Somewhere between the 215, 267, and 445 area codes is where Philly Native Eric K. Thomas spent his early years. As an adolescent, The Quintessential Gentleman Founder consumed himself with gymnastics which he stuck with throughout high school, even after moving from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Before finishing high school, the former athlete landed a cheerleading scholarship to the University of Lynchburg formerly Lynchburg College in Virginia – one he accepted until realizing that the men were also being tossed in the air in college. He redirected his focus to political science and aspired to become a lawyer but found an interest in radio. He worked in sales and advertising for radio stations during his time in Miami, where he lived from 2009 to 2013 before relocating to Atlanta.

He spent two years working for celebrity publicist CJ Carter and with BE Magazine, a Black publication that covered art, fashion and more. In 2015, he decided he needed something bigger and moved to New York City, where he had his own epiphany about what his contribution to Black life and Black men could be, and The Quintessential Gentleman, a media platform created to share the positive and successful stories of Black men, was born.

Why was the publication started, and what was the idea behind the magazine?

I started The Quintessential Gentleman in 2016 because I didn’t see a space online that was specific and geared toward Black men and highlighted the positives that were and are happening in their lives. There was a surplus of negative press, from dealings regarding police brutality to all the noise displayed on the numerous gossip blogs. There wasn’t a place for men my age to turn to for inspiration or aspiration or simply to see positive news. I wasn’t seeing this, so I created it – the idea was to build a community of people who shared similar beliefs and were looking for this specific type of content.

Anyone can see that the publication is geared towards a particular race of men, but what do you feel you’re conveying to your audience? And conversation-wise, what are you offering them?

I always say that our brand is aspirational. My idea was to create a luxury publication that lives at a certain caliber because I remember working in radio and dealing with advertisers saying, “Black people don’t like luxury products, can’t afford them, or don’t want to be marketed to,” and that is so far from the truth. QG shows, “Hey, you were wrong, and a large part of the community enjoys luxury and has the money to spend on it.” Still, it is also aspirational, so while everyone can’t afford to spend $2 million on a house or whatever they desire, they aspire to do so. The site is about more than money, though – it’s about having conversations within our community and with Black men. Honestly, I feel like Black men don’t engage enough in discussions with each other, and there’s so much we could learn from one another, but we hardly get to.

Black women are the catalyst for QG. Essence, Ebony, and so many other platforms have been there for our women, and Black women have been able to branch out – they have workshops, conferences, Black girl magic, etc. Where’s that for Black men? Why don’t we have the same spaces and conversations? It’s limited to the barbershop, but what else? As we evolve as a people, the conversations Black men have or should be having are different. Black fatherhood is hugely critical for our community. The story in the media is that the men in our community don’t show up, but many of them do. The light should be shined there, and that’s one of my duties as the founder of this platform because since I was two, my stepfather has been in my life and is my biggest supporter, and that should be celebrated.

There’s a plethora of Black men that you could place on a cover. How do you go about mapping out and selecting the men we see on the covers?

Aside from the more prominent names, there are a few ways we go about it. I’m drawn towards featuring men whom society may not necessarily know of in large numbers. For instance, our recent cover was Charles D. King – our audience, for the most part, was probably unfamiliar with him but knew the actors in the films he helped produce. Charles is a mogul, and I say that with emphasis because if it wasn’t for him, some of these people known by face value might not be as big. So, it’s important for us to highlight individuals who aren’t getting the attention they should. On the flip side, we featured Michael Vick, which was a massive deal for us though it came with a bit of backlash, mainly from people outside of our community. I stood by it because he’s been doing great things since that scandal, and it’s like, wow, “Black men cannot get a second chance in this world.”

Not to compare but based on the content The Quintessential Gentleman focuses on, the magazine has an element of Black Enterprise.

First, Black Enterprise is a staple and to be compared to them is something I am grateful for; I understand the comparison, but what differentiates us is that we’re more of a lifestyle brand. Cultivating a community of younger thinkers is a goal of mine. When I think of it, Black Enterprise features more CEOs talking business, and there are the one-offs, but it’s more like a Black Forbes. With QG, I want us to be more lifestyle and discuss grooming habits, the music we’re interested in, and TV & film plus athletes managing their lifestyles from their foundations, families to politics.

Name three individuals you’d like to have on a cover and why?

Usher – who is my favorite singer ever. I love how he’s remained relevant all these years. It’s a testament to the work he’s put in over the last almost three decades and how timeless everything he’s touched has become. Tyler James Williams is an example of a Quintessential Gentleman; from how he champions Black women to his work ethics. It is both admirable and inspirational. Finally, Kelvin Harrison Jr. is so talented, and I’m blown away by this guy even with him being so young and new to the industry.

Talk to me about the idea of making your issues available for print in a world where everything in publishing is heavily focused on digital. 

Personally, it’s about creating our own version of a coffee book. The way it’s designed is intentional, along with the content we fill each issue up with. It’s print to order, so if you visit our site and come across a cover released in 2018, you can still have that printed out for yourself and learn something you might’ve missed.

Also, we don’t always see Black faces when you’re looking at these different publications at whichever newsstand, especially Black men. I wanted QG to be the publication to offer that. I want to feel and see the product in its flesh. It’s something about walking into my friends’ houses and seeing it on their tables – I like how it looks.

I’m interested in learning about a couple of the partnerships QG has because I see the value, but I’m wondering what your sponsors see and what motivates them to advertise with you.

One of the partnerships we’ve been cultivating and growing is with Google. We’ve worked on several events, most recently our Black Men in Tech virtual conversation which was very powerful. These conversations need to be had. “Why are we not in tech” in large numbers anyhow? Why don’t we consume more of these roles? Is it fear because the assumption is that you must be a coder?

Our audience isn’t necessarily looking for the specs and the information on the ram, you know, the tech talk. Our readers want to know, “does it work, how does it work, and can it assist me with things?” I love that for us, though, because I want it to become standard that you must stop by The Quintessential Gentleman if you’re going to have conversations with Black men. Just like anyone who’s running for the presidency has to perhaps stop by The View, Trevor Noah, or Good Morning America.

Lastly, how do you elevate from where you are currently, and what does QG’s next phase look like?

Our current phase is about enhancing and building more of the “community” piece; the grassroots of it all because we have our digital footprint and credibility. The goal is to get to the people via conferences, workshops, and events, i.e., mental health talks. I want people to be able to leave our events with some form of a resource and leave us with their opinions on what else they want from the brand. We just want to showcase strong Black men, and there’s an avenue there to do so.

IG (Personal): @EricThomasK

IG (Business): @TheQGentleman

Website: Theqgentleman.com