About VMG

Dr. Michael “Butch” Harwood, MD

President — Vintage Media Grading

Dr. Michael “Butch” Harwood brings a lifelong passion for collecting and a formidable academic and professional pedigree to his role as President of Vintage Media Grading. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Providence College (Class of 2001), Michael went on to earn his MD from Brown Medical School in 2005 and completed his Dermatology residency at Brown in 2009. He has practiced as a Board-Certified Dermatologist in Rhode Island ever since, building a respected career grounded in precision, analysis, and uncompromising attention to detail.

Those same traits have shaped him as a collector. Michael has been collecting since the age of three—learning to read through baseball cards and rock ’n’ roll cassettes, and eventually building a significant sports card collection. He has also explored rare toys and other pop-culture artifacts, giving him a broad understanding of how condition, scarcity, and provenance determine long-term value across collectible categories. Today, his passion focuses exclusively on vinyl, especially sealed releases from the early to late ’90s, an era rich with low-pressing runs and major investment potential.

As President of VMG, Michael blends strategic leadership with a collector’s intuition, helping craft the company’s vision as a premier grading authority for high-condition vinyl. His goal is clear: elevate vinyl to its rightful place as a respected, investible asset class while giving collectors the confidence and tools they need to preserve their most cherished pieces.

Outside of collecting and VMG, Michael enjoys life in Rhode Island with his golden retriever, whose patience has been tested by more than a few late-night grading sessions.

Dr. Paul Brayman, Ed.D

Vice President — Vintage Media Grading

Dr. Paul Brayman brings a scholar’s precision and a collector’s eye to VMG. With a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Rhode Island, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Sacred Heart University, and a Doctorate of Education from New England College, Paul has built a career on disciplined analysis and excellence in evaluation.

That academic foundation directly informs his work in grading and authentication. Paul is known for his meticulous approach—examining every detail, every surface nuance, and every production anomaly to ensure accuracy and consistency across VMG’s standards. His leadership helps safeguard the trust that collectors and investors place in our slabs, reinforcing VMG’s commitment to transparency and long-term value preservation.

Beyond vinyl, Paul has a diverse collection that includes trading cards, tickets, magazines, and music. While he isn’t focused on high-end collectibles, he values items for their personal meaning, stories, and cultural significance. This perspective informs his work at VMG, emphasizing both the emotional and investment value of collectible media.

Paul’s passion for music history and physical media fuels his mission: to help collectors protect the cultural artifacts that define generations, while giving investors the confidence they need to treat vinyl as a serious alternative asset class.

Chad Brayman

Treasurer — Vintage Media Grading

Chad Brayman brings two decades of financial expertise and large-scale operational leadership to VMG. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Chad began his career in investment banking at UBS in Stamford, CT, where he worked closely with institutional clients and developed a keen understanding of how assets grow, move, and retain value.

His path later led him to Electric Boat Corporation, where he played a key role in managing the multi-billion-dollar Virginia-Class submarine manufacturing program—one of the most complex, high-precision industrial efforts in the country. That experience in systems, quality assurance, and long-horizon investment translates directly into VMG’s mission: protecting and elevating the value of high-condition vinyl.

A passionate collector himself, Chad understands the emotional and financial stakes behind preserving rare media. His ability to bridge strategic finance with hands-on collecting makes him a vital part of VMG’s vision to position graded vinyl as a credible, investible asset for collectors and investors alike.

Andrew “Drew” Hoffman

Founder of the First Vinyl Record Grading Company — Vinyl Expert

Andrew “Drew” Hoffman is the founder of Audiophile Archive & Grading Services (AAGS), the first company dedicated to vinyl record grading, a pioneering effort that laid the groundwork for professionalized, market-recognized evaluation of collectible records. As a vinyl expert, Drew now brings decades of experience to Vintage Media Grading, ensuring that each evaluation reflects both technical precision and deep collector insight.

Drew’s academic and technical background is as extensive as his collecting expertise. He studied Physics, Math, and Electronic Design and Sciences at Hagerstown Community College and received professional training in repairing broadcast video equipment from Sony, Panasonic, and JVC. He went on to design and sell video broadcast studios to television stations and schools, demonstrating a rare blend of engineering skill and entrepreneurial vision.

A lifelong musician, Drew has played and performed since the late 1990s and currently performs in a 90s/2000s cover band, One Sock Ollie, in the PA/MD area. His passion for music extends into instrument maintenance—he enjoys repairing guitar amps, guitar effects pedals, and working on guitars in his spare time.

As a collector, Drew has amassed a personal vinyl library of approximately 4,000 records, spanning Jazz, 90s alternative, and many other genres. His hands-on experience in listening, collecting, and preserving vinyl informs VMG’s grading philosophy, combining meticulous physical assessment with an understanding of a record’s sonic and cultural value.

Through his leadership, Drew ensures that VMG provides collectors, investors, and music enthusiasts with a grading service that balances authenticity, preservation, and the joy of music as both art and an investible asset.