Meet Dexter Bensman | VP of Project Management

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dexter Bensman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dexter, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
There are a handful of reasons why I decided to pursue a creative path professionally but what started it was my love for music. I always found myself being that friend who’s sending new songs, finding new artists, going to shows, and creating a million playlists to share. I had no idea what I wanted to do after college and unfortunately, all of that didn’t hit me until my last semester making it too late to switch paths. So for the next four years, I worked in construction and had a few sales jobs until I finally landed a job in the music industry. During those four years, I was still trying to break my way into the industry but my lack of experience and not being in Nashville for the majority of those years really held me back. Even though being a music industry professional is what I wanted to do there were a lot of times when I almost gave up pursuing this career. I’m really good at sales and I was making good money but it was taking a toll on me. I’m grateful for the experience and I use the skills I learned every day but at the end of the day, I was miserable. So I kept at it and created my music brand KnoMusicRow. Which gave me some credibility in the music industry, and that finally led to my first interview at Innovo Management. Fast forward two years and I now run the Project Management division as the VP of Project Management. In the end, music has always been a passion of mine. It just took me a while to figure it out. I’m glad that I persevered and found a career that I truly enjoy.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My story is probably a little bit different from other business professionals in the music industry. Unfortunately, I didn’t fully realize that music was a passion of mine until the absolute last second of my last semester in college. By that time it was far too late to change majors.

After graduating college at The University of Dayton, I applied to every single music-related business I could find in the Nashville area. At this time, I knew very little about the music industry and was not aware that I was going against a million Belmont students. Surprise, I didn’t receive a single response. After about 8 months of living at home and working construction, which I’ve done on and off for my whole life, I finally landed a sales job at Groupon in Chicago.

So I packed up and moved into the heart of Wrigleyville, living about a minute’s walk from Wrigley Field. I spent three years in Chicago and got to experience the Cubs winning the World Series, breaking the 108-year drought. Go Cubbies! During my time in Chicago, I remained in the sales space but I still had my eyes set on the music industry. At this point, I’ve exhausted and probably annoyed every possible music company in the greater Chicago area. I loved Chicago and it will always hold a special place in my heart but I decided it was time to make the move to Nashville.

I took a sales job to get me down here and officially move into my apartment in January of 2019. I continued to work that sales job until I got laid off due to covid in March of 2020. Which ended up being a blessing in the end because I was able to shift my focus solely on getting a job in the music industry. Using all of my sales tactics to hound every company I could find in the Nashville area. I got a few responses but nothing super promising due to my lack of experience and how competitive the music industry is here.

So I decided to start my own music venture to give me some sort of recognition in the music industry. I created a brand and a popular Spotify playlist called KnoMusicRow, that showcases all of the up-and-coming country artists to keep an eye on. With an Instagram showcasing their talents from a lighter less professional perspective. I’m continuing to grow and mold KnoMusicRow but it’s become more of a side project at this point as my focus has shifted.

After being unemployed during the covid pandemic for about 7 months, finally, my persistence paid off. I emailed Innovo Management through their project management inquiries email on Facebook and received a response months later for a Project Manager role available. After going through the interview process, I was officially hired at Innovo Management as a Project Manager in September of 2020. After about 6 months in the role, I was promoted to Project Director. Then after another 6 months or so I was promoted to VP of Project Management where I oversee the entire Project Management division. I have two other employees on my team and our eyes are on growth!

As the VP of Project Management, I build out and manage custom digital marketing campaigns for musicians across the globe. My team can be brought on to create fully customized plans pertaining to project rollouts and to assist artists in navigating the digital space to make the most of their upcoming releases. Assisting with all things digital marketing, including Spotify Studio/Marquee ads, pitching to targeted user-generated playlists, TikTok ads, TikTok consulting, TikTok content calendars, YouTube ads, YouTube Playlisting, Facebook/Instagram ads, and much more. Essentially, we aim to assist musicians with as much or as little as they need help with in rolling music out. No matter if we’re a piece or the entire puzzle, we work to ensure all artists exceed their goals and create a release that everyone is happy with. We’re here to help new or established artists create a better path for success and I think that’s what sets us apart. We’re a one-stop shop for all artists and creators alike to make the most out of their upcoming projects.

Overall, It was a long hard road but everything eventually paid off and I’m proud I stuck with it. I made it into the music industry, I love what I do, I’m here to stay, and I’m just getting started!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Nashville has a ton to offer outside of the bar scene but a trip down to Broadway is a must if you’ve never been before. I recommend going during the day to avoid the mob crowds and mile-long lines though. Also, considering we’re in Music City there’s a good chance we would try to catch a show or two. Attending a writer’s round is always a unique and cool experience to learn from the writer’s side and how the song came about. On just about any given day there’s a good chance that there’s a round going on and a lot of them are free! I could list about a hundred bars and restaurants that are a good time but my favorite thing about Nashville is the abundance of hikes, lakes, and rivers that are just outside the city. There are two lakes and a handful of hikes less than 30 minutes from downtown and the further you go out the better they get. Giant waterfalls with swimming holes and natural lazy rivers are a couple of activities that not many peoples get to experience. I highly recommend a trip to Music City, Nashville Tennessee!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Many friends and family were very supportive when I decided to pursue a career in the music industry but a couple of them stick out the most. My girlfriend Kendall, is first on that list. During my pursuit of this career I moved from Ohio to Chicago, back to Ohio, and then finally made the move to Nashville. We were dating during that time and we didn’t see each other for long periods but we made it work. She knew I had my eyes set on the music industry and stuck with me every bit of the way, helping in any way she could. When we first moved to Nashville, Kendall worked at a popular bar in Nashville called, Tin Roof, where a lot of music industry professionals and artists would frequent. During her time there she would always mention my name when she had the opportunity to make a connection. She’s been supportive every step of the way and I’m grateful for that.

The second person I’d like to shout out is the CEO and Co-Founder of Innovo Management, Sam Saideman. I had little to no music industry experience coming into this job and I was still brought on to join the team. I was very eager to learn and over the past two years, I’ve gained a tremendous amount of knowledge by working under him. No matter what it is, Sam has always been willing to take time out of his day to answer my questions and share his expertise on the subject. He’s got a lot to deal with on a daily basis and I really appreciate the time and effort he’s put in to better develop my career as a music industry professional. Thanks, Sam!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dedder14/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dexterbensman/

Other: https://www.instagram.com/knomusicrow/