January 20, 2017

Meet Russell Griffin of Vibe Entertainment in Atlanta

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Russell Griffin.

Russell, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Vibe has been around for 12 years, and I have owned the company for 9 years. A lot of our team and partners were in the very first wave of Bar Mitzvah entertainment companies in Atlanta, and we quickly became the biggest/best service provider – a status we have enjoyed for over 9 years.

We consider our entertainers and staff to be “Mitzvah Masters” and we are in fact working on web and television content/programming with that title and premise (a behind the scenes, and scene-stealing look at what it takes to be a Mitzvah Master).

We do hundreds of events every year, a lot of them charity, school and community-based. We do weddings, proms, birthdays, corporate events, and of course mitzvah parties. Most recently, we integrated one of Atlanta’s most beloved photo booth operations Wow Photo Booth www.wowphotbooth.com into our offering.

I, personally, have long been involved in the music scene, managing a few different bands over the years. I am currently working with Grammy winners Rasa Don and Headliner, of Arrested Development fame on their new band project, Creative Royalty – which will release new work in 2017.

Another project I’m super excited about for 2017, is Acoustipalooza www.acoustipalooza.com – the music, arts and culture and inclusion festival my team and I will present in 2017 (sponsors to be named). It’s a concept I’ve been working on for years and even produced a college-recruiting variation for Verizon a few years ago. I see Acoustipalooza as my legacy, a music festival that celebrates the best in all of us, with music as the uniting force and healing balm we need today and forever.

I also own a 35+-year-old experiential learning company, that provides leadership and team building retreats for some of Atlanta’s leading organizations, including The CDC, Southern Company, and Leadership Cobb.

We house all that we do (host clients, rehearse bands, DJs, and dancers, produce music and produce shows at our warehouse on Peachtree Industrial Court.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It most definitely has not been a smooth ride. Like so many others, the recession took a lot of wind from our sails. And years later, we are still in recovery mode. Our scale and all that we want to give to the marketplace and the world requires a good bit of infrastructure. So we invested in our business to better serve our clients. It has been good to see greater economic optimism in the last couple of years. Watching Atlanta growing again is exciting, as we plan to grow right along with it.

Please tell us about Vibe Entertainment.
We provide event entertainment, including planning, production, and execution of hundreds of events a year.

We are known for being Mitzvah Masters, with greater depth and breadth of understanding and history in serving the mitzvah market. We are known for MC “Rabbi” Jamal, the iconic “man with the high-top fade.” Jamal was with Vibe in the beginning and is easily the most recognizable name in the industry. Moreover, what we are best known for is in our name. We create the perfect VIBE for client’s events – whether it’s a 600 person corporate event (like we do for Northside Hospital) or a Sweet 16, Bat Mitzvah or wedding – we ensure the Vibe is always perfect.

I am most proud of how much we give back to the communities we serve – from working with Creating Connected Communities and Amy’s Party to Camp Hope, Camp Sunshine, and countless temple, church, and community events every year (many done pro bono). We try to never say no to giving back.

With my leadership development company, Executive Adventure, in the past 9 years, I have personally facilitated learning for thousands of state, national and global leaders. When I think of our total 35 years in business, I am awe-struck at the number of leaders and teams we’ve had the opportunity to inspire and help grow.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’d make sure my timing was better. I’ve started and/or bought a number of businesses in the past 20 years. Unfortunately, some in down markets and economically-challenging times. When you have a big vision, the worst thing is diminished opportunity. That said, I do my best to learn fast and let nothing diminish my joy in getting to serve the market and provide clients with services that help them Communicate, Collaborate and Celebrate.

Contact Info: