WHO WE
ARE
LEADERSHIP
Austin Webster | Founder & CEO
“Music has been a constant passion throughout my whole life. Since I was 5 years old rushing to tape “I Go To Work” by Kool Moe Dee off the radio the first time I heard it, or walking to the local record store in high school to buy the latest singles or albums I read about in The Source magazine, I’ve always loved finding and enjoying new music.”
Over 14 years experience in design & product/software development working with teams both domestically & internationally to deliver products to Fortune 500 retailers. Austin brings a robust design & product-focused approach to leading Deepr.
Darrell Thompson | Co-Founder & COO
“I have hands-on, in-the-trenches knowledge from working in the music industry everyday for the past 30 years. I know what consumers want. I know what creatives want. I know what industry executives want.”
Over 30 years experience as an entertainment attorney, including working at Motown Records under the direction of Mr. Clarence Avant. Darrell’s strength lies in his strong personal relationships with both top creators and industry executives.
ADVISORS
Dallas Austin | Creator Advisory Board
Since the late 1980s, Grammy-Award-winning producer Dallas Austin has written multiple Billboard number one hits, including “The Boy is Mine” from Brandy and Monica, and TLC’s “Creep.” Over 50 of his songs have been hit singles for artists such as Pink, Gwen Stefani, Aretha Franklin, George Clinton, Michael Jackson, Santana, After 7, Erick Sermon, Johnny Gill, Shakira, Janet Jackson, Macy Gray, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Natalie Cole, Madonna, Bjork, Brand New Heavies, Fishbone, Grace Jones, Tricky and Usher.
Austin produced the first Boyz II Men and TLC projects (respectively Cooleyhighharmony, for which he also co-wrote songs, and the quadruple-platinum Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, for which he co-wrote the Top 10 hits “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” and “What About Your Friends”).
Austin’s additional musical endeavors include opening his own recording studio, D.A.R.P. (Dallas Austin Recording Projects), in Atlanta, as well as the labels Rowdy Records, Limp Records, and Freeworld Entertainment.
Teddy Riley | Creator Advisory Board
An innovator credited with creating New Jack Swing, a genre of music whose influence permeated musical categories including, contemporary R&B, Hip-Hop, Gospel, Soul and Pop since the early 80s, Grammy award winning , multi-platinum mega-producer Teddy Riley continues to remain a relevant force in entertainment.
Riley composed, produced and/or wrote Billboard chart topping, award winning RIAA certified hits and LP's for his Multi-Platinum R&B hit group Guy (Groove Me, Let’s Chill, I Like, Teddy’s Jam) Johnny Kemp, (Just Got Paid) Bobby Brown, (My Prerogative) Heavy D, (Now that We Found Love) High Five, (The Kissing Game) The Winans, (It’s Time) Wreckx-N-Effect, SWV, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, Al B Sure, MC Hammer, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, NSYNC, Big Daddy Kane, New Kids on the Block, Joe, Kenny Lattimore, Robin Thicke, Boys II Men, Lady Gaga, and an extensive list of others.
DL Warfield | Creator Advisory Board
A native of St. Louis who attended Washington University, Warfield was a standout two-sport college athlete in college, excelling in both football as team captain, and in track as a conference champion sprinter. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in painting, Warfield pivoted to a creative career, taking his first paid post-graduation position with Edison Brothers Stores, Inc., to work as a clothing designer and product developer. His job involved creating garment designs and logos for national fashion chain stores such as Oak Tree and Factory, eventually designing concept retail stores.
Today, Warfield splits time between creative direction projects and returning to his roots as a fine artist. For more than 15 years since LaFace closed, Warfield has contributed retail environment design, book and album packaging (he’s personally responsible for the visual branding of music that’s generated over $700 million in sales), web and interactive media, advertising, furniture, and fashion design to a wide range of major clients and corporations. This includes works delivered for Nike, Sprite, Heineken, Anheuser-Busch, Geffen Records, Sony Latin Entertainment, DreamWorks Records, Sony Music, OutKast Inc., Universal Records, Arista Records, HBO, Virgin Records, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Vibe magazine, automotive giant General Motors, and most recently, branding and design for the City of Atlanta’s Film and Entertainment office.
Kim Porter Fluellen | Advisory Board
Kim Porter Fluellen has built a successful and diverse 20+ year marketing career that stands on the foundation of creativity, strategy, and following her passion for shaping start-ups and injecting new life into legacy brands. Kim is a founder and principal of Iconic Spectrum, LLC, a marketing and intellectual property management company that focuses on licensing, marketing, branding, and exploiting copyrights, trademarks, name, and likeness. As part of her strategy for building brands, here she created experiential marketing concepts including international festivals, has secured major partnerships for her clients as well as profitable international deals in categories including spirit/liquor, clothing, electronics and lifestyle. Kim executive produced a documentary for client and jazz great Count Basie and along with other efforts, grew the dormant brand’s awareness and was able to sell it at 10x market value
As an executive at a television and motion picture marketing agency, Kim developed and executed marketing/promotional campaigns for theatrical and television titles for studios including The Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros.
Her entertainment experience also includes sports marketing as she led the marketing team for Chicago’s first women’s basketball team.