Danny Wimmer Presents has spun off its sponsorship and branding department into BrandMark Agency, a wholly owned standalone business run by DWP’s evp Maureen Valker-Barlow who will now serve as president of BrandMark.
Valker-Barlow joined DWP in 2019 after holding various sales roles at record labels and at agencies with clients that include Anheuser-Busch, BMG, Bushmills Irish Whiskey, Cantu Beauty, Jack Daniel’s, KAMP (K-Pop Festival), Kona Brewing Co., Manic Panic, Proof Media Mix, Rockstar Energy Drink, Shelter Music Group and Zenni Optics, among others.
“Since joining us 18 months ago, Maureen has turned an in-house department into a fully functioning business entity. Giving her the freedom to plot BrandMark’s course in conjunction with our festival needs was a natural extension of her leadership and business skills,” says DWP chief executive Danny Hayes. “Her ability to generate business and create opportunity for our partners during COVID-19 encouraged Danny Wimmer and me to invest in this next logical step of Maureen’s career.”
Valker-Barlow has also secured and executed artist sponsorships for talent such as Excision, Future, Kaskade, Lil Yachty and Slipknot, among others and began almost 20 years ago when in 2002 she was a chef on the Vans Warped Tour, catering to touring musicians and staff. After quickly realizing the business of music was her path to personal growth and success, she transitioned through various sales roles at record labels and agencies before landing in her role at DWP.
Jarred Arfa, CEO at AGI talent agency, has contracted BrandMark to work with its clients, telling Billboard, “They’re basically representing us for all branding and partnerships deals. We have never had a division of the company that did that before.”
Arfa adds, “We’ve wanted to be in this space, but we’re always cautious about bringing somebody in, but once the pandemic hit we re-elevated our position and decided we wanted to be proactive. Maureen can bring new relationships and opportunities to our clients and she has a strong track record in music and we are thrilled to work with her.”
