JET Magazine features Gospel Artist Vickie Winans and Urban Faith Gospel Music Marketer in the July 7th edition in a story Living Beyond the Boundaries: The African American Marketplace in the 21st Century. This inaugural three-part summit developed and hosted by SMG, one of the top media buying firms in the world. The event included an expo, featuring more than 30 media companies; presentation; and a panel discussion.

Vickie Winans, the only musical guest at this prestigious event, brought down the house with her rousing renditions of “We Need A Word From The Lord” and “Shake Yourself Loose.” Urban Faith/Gospel Music marketing guru, Melanie Few was one of six featured thought-leader panelists that discussed the African American market place. Other esteemed panelists included Kenard Gibbs, publisher, Vibe Magazine; Louis Carr, president, BET; Camellia Ware, strategic planner, Tapestry; John Muszynski, media director, Broadcast Investment Group; and Donna McLean, media director, P&G Print AOR/Showtime. The presentation featured guest speaker Linda Johnson Rice, CEO, Johnson Publishing Company.

More than 300 of the nation’s top advertising and marketing executives gathered for this summit created to assist the advertising world in increasing their knowledge of the African American consumer base and the multitude of contact and opportunities that can connect corporate brands to this unique and powerful consumer group.

Vickie Winans is THE Quintessential Woman. For a good decade now, Vickie Winans has been hailed as the “hardest working woman in gospel music.” She is a well-admired and established gospel artist who is responsible for some of the genres most successful and memorable hit songs. She is well known for her business savvy as an entrepreneur, marketer and manager. Her current CD “Bringing It All Together” is currently #1 on the Billboard gospel charts.

For more than 16 years, Melanie Few has developed some of the most successful marketing and promotional campaigns in the corporate and entertainment industries. As president of Results Inc., one of the hottest up-and-coming entertainment-marketing firms in the U.S., Ms. Few has accomplished the awesome task of finding a new niche in an otherwise tight and highly competitive business. Results Inc.’s focus on partnering artists and urban faith properties with corporate America has taken the marketing industry by storm, and given traditional business companies an in-road into a lucrative, yet untapped market.