 2000s, Keith Clinkscales founded Vanguarde Media, Inc., which significantly contributed to many aspects of African American culture through its publication of magazines Honey, Heart & Soul, and Savoy. Total sales of these publications have exceeded $30 million.

In 2005, Keith Clinkscales joined ESPN, Inc. as a Senior Vice President and has since contributed to important innovations regarding strategic planning, marketing, and business development. For example, Keith Clinkscales helped to establish ESPN Films and the award-winning TV magazine show E:60. In addition, he oversaw the launch and successful roll out of the 30 for 30 Documentary Series for ESPN Films.

Over the course of his career, Keith Clinkscales has received numerous awards and honors, including being named one of the “30 Leaders for the Future” by Black Enterprise Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Most Influential Minorities in Cable” by CableWorld Magazine. Recently, Keith Clinkscales was honored as a member of the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement.