Vida Ali

Born in Trinidad & Tobago, as a child Vida moved with her family to the Washington, DC area. She began her work life at Ben’s Chili Bowl, the iconic Washington, DC restaurant that opened in 1958 by Ben and Virginia Ali.

In 1984, she relocated to Los Angeles with her husband, Sage Ali. Vida quickly jumped into the music business, first at Virgin Records and then at Capitol Records in Hollywood. In 1992, Vida left Capitol, and in partnership with Sage, she launched her own company, Vida Media Group. As one of the entertainment industry’s most highly respected publicists, Vida spearheaded national and international media campaigns for numerous recording artists from superstar MC Hammer to Paul McCartney to Prince, Janet Jackson, and many more.

Vida continued to work with her DC family business by setting up national media campaigns from her VMG West Coast office to bring special attention to the anniversary celebrations of Ben’s Chili Bowl from their 40th to 55th Anniversary.

After spending over 25 years in the entertainment business in Hollywood, Vida returned to Washington, D.C. in 2009 following the death of founder Ben Ali. She is currently working with the family to forward the expansion of the Ben’s Chili Bowl brand as well as the continuation of its legacy in the DC community and beyond.

Senior Advisory Committee