The Vital Voice

Darin Slyman - Owner/Publisher

As a former celebrity stylist, Darin Slyman brings over 15-years experience from the style industry. From styling celebrity clients, producing photo shoots and contributing to various print, radio and TV outlets, Darin has been inside and out of this fabulous fashion world. In 2009, Darin switched up careers and is now the publisher of the Vital VOICE Magazine where he enjoys bringing LGBT media to the forefront for the St. Louis Market.  Darin’s fresh approach to LGBT media has taken Vital VOICE to a whole new level.  “I want to showcase, exonerate and promote anything and everything that is awesome about the LGBT community."      

Colin Murphy - Executive Editor

& Senior Writer

Celebrating over 20-years in LGBT media, Colin Murphy is Executive Editor and Senior Writer for Vital VOICE Omni Media.  He has written for numerous community publications since 1991 and his op-ed, “1 Out of 10 Ain’t Bad!” is one of the longest running columns in St. Louis. An avid gay history buff, Colin is a member of the St. Louis Gay History Project and has collaborated with the LGBT Archives at UMSL. He is a member of  the Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and Vital VOICE Advisory Board.  Colin is a former Vice President of The Late Knights of Pythias and currently serves as Secretary of The LGBT Center of St. Louis, Secretary of the Pride St. Louis Scholarship Committee, and  Vice President of Metro East Pride of Southwestern Illinois. In 2010 he was honored as a St. Louis Pride Parade Grand Marshal and is the recipient of the 2010 Missouri Award and 2011 New Day Award presented by the Miss Gay Missouri America Pageant.

Jeff Kapfer - Art Director

Artist Jeff Kapfer has been surrounded by birds his entire life and it shows! At the age of 10, he began bird hunting. Jeff’s family raised chickens as pets, and his father is a self-taught taxidermist. Jeff spent time studying art in Vienna, Austria. While there, his impressions and inspiration began to emerge in sketches, evolving into the iconic bird paintings which can be seen in galleries and private collections across the nation. In 2002, Jeff received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design from Webster University. He came on board Vital VOICE in late 2009 as Art Director where he helped shape the re-design and continues to provide the LGBT publication with its cutting-edge look.

Dieta Pepsi - On-Air Hostess & Administrative Assistant

Leon Braxton is a successful Mortgage Broker by day but is best known for his illusion of the incomparable Dieta Pepsi. Dieta can be found on drag and theatrical stages across St. Louis or at thevitalvoice.com where she entertains audiences across the globe with her on-air antics as Vital VOICE Omni Media's On-Air Hostess. Dieta remains one of Missouri’s most beloved and accomplished female impersonators having collected a trophy case of titles throughout the big four systems, including Miss Gay Missouri, America 1991 and placing in the top five at Miss Gay America. Dieta has been active in the St. Louis LGBT community for over 25-years raising countless dollars. He has served on the Board of Directors of the St. Louis AIDS Foundation and as a master Guardian with Project Ark since 2004 and is the recipient of numerous community service/philanthropic awards. Dieta/Leon presently serves on the Boards of Pride St. Louis, SAGE Metro St. Louis, and St. Louis Effort for AIDS. He is the President of The LGBT Center of St. Louis  and is the founder of the I CARE! Campaign.

Jimmy Lesch - Public Relations & Communications Associate

Jimmy “No Show” Lesch is a communications guru for Vital VOICE Magazine where he designs marketing strategies and social media campaigns for the company’s public relations department. He is one of only two VV interns to become masthead staff. The St. Louis native began his multimedia and design career in the 8th grade with his first self-designed website dedicated to his favorite pop icons: The Spice Girls. Jimmy is also one of the hottest VJs on the LGBT scene where he performs Showtunes Tuesdays at The Loading Zone and Erney’s 32. When he’s not in the VJ booth, you can find him binging on Bravo’s TV or as he calls it, “research and development for my reality show, ‘No Show Knows,’” - Coming fall 20XX.

Chris Andoe - Staff Writer /

West Coast Bureau

Chris Andoe is a writer, storyteller and activist who wanders the West, from St. Louis to San Francisco. Known as "The Wandering Emperor" the crown wearing Andoe has been interviewed by NPR, CBS, and has been quoted everywhere from CNN to The St. Louis Post Dispatch. With his fearless style, curious nature, unique perspective and magnetic lust for life Andoe keeps his followers entertained with tales of his adventures. Whether climbing through abandoned buildings in East St. Louis or interviewing San Francisco's most colorful characters he's going to walk away with an entertaining story.

Andrea Braun - Theatre Correspondent

Andrea England Braun attended the University of Missouri and received a Ph.D. at St. Louis University in 1994. She has long been active in the arts as a performer, a teacher at Webster University, and now as a reviewer and free lance dramaturg. In the past, she was a Kevin Kline judge and a member of the boards of The Orange Girls and Muddy Waters Theatre. She lives in Kirkwood and Lafayette Square, and is proud to be associated with both  Vital VOICE and KDHX Radio.

Curtis Comer - Columnist

Curtis Comer has been writing for over ten years and his short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. His first novel, “Midnight Whispers: The Blake Danzig Chronicles,” was published by Bold Strokes Books in October 2010 and he just completed work on the sequel, “Ghost of a Chance: The Blake Danzig Chronicles." Curtis lives in St. Louis with his partner, Tim, and has been writing his column, (Not Quite) Out to Pasture for Vital VOICE since 2009.