Mario Davis
Los Angeles,CA
Summary
21 years of creative sync, strategic brand partnerships, culture marketing, live events, & original content development in music & advertising. Led creative teams in high profile executive roles at EMPIRE and Translation + UnitedMasters, and built and scaled massively successful Sync & Brand Partnerships divisions at both companies. For over two decades have been a trusted brand guardian and strategic thought leader for many of the largest & most influential companies in the world. Created best-in-class work for NBA, Disney, ESPN, Apple, 2K Games, Coca-Cola, and many more.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
VP Global Partnerships & Sync
EMPIRE Distribution, Recordings, & Publishing
Los Angeles, CA
08.2020 - Current
- Built the Sync & Brand Partnerships Division from the ground up and led a nine person global team of creatives and administrative direct reports located across the US, UK and Africa
- Increased Sync revenue by 20x and Partnerships revenue by 40x in 3.5 years, and achieved record profitability without significantly increasing headcount
- Developed and launched major global partnerships and negotiated highly lucrative Sync and Brand deals with companies including Pepsi, RedBull, Campari Group, Proximo Spirits, SXM Pandora, Amazon Music, EA Games, ESPN, Universal Pictures, Marvel Studios / Disney, Puma, CashApp, Clarks Originals and many more
- Business development and sales lead for all major EMPIRE sync and brand partnership client accounts
- Instrumental in establishing EMPIRE's brand presence globally through strategic partnerships, high profile events, live and virtual activations, well-publicized sync placements in film, TV, gaming, soundtracks, sports, and other popular content
- Collaborated closely with frontline priority EMPIRE artist talent and management teams (Examples: Larry June, D Smoke, T-Pain, Babyface Ray, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Asake, Fireboy DML, Anderson Paak) on numerous partnership, sponsorship and sync projects
- Implemented key business, administrative and internal creative process improvements, established department KPIs, and developed highly successful external client sales and comms strategies which resulted in measurable ROI.
Global Head of Sync & Partnerships
UnitedMasters + Translation LLC
Los Angeles, CA
01.2019 - 08.2020
- Launched the new Sync & Partnerships Division at UnitedMasters
- Oversaw music supervision & licensing, music strategy & sonic branding for Translation on behalf of the agency's core AOR clients, including NBA, State Farm, AT&T, ESPN, JBL, Bose, Brooklyn Nets, and MSG Networks
- Built and operationalized the UnitedMasters sync licensing catalog as the repertoire scaled from 2500 artists to approximately 1.5 million artists on-platform in under 2 years
- Successfully developed, launched and managed some of the most lucrative and culturally impactful sync and brand partnerships of the last decade, including B2B deals with Take 2 Interactive (NBA2K), Disney/ESPN/Disney, Snap Inc, Twitch, and NBA
- Oversaw sonic branding and global music strategy for sports franchises Brooklyn Nets, NY Knicks, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, and NJ Devils, media companies ESPN and MSG Networks, and consumer brands Bose and AT&T
- Helped launch UM artists NLE Choppa, Tobe Nwigwe, and Armani White, all of whom have gone on to become superstars.
VP Creative Licensing & Brands
Spirit Music Group
Los Angeles, CA
02.2018 - 02.2019
- Led West Coast Business Development & Sales for brand and agency clients
- Client Agency List (partial): 72&Sunny, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Saatchi & Saatchi, W&K, Deutsch, Media Arts Lab, CP&G, BBDO, Droga5, JWT, Grey, Translation, McGarry Bowen, Leo Burnett
- Direct to Brand List (partial): Apple, Nike, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, NFL, Ralph Lauren, Frito-Lay, Nestle, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, MLB, LA Lakers, Land Rover
- Represented some of the well-known artist catalogs and songwriters in the world (partial list): The Who, Pete Townsend, Elvis Presley, Nas, Charles Mingus, Frank Sinatra, James Blake, Tim McGraw
- 5 Million in revenue.
Director of Creative Licensing
Position Music
Los Angeles, CA
07.2015 - 02.2018
- Oversaw Global Business Development & Sales for brand and agency clients
- Pitched and landed high dollar sync placements and brand partnerships with Fortune 500 clients, including Miller-Coors, Google, RollsRoyce, Sony Pictures, Marvel, HBO, Netflix, Nike, Apple, Rockstar Energy, LVMH Moet Hennessy, Ford Motor Company
- 11 million in revenue.
Director of Licensing & Business Development
Music Dealers
Los Angeles, CA
10.2014 - 07.2015
- Managed and led a 12 person sales team to drive sales and new business for Music Dealer's Sync & Brand Partnerships Division
- Primary point of contact for company's major film and TV clients and select Fortune 500 brands and global agencies
- Co-led account management and global music strategy for Music Dealer's music agency clients Coca-Cola and Airbnb
- Created award-winning sonic branding work for Coca-Cola and sub-brands Coke Zero, Fanta and Dasani, which included original brand anthems, global UGC campaigns, mnemonics & sonic logos.
Head of Film & TV Music
Finger Music & Sound Design
Los Angeles, CA
11.2012 - 10.2014
- Headed up new division at Finger Music-one of the leading custom music, licensing and independent music supervision companies in the world
- Organized the company's vast music catalog and successfully licensed and pitched the catalog to clients in TV & film, gaming sports, and advertising
- Music supervisor on over 300 nationwide and international TV spots
- Oversaw the creation of over 1500 bespoke songs, instrumental cues, mnemonics and sonic logos for over 500 movies, scripted and non-scripted television programs, commercials, gaming titles and film trailers
- 6 million in revenue.
Co-Founder / Director of A&R
Angry Mob Music
Los Angeles, CA
01.2010 - 12.2012
- Co-founded and led A&R for the LA-based independent boutique music publishing and licensing company
- Signed over 250 artists and songwriters
- Successfully pitched and licensing music on behalf of the Angry Mob music catalog and secured 100+ sync placements.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy
Princeton University
01-2001
Skills
- Revenue Cycle Management
- Data Analysis
- Media Relations
- OKRs and KPIs
- Proposals and Presentations
- Sales leadership
- Contract Negotiation
- Project Management
- Corporate Communication
- Business Development
- Stratergy Planning
- Creative Problem Solving
- Ongoing Process Improvement
- Relationship Building
Additional Skills
- Microsoft Office
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Keynote
- Canva
- Google Products
- Apple Products
- SalesForce
- Winmo
- ChatGPT
- Midjourney
Timeline
VP Global Partnerships & Sync
EMPIRE Distribution, Recordings, & Publishing
08.2020 - Current
Global Head of Sync & Partnerships
UnitedMasters + Translation LLC
01.2019 - 08.2020
VP Creative Licensing & Brands
Spirit Music Group
02.2018 - 02.2019
Director of Creative Licensing
Position Music
07.2015 - 02.2018
Director of Licensing & Business Development
Music Dealers
10.2014 - 07.2015
Head of Film & TV Music
Finger Music & Sound Design
11.2012 - 10.2014
Co-Founder / Director of A&R
Angry Mob Music
01.2010 - 12.2012
Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy
Princeton University
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