Digital Brand Architects (DBA)

Method

DBA is founded in 2010 by Kendra Bracken-Ferguson and Karen Robinovitz to manage fashion and beauty bloggers, and is paid a management commission on the brand deals and licensing it negotiates. Under chief executive Raina Penchansky it manages more than 140 creators by 2019, including Manny MUA, Laura Lee, Patrick Starrr, Aimee Song and Emily Schuman, and owns Digital Brand Products for merchandise licensing and the Dear Media podcast studio. UTA acquires DBA in February 2019 for an undisclosed sum and keeps it as a standalone unit with its leadership in place. DBA is still hiring in 2025, adding four managers, and remains the management layer beneath UTA's agency business.

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The path: money and goods moving

• spawnedDear MediaDBA launches and owns the Dear Media podcast studio before selling itself to UTA in 2019. (partly verified)2018
• acquired byUnited Talent Agency (Digital)UTA acquires Digital Brand Architects in February 2019 for undisclosed terms and keeps it as a standalone management unit.2019
• backed byUnited Talent Agency (Digital)DBA continues as a wholly owned but independently run UTA unit under Raina Penchansky, adding four managers in 2025.2019 to present

Representation, events, tools

• representsManny MUA (Manuel Gutierrez)DBA manages beauty creator Manny MUA, then with 4.9 million subscribers, at the time of the UTA acquisition.2019
• representsPatrick StarrrDBA manages Patrick Starrr, then with 4.3 million subscribers, at the time of the UTA acquisition.2019