Author: Dan Beck

Dan Beck is a writer, producer, marketer, manager, mentor and an investor in a long line of trusted relationships. He dedicated 20 years in building and supporting the images for dozens upon dozens of artists on the roster at Epic Records, as head of publicity, product manager and senior vice president of Marketing and Sales. He founded and was president of V2 Records in North America for Virgin entrepreneur and self-made brand Richard Branson. In 2002, he launched his own boutique entertainment marketing company Big Honcho Media, LLC, a pioneer in social media marketing and promotion. Dan started the first major label publicity department in country music in the ‘70s. He was creatively at the forefront of music video production in the ‘80s, and his licensing strategy in the ‘90s launched Moby, forever changing the industry’s strategic model. He has spearheaded marketing strategies for The Clash, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan, Sade, Luther Vandross, Pearl Jam, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Charlie Daniels Band, Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich, Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent and Boston, among many others.  His hearing conservation film “Listen Smart” won the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2004, and was featured exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for over two years. Dan is on the Board of H.E.A.R. (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers). www.hearnet.net. He’s written songs with Hall of Famers Dion DiMucci and Felix Cavaliere. He executive produced indie artist Will Gray’s Broke, a documentary on the sustainability issues facing independent artists in today’s environment. It won “Best Vision in a Music Film” at the 2011 Nashville Film Festival. The film was originally released by SnagFilms in early 2013. www.brokedoc.com. He became sole Trustee of the Recording Industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund in 2013. The organization provides grants to pay professional musicians to perform free for the public good in schools, hospitals, senior centers, parks, and public venues. www.musicpf.org. Dan has been featured in numerous books and in many major media outlets. Recent book features include: Randal Doane’s Stealing All Transmissions: A Secret History of The Clash; Michael Jackson Opus; Stephen Knopper’s The Genius of Michael Jackson; Mike Smallcombe’s Making Michael; Michael Straussguth’s Outlaws: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville; and Dan Ouellette’s Bruce Lundvall: Play By Ear. He is also featured in Spike Lee’s upcoming documentary on the making of Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall” album. He currently contributes articles to online and print publications International Musician and BestClassicBands.com. His blog features personal stories from his music career at www.danbeckwrites.com. Most importantly, Dan is a husband and father. Dan and Clare Kidder married in 1984, and have three grown children; Matthew, Rachel, and Michaela.