Kelvin R. Westbrook, President, CEO, and co-founder of Millennium Digital Media LLC, is one of the most sought-after executives and one of the most influential black business leaders of the early twenty-first century. He serves on the boards of several prominent corporations, including the National Cable Satellite Corporation, also known as C-SPAN.

Westbrook was a partner in the national law firm Paul, Hastings, Janofsky, and Walker in his early career, and he is still a member of the American Bar Association. Millennium Digital Media, founded in 1997, is one of the 30 largest cable providers in the United States in 2005, serving over 150,000 customers in Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Washington, and Oregon. It is a private company with approximately $125 million in sales in 2002.

Kelvin R. Westbrook’s Early Life

Westbrook was born in 1955 and attended the University of Washington, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1977, and Harvard Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctorate in 1982. He later became a partner at the New York City-based national law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky, and Walker, where he specialised in corporate mergers, acquisitions, and finance.

He served as co-chair of the firm’s Telecommunications Practice Group, vice-chair of its recruiting committee, and member of its policy committee. Valerie Bell, a former senior counsel for the New York State Urban Development Corporation, is his wife. They relocated to St. Louis with their three children in 1997 when Millennium Digital Media established its headquarters there. Bell, a public policy expert, has since become a full-time civic volunteer, lending her legal expertise to community projects such as schools and healthcare facilities.

Kelvin R. Westbrook’s Biography

Westbrook founded LEB Communications, Inc. in 1993, his first commercial venture into the telecommunications industry. LEB negotiated contracts with Charter Communications to manage cable television systems throughout the United States. Westbrook’s experience with LEB and Charter prompted him to expand into the broader field of broadband communications.

In 1997, he co-founded Millennium Digital Media with John Brooks, Jeffrey Sanders, and Charles Payer, Jr., a cable company that offers broadband services such as high-speed internet access, cable television, and telephony. They began buying up cable companies across the country, beginning with Baltimore-based North Arundel Cable for around $108 million.

Within seven years, the company had grown to be one of the top 30 cable providers in the country, with over 150,000 customers across four states. Millennium Digital Media is headquartered in St. Louis and operates three regional centres in Maryland, Michigan, and Washington.