Leadership with
a cultural point of view.

FOUNDER · CULTURAL STRATEGIST · MEDIA EXECUTIVE

Jarvus Ricardo Hester

Founder, East Harlem Tourism Board

Jarvus Ricardo Hester is a cultural entrepreneur, media executive, editor, and performing artist whose work brings together storytelling, the arts, community, and public engagement. His vision for the East Harlem Tourism Board is rooted in the belief that a neighborhood’s cultural assets can open pathways to broader visibility, stronger relationships, and meaningful economic opportunity.

Hester is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Mood Magazine NYC and the Founder and Artistic Director of Harlem Collective Opera. A lyric tenor and alumnus of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, he brings an artist’s perspective to cultural storytelling and the presentation of Black artistic achievement.

His professional background also includes 11 years as Editor-in-Chief of Live Free Magazine and work in marketing leadership at the national headquarters of the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri. Across media, marketing, and the performing arts, his work has focused on connecting stories with audiences and building platforms that help people and institutions be seen.

Through the East Harlem Tourism Board, Hester is developing an independent destination and cultural storytelling initiative that starts in East Harlem and builds connections across New York, the United States, and international cultural communities. The long-term vision includes reciprocal promotion, creative collaboration, artist exchanges, and opportunities for artists and professionals to share their knowledge through teaching and masterclasses.