Clarence O. Smith 1933–

Publisher, business executive

At a Glance…

Sources

Clarence Smith has been a driving force behind the success of Essence magazine, which he cofounded with Edward Lewis in 1970 and has helped turn into one of today’s leading lifestyle magazines for African American women. As Smith noted in a publicity release from Essence Communications, “For 28 years Essence magazine has been the publication of choice for African-American women and the advertisers who want to reach them.” Since Essence first hit the newsstands, its paid circulation has risen to one million and its readership to 7.5 million.

After a stint in the Army, Smith began charting his course in the business world by enrolling in the Baruch School of Business. In 1963 he went to work as a special representative for Prudential Insurance, then joined the Investors Planning Corporation in New York City as a registered representative three years later. A firm believer in economic and political empowerment, Smith decided to publish a women’s magazine that would contribute to the social and economic rise of African Americans. After he and Lewis collaborated to create Essence, Smith soon exhibited an ability to attract high-profile advertisers—the lifeblood of consumer publishing—to the fledgling magazine. Over the years he helped bring prestigious advertisers such as Chanel, Giorgio, Cadillac, Estee Lauder, and many others to Essence. By the 1990s, Essence had increased its advertising pages to more than 1,000 per year—a far cry from the five ad pages in each of the second and third issues of the magazine back in 1970.

Smith has been instrumental in leading Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) beyond publishing and into licensing, direct-mail marketing, and television production. He played a key role in the company’s creation of The Essence Awards, an annual prime-time network special. “Every year we have presented tributes to the heroes and heroines in our communities who have used their lives for the betterment of humanity,” remarked Smith on the Essence Internet website. Smith has also been involved in the production of such award-winning programs as Essence, a weekly syndicated magazine and news-service television show. His media and marketing savvy helped the program garner a very positive response from national advertisers. In 1984, Smith’s corporation launched Essence-By-Mail, a mail-order catalog catering to African Americans. Five years later,

At a Glance…

Born March 31, 1933, in Bronx, NY; son of Millicent Fry (deceased) and Clarence Smith (deceased); married Elaine Goss Smith, 1963; children: Clarence, Craig. Military service: U.S. Army, Specialist 4th Class, 1957-59. Education: Baruch School of Business, 1960-61.

Career: Was special representative for Prudential Insurance, 1963-69; served as registered representative, Investors Planning Corporation, New York, NY, 1966-69; co-founded Essence magazine and became president of Essence Communications, 1969-.

Memberships: Chairman, African American Marketing & Media Association, 1991; board of directors, Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Association (CTFA); American Advertising Foundation; board of directors, Teach for America; trustee, TransAfrican Forum; National Association of Marketing Developers.

Awards and honors: Annual Achievement Award, Black Enterprise magazine, 1980; Black Achievement Award, The Equitable Assurance Society of the U.S., 1985; Communicator of the Year, National Association of Market Developers, 1990; Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Publishing, Ernst & Young, 1994; President’s Award, One Hundred Black Men of America, 1995; named one of “Marathon Men” for 25 years of entrepreneurial excellence, Black Enterprise, 1997; A.G. Gaston Lifetime Achievement Award, BlackEnterprjse /Nationsbank Entrepreneurs Conference, 1997; Fred Luster Sr. Image Award, Luster Products Black Heritage Foundation, 1997.

Addresses: Home—Riverdale, NY. Office— Essence Communications, 1500 Broadway, New York, NY 10036.

Essence Direct Mail Marketing joined with Imprints International to form Essence Art Reproductions, which markets fine art crafted by African American artists.

Smith and Lewis soon ventured into other areas of publishing, starting with the acquisition of Income Opportunities from Davis Publishing in 1992. At the time, this magazine for people starting new businesses had a circulation of 400,000. The Essence takeover of the magazine represented a rare case of a minority company buying a white-owned business. Three years later Essence Communications entered into a joint venture to publish Latina, the first bilingual lifestyle magazine that exclusively addressed the interests of Hispanic women in the United States. In 1997, the company considered joining with Time Inc. to produce Savoy, a lifestyle magazine for African Americans.

Smith embarked on a ten-day fact-finding mission to Japan in 1992 at the invitation of the Japan External Trade Organization. Representing ECI and the African-American Marketing and Media Associations, Smith focused on opening a new dialogue between African Americans and the Japanese. His work to dispel cultural misconceptions and stereotypes created new partnerships and strengthened the future economic well-being of both groups.

According to a 1995 article in the New York Times, Smith claimed that he and Lewis wanted to position ECI as a diverse communications company, rather than one that publishes only for the African American market. At that time, he announced that his company would bid in the federal auction of airwaves for wireless phone services. “It will change the way people communicate,” noted Smith in the New York Times. “Essence will be trying to win some of that spectrum so that it can enlarge its services as an information provider.”

In 1995, the first Essence Musical Festival was held in New Orleans. Now an annual event, the four-day festival drew 160,000 attendees to the Superdome during each of its first three years. In 1996, Smith and Lewis nearly cancelled the festival after Louisiana governor M.J. Foster Jr. announced that he was discontinuing affirmative-action programs throughout the state. Governor Foster eventually agreed to meet with Smith, Lewis, and Hugh B. Price, the president of the National Urban League, to discuss his plans. After the meeting, Governor Foster issued a new executive order that offered better career opportunities for minorities in Louisiana.

A tireless advocate for minority representation in the media, Smith is chairman of the Chicago-based African American Marketing and Media Association and a founding member of the African American Anti-Defamation Association. In 1994, he was honored with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Publishing by Ernst & Young and received the A.G. Gaston Lifetime Achievement Award at the Black Enterprise/Nationsbank Entrepreneurs Conference in 1997. That same year, Smith was presented with the Fred Luster Sr. Image Award. This award is given annually by the Luster Products Black Heritage Foundation to African American men who serve as ideal role models for young people. In 1997, Essence Communications received a special tribute in Black Enterprise’s “Marathon Men: 25 Years of Black Entrepreneurial Excellence” section. Since its inception, Essence Communications has appeared on the Black Enterprise yearly listing of the top 100 African American-owned companies.

Smith is frequently called upon to lend his support to charitable causes. He is also valued for his public speaking abilities. Smith currently serves on the board of advisors for Teach for America, a nationwide group of teachers dedicated to bringing quality education to America’s children.

Sources

Periodicals

Advertising Age, August 12, 1991, p. S8; January 13, 1992, p. 24.

American Visions, October/November 1997, p. 7.

Black Enterprise, May 1983, p. 88.

Jet, April 15, 1996, p. 6; March 24, 1997, p. 60.

New York Amsterdam News, October 5, 1996, p. 38.

New York Times, January 23, 1995, p. D1.

Other

Additional information for this profile was obtained from publicity materials provided by Essence Communications, Inc., and the Essence Communications’ site on the World Wide Web, at http://www.essence.com

—Ed Decker