Kimberly Osorio

Kimberly Osorio
Born (1974-06-14) June 14, 1974
The Bronx, New York, United States
Other names Kim Osorio
Occupation Editor/Writer/TV Personality
Known for The Source magazine lawsuit
Title Author/Editor In Chief of The Source (magazine)
Religion Catholic
Children three
Website kimosorio.com

Kimberly Osorio (born June 14, 1974 in The Bronx, New York City) is an American Hip hop music journalist, writer, author, TV producer and personality, who holds a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University. She is also a cast member on the American reality TV series, "The Gossip Game" on VH1.

Career

Kim began her writing career in the 90s, freelancing for publications such as The Source, Vibe, XXL, Billboard, OneWorld and others.

Osorio began working at The Source magazine in 2000 as an Associate Music Editor and was later promoted to Music Editor. She was given the position of Editor-in-chief in 2003.[1][2][3]

As the first female EIC in the history of the publication,[4] she was featured on the cover of the New York Post’s Tempo section, and voted one of the Top 25 influential Latinos in New York. She was called upon by mainstream news outlets such as “The O’Reilly Factor,” and Fox News’ “The Big Story with John Gibson,” to represent Hip-Hop culture, and began a lengthy resume as a talking head for a long list of pop culture television specials on networks such as MTV, VH1, BET, E!, Fuse, and TV One.

In 2005, Osorio filed a lawsuit against The Source alleging sexual harassment, gender discrimination, defamation, retaliatory discharge, and maintaining a hostile work environment.[2][5][6]

While the lawsuit was ongoing in 2005-2006, Kim transitioned from print to online media when she accepted a job as the Executive Editor at BET.com. At BET, she diversified her talents by also serving as an on-air correspondent and producer for the BET News briefs and a gossip reporter for a segment on BET's short-lived television show "The Black Carpet." Upon her departure from BET, she began to freelance for the cable network as a writer, adding shows like “Aaliyah: One In A Million,” “Notarized: The Top 100 Songs Of 2011,” and the BET Awards special “The Chosen” to her resume.

In 2012, Osorio returned to The Source as Editor-in-Chief to help restore the magazine's credibility [7] and solidify the brand's place in the Hip Hop arena.[8]

Osorio is an invited speaker[9] at various Universities across the country as well as industry conferences, sharing both her personal and professional experiences with the masses. She has also served as Principal For A Day at high schools and elementary schools in the Bronx through the PENCIL [10] organization.

Allegations

Osorio filed her report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2005 with fellow employee, ex-marketing VP Michelle Joyce, outlining their case of sexual harassment.[4][11][12] The jury rejected the case brought forth by Michelle Joyce, but Osorio's case went ahead.[13] It is now known that as early as 2004, Osorio began talking to lawyers regarding the merits of her case.[1] The affidavit filed with the EEOC detailed the work environment at The Source, as well as threats and conduct of workers.[4][5] Osorio soon after sent an e-mail to the magazine's Human Resources department outlining her complaint, and after refusing to withdraw her e-mail she was fired.[14] Her employers claimed it was because of poor performance, particularly her decisions on magazine covers and certain negative reviews of artists' CDs.[5] After Osorio's termination, she was accused by Raymond "Benzino" Scott, the magazine's co-founder, of extortion and of sleeping around with hip hop artists.[2][3][5][6][15][16]

Trial

Osorio outlined the environment which was present at the magazine: employees often watched pornographic movies, hung pictures of females in G-strings, smoked pot and called women bitches.[2][3][5] She also claimed that rumors constantly were made detailing untrue stories of her being sexually involved with industry artists.[3][5][15]

The trial lasted 8 days, with Scott being asked to leave, or threatened with removal from the courtroom by Judge Jed S. Rakoff.[5] The Source filed for bankruptcy protection shortly before the verdict was handed down. Osorio's lawyer commented that he was not worried about the filing because, "They're still a viable company."[2][5]

After 2 weeks, a jury of six men and two women concluded that while Osorio had not been a victim of sexual harassment,[2][5][15] the co-founders of The Source, David Mays and Scott, had in fact terminated her in retaliation, and that Scott had defamed her character in an interview. The total judgement was $7.5 million.[2][3][5][6][15][17]

Aftermath of trial

On November 1, 2006, Judge Rakoff rejected the appeals of Mays, Scott and The Source.[18]

Kimberly Osorio then became an editor-at-large at BET Interactive, an affiliate of Black Entertainment Television.[2][6][15][19] In the summer of 2008, Osorio left BET.com to be the VP of Content at Global Grind, where she spent four months before returning to BET.com.

In September 2008, Osorio released a book titled Straight From The Source: An Exposé from the Former Editor in Chief of the Hip-Hop Bible[20] detailing the events of her time at The Source.[17]

The Gossip Game

Kim Osorio is a main cast member on the VH1 reality TV show, The Gossip Game.[21][22] The show followed the careers and personal lives of seven female media professionals working in the urban entertainment industry as radio personalities, journalists, and bloggers. The seven cast members are Vivian Billings, K. Foxx, JasFly, Sharon Carpenter, Candice Williams, and Angela Yee. The show focused on the competitive nature of media coverage of entertainment industry, as well as the particular difficulties female media professionals face when working in a male-dominated field.

The show was produced by VH1 in conjunction with Magilla Entertainment, Mona Scott-Young, and District Media. The Gossip Game consisted of eight episodes, with the premiere airing on VH1 on April 1, 2013.

References

  1. 1 2 "Talking With Kim Osorio". The Village Voice. October 30, 2006.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Jury Award to Source Ex-Editor Disputed". Houston Chronicle. October 25, 2006.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hip-hop mag bagged". New York Daily News. October 24, 2006. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006.
  4. 1 2 3 "Conscience Rap". Village Voice. October 23, 2006.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Carlson, Peter (October 25, 2006). "Hip-Hop Editor Wins Suit over Her Firing". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Jury Award to Source Ex-Editor Disputed". MSN Money. October 25, 2006.
  7. ↑ "Kim Osorio Talks Leading "The Source Magazine" Back To Prominence". HipHopWired. February 2, 2012.
  8. ↑ Kim Osorio Named Editor-In-Chief Of The Source
  9. ↑ "Kim Osorio On Keppler Speakers". Keppler Speakers.
  10. ↑ "PENCIL".
  11. ↑ "Chaos At The Source: Benzino Returns, Kim Osorio Files A Sexual Harassment Lawsuit". Can't Stop Won't Stop. April 11, 2005.
  12. ↑ "Source Co-Founder Quits, Then Vows to Stay, As Discrimination and Harassment Allegations Arise". Folio. April 11, 2005.
  13. ↑ ""Source" of Sex Crazies". New York Post. October 12, 2006. Archived from the original on November 29, 2006.
  14. ↑ "Benzino Slapped With Sexual-Harassment Charges". MTV. April 11, 2005.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Former Source Magazine Editor-in-Chief Awarded $15.5 Million from The Source Trial". BET. October 23, 2006.
  16. ↑ "Editors New "Source" Of Woe". New York Post. October 25, 2006. Archived from the original on November 17, 2006.
  17. 1 2 "Ex Source Editor, Kim Osorio, To Write Tell-All Book". VIBE. October 25, 2006.
  18. ↑ "Kim Osorio Wins $8 Mil...Not $15 From The Source". HipHopDX. November 2, 2006.
  19. ↑ "Ex-Source editor hopes ruling redefines rap". Metro New York. October 25, 2006.
  20. ↑ Osorio, Kim (September 9, 2008). Straight from the Source: An Exposé from the Former Editor in Chief of the Hip-Hop Bible. MTV Books/Pocket Books. ISBN 978-1-4165-5968-9.
  21. ↑ "Full Biography". VH1. May 31, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Kim Osorio Talks Reality TV and Life After The Source". Black Enterprise. April 10, 2013.

External links

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