2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Shaun Buford

Buford joined radio giant Audacy in 2012 as director of sales, receiving the additional title of vice president in 2022. Before joining Audacy, he was sales manager for CBS/Viacom and New Jersey-based radio station WQXR. In April 2024, Buford and Audacy stepped in for the rescheduled Something in the Water and held a music festival on the Oceanfront.

MOST MEANINGFUL JOB: I think the most meaningful job I had was my first job in radio in Columbus, Georgia. I was able to learn, but mostly I was given the encouragement and somewhat the freedom to fail. There, I found a passion for helping business owners achieve their marketing goals; I wanted to be a resource to drive growth for as many businesses as I could.

MOST MEANINGFUL AWARD I’VE RECEIVED: It’s not an award per se but a gift from a sales team. On a 12-inch ruler, each member took an inch to write their name, and on the back, it reads, “The impact you have had on the lives of the people who inscribed this cannot be measured.” Not a plaque, but a heck of an honor.

PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: While working in NYC, I had the chance to shepherd the local television rights for the Yankees (as a boy from the Bronx, still slightly goosebumped). I created and led a team that put together a multi-platform deal for a new automobile product launch that included radio, TV, out of home, transit and, in cooperation with the team, an in-stadium presence.

HOBBIES: I play blues and funk harmonica when I get home to blow off some steam for the day and pretend I am touring with Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker.