Here Media's Macias Founds Marketing, PR Firm

Stephen Macias, executive vice president and general manager for Here Media Inc., parent company of The Advocate, is leaving to start Macias Media Group LLC, a full-service multimedia marketing, public relations, and corporate communications firm focused on connecting clients with LGBT consumers.

MMG, which will be headquartered in Los Angeles and begin operations October 1, will also serve as the marketing and PR agency of record for Here Media.

"Here Media congratulates Stephen and wishes him the best of luck in his new venture," says Here Media CEO Paul Colichman. "Over the past eight years Stephen has helped grow and shape our company's vision of the LGBT community taking its hard-earned place in the media space. We look forward to working with Macias Media Group LLC as the LGBT market becomes one of the most influential and coveted niches in the United States and across the world."

MMG will provide the company's brands, including The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, HIV Plus, Here TV, Gay.com, Gay.net, and SheWired.com, with a comprehensive marketing and public relations strategy as well as social media initiatives. MMG will also oversee and facilitate Here Media's branded events, including the annual Out 100 gala. This year's Out 100 party will be held in November in New York City.

"I have had a wonderful experience working with the Here Media family, and I am proud of the work the company has done in creating some of the most sought-after thought- and taste-makers in media," says Macias. "I'm excited to continue working with the important Here Media brands by creating 21st-century opportunities, while adding new clients eager to connect their brands with LGBT consumers."

Macias has been with Here Media for eight years. He was previously entertainment media director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. He has also served eight years on the board of directors of Outfest, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, with four of those years as president. In addition, he has served on the boards of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.