Vibe Unit is a Michigan-based production company, by artists and for artists.
Vibe Unit started its journey as a collective which provided networking and support to local artists as well as operating a shared studio space for its members.
Our mission for five years has been cultivating healthy relationships, improving our artistic output and quality, developing the artistic pursuits of others, and providing opportunities for community, growth, and fun in Benton Harbor and the surrounding areas.
We started a weekly live broadcast in 2020 with friends and local artists and did hundreds of episodes presenting musical content, streaming to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch. Eventually, we got here.
The beginnings of Vibe Unit were in late 2020, as venues were not open for an extended period of time due to Covid-19, which spawned many conversations between friends regarding the lack of outlets for musicians. Jon DeWitt and Mike Shane began planning to transform some available space into a shared practice/jam room, originally for the purpose of just documenting their collaborative sessions. Within a few months, others began participating and Vibe Unit's production values started to take shape, driven by a DIY try-anything approach. At the same time, our video production and social media approach were seeing tremendous improvement and growth, thanks to the creative sensibilities of Ashlee Shane.
By late 2021, things had reached a critical mass, as the need for other systems beyond those related to production became more obvious. After much discussion about where to take things in the following year, the team made the decision to rearrange the space and head towards a more intimate close-shot camera approach, with the purpose of bringing the music-making experience as close to viewers as possible. Early 2022 efforts were focused on this change in approach, as well as improving realtime interactions with viewers.
In May 2022, Vibe Unit secured a commercial space in downtown Benton Harbor, and we spent most of June working to renovate and prepare this location for session work and for facilitating our weekly broadcast.
In early July 2022, we had our first session in the new space. We continued to broadcast from that location until November 2023, continuing the weekly Sunday broadcast tradition. When structural issues with the building arose, we made the hard decision to cease production at that location.
In early 2024, we started getting calls to do outside events. Now, in 2025, we are ready to help with just about any production needs that might come up locally.