Emil Wilbekin

President and Chief Creative Officer
World of Wilbekin
Founder
Native Son

Emil Wilbekin is a creative and strategic media, marketing and branding professional. He is President and Chief Creative Officer of World of Wilbekin (#WOW) a multimedia content brand—digital, print, social media, video, and live events company. He is also the Founder of Native Son, a movement created to inspire and empower Black Gay Men.

A sought after expert on pop culture, fashion/style, entertainment and current affairs, Emil has appeared on The Today Show, NBC New York, E!, VH-1, MTV, BET, CNN, The Insider, Arise 360, Revolt, and PBS.

Emil has served as Editor-At-Large at Essence, Managing Editor of Essence.com, Editor-in-Chief of Giant and Giantmag.com, Style Guru at Complex Media, VP of Brand Development at Marc Eckō Enterprises, Editorial Director/Vice President of Vibe Ventures and Editor-in-Chief of Vibe Magazine. Under Wilbekin’s leadership, Vibe won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002.

Emil has served on the Boards of The Stonewall Community Foundation, The Design Industry Fights AIDS, LifeBeat, The Black AIDS Institute, and Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Wilbekin's work, creativity and leadership have been honored by Harlem’s Fashion Row, GLAAD, The Anti Violence Project, and more.  Emil holds a B.S. in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University, an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University.