EBONY’s CEO Eden Bridgeman Sklenar on ‘Moving Black Forward’

EBONY Media Group CEO Eden Bridgeman Sklenar is dedicated to ‘Moving Black Forward’ while building upon the illustrious history that the media group has developed in showcasing black excellence.

Bridgeman Sklenar tells The Sunday Gleaner she couldn’t have seen the “divine planning” of her life as CEO of the historically black-owned media group founded by John H. Johnson in 1945, coming. But at the height of the global pandemic, circa July 2020, EBONY and Jet were in bankruptcy while the US was simultaneously in the throes of the George Floyd protests and reeling from Breonna Taylor’s untimely death. Having the necessary conversations around racial injustice, it was acknowledged that progress has been made for black people since the civil rights movement, but the reality is there is still a far way to go. Appreciating that brands like EBONY and Jet were a beacon of hope in normalising black positivity, their voices were missing in a time when it was needed more than ever. Thus the Bridgeman family decided to purchase the brands. In January 2021, the deal was sealed and since then there has been a noticeable rebirth of both EBONY and Jet in the US and the diaspora.

Of her gratitude for the role of CEO, Bridgeman Sklenar, who holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and an MBA in entrepreneurship, says, “It is a dream that some days I wake up and cannot believe this is my life, to be perfectly honest.” She pauses to reminisce then continues, “It’s one where when I was younger and sitting in the beauty salon for what felt like hours under the dryer flipping through EBONY or Jet magazines, I hoped that maybe one day I would be featured in one of those magazines. But to actually be CEO and to have the humbled opportunity to steward these brands into the future is something that I don’t take lightly.”

Her vision for both EBONY and Jet? “World domination,” she says without skipping a beat. She elaborates, “We want EBONY and Jet to be a brand that unifies the diaspora. For us to understand other cultures and what is happening around the world, but to also understand that we are all not so different, especially as people of African descent. Due to history, we’ve been told and have been programmed to certain narratives of division, and we hope that through EBONY and Jet, those divisions can be less and that we can see each other more for the commonalities than the differences.”

We paid attention when Bridgeman Sklenar was recently a guest at Essence’s Women in Hollywood Awards. While some would argue that EBONY and Essence are direct competitors and shouldn’t mix, both Bridgeman Sklenar and Essence magazine’s CEO Caroline Wanga will hear none of it. “This idea of a competition,” Bridgeman Sklenar says in a sombre tone, before dismissing the concept completely. “For Essence’s CEO Caroline Wanga and myself, we’re not each other’s competitors, we are each other’s champions. We know how tough it is to not only be in black media, but also [for] a black woman trying to lead in black media, and so for us, we support each other. We have a real authentic friendship where she’s invited to EBONY events and I’m invited to Essence events, because it matters that Essence exists, and it matters that EBONY exists, and for us, with the idea of moving black forward, we have to move together. The last thing that we want at EBONY is to get to the mountaintop and look around and none of our friends are there with us.”

She acknowledges that EBONY and Jet, like many print publications, didn’t dive in early to the digital age. And with not doing so the brands began to lose authority and prominence with younger generations. But with her leadership, she is trying to ensure that these brands have a future, to inspire, uplift, and amplify the beauty and excellence of black people all over the world.

Bridgeman Sklenar is no stranger to Jamaica, and considers it to be “like a second home” where “your spirit is set free when you get off the plane”. What brings her to Jamaica this time? “I’m here to be with old friends. Meet with new friends and plant seeds in Jamaica for the future of EBONY Caribbean being born.” While EBONY Caribbean has a good ring to it, we delve into her rationale for this move. “So much of what makes up the Caribbean has influenced the American culture. EBONY would like to explore the authenticity of it where it’s happening. So we are here to start planting the seeds and thought there is no better time than during carnival. And with Jamaica being a cultural hub, it was the perfect place to start. With amazing partners that we can lean on to make sure that we are entering the market in the right way. So many times you see US-based companies coming into other parts of the world and not respecting the dynamics of the communities and the way that things work in that region and we don’t want to do that. Instead, we want to make the brand of service to these people that make up the amazing and rich culture.”

In partnership with United Airlines, EBONY has invited a select group of black celebrities and influencers to ‘jump’ with Gen XS for carnival today. And last Thursday, the team hosted a lavish cocktail party at ROK Hotel to locally unveil their latest cover with Jamaican-blooded actress Jodie Turner-Smith.

“We are serious about the future of EBONY Caribbean. It won’t be built overnight but the passion for exploring the stories, meeting the diverse voices, and amplifying the excellence already exists,” says Bridgeman Sklenar, who lets us know that while she can be extroverted, she can also be an introvert and a student that loves to learn and observe, which is why she is excited about years to come to continually dig deeper into Jamaica and the Caribbean to understand the culture more authentically.

As she pilots this new venture and continues to chart the course for EBONY and Jet, Bridgeman Sklenar also serves as the CMO of Manna, Inc., which is the parent company that incorporates over 500 restaurant franchises that includes Wendy’s, Fazoli’s, Golden Coral, Jimmy Johns, and Mark’s Feed Store, and has led in this capacity since 2016. To say the married mother of one has a hectic schedule would be an understatement, but Bridgeman Sklenar says she balances it all and does her best “with an amazing husband and support system”.

debra.edwards@gleanerjm.com