Press

Being idled for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic gave Shomes time to reflect on his career and guided his decision to amicably depart UTA, which acquired The Agency Group not long after his arrival in October 2014.

“I just decided I really missed being an independent agency and running my own shop,” he says, adding that DADP will continue to collaborate with other agencies, co-booking some artists. It is a business model that Shomes pioneered and has benefitted many of his clients for more than two decades.

“In the beginning it may have seemed strange to have two different agencies co-representing an artist, but it has really worked,” Shomes explains. “I am especially proud of the booking partnership I have with CAA on Aaron Lewis. It has really made a huge difference in how we have successfully built his solo career while still being sensitive to the Staind business which we also co-represent.”

Shomes had the good fortune to open DADP just in time for the darkest days of the pandemic to begin to lift.

“I reopened on April 19, which is when people in the buying world would turn back on. It’s an exciting time to be in this industry when the last year and a half was really painful,” Shomes adds. “It was hard, but there’s a pent-up demand for the fans to see these artists. And all of these artists are excited to get back out there and do what they love and what they are tremendous at, which is to entertain the fans and put on an energetic live show.”

Shomes’ current roster includes 30 clients across a wide variety of genres such as Snoop Dogg (in association with Bobby Dee and Uncle Snoop’s Army), 98 Degrees, Aaron Lewis, Staind, Marie Osmond, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Tyler Henry – The Hollywood Medium, The Commodores, George Benson, Ice-T, Deal Or No Deal – Live, War, Village People, Skid Row, Jefferson Starship, Shaun Cassidy, Keyshia Cole, Naughty By Nature, and many more.

Shomes is especially gratified to work with hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg and points to Danny Wimmer Presents’ recently announced Louder Than Life festival with hard rock heroes Metallica and Nine Inch Nails as a special moment.

“He’s pumped,” Shomes says of Snoop Dogg. “The great thing about Snoop is that he really does roll through different genres at this point. He’s a global superstar and he’s performed in rock, hip-hop, R&B, rap, pop. Everybody loves him and the way he has built his career over multiple decades is brilliant.”

Shomes made a name for himself at DADP 1.0 as a pioneer in casino booking at a time when agencies and casinos were just beginning to really appreciate just how mutually beneficial their businesses could be, and he is proud that, in just five weeks since re-opening DADP 2.0, he is well-positioned to expand from casinos and soft tickets to service their clients into theaters, arenas and other venues on a worldwide basis.

As of press time, Shomes has put together a team of seven, including agents Michelle Scarbrough, Ben Gomez, Brian Escobar and Carleen Terrano, coordinator Aidan Flynn and operations director Anthony Pecora, with more agents to be announced shortly.

“With the agency culture that I’m building, it’s really independent,” Shomes says. “The people that I’m hiring are veterans and talented younger agents that are hungry; they have been through the big agency system and for one reason or another they’re now drawn to a smaller agency system. They are people that have tremendous relationships, great booking skills, and are great human beings. And most importantly, they have a deep understanding and appreciation for our client roster which is just so critical to success for the artists.”

Shomes acknowledges that there’s an oversized pool of available agents thanks to the layoffs and furloughs that were among the most painful aspects of a year in business lockdown.

“Unfortunately, there’s lots of great people that are still on the sidelines from the furloughs and downsizing. But that has allowed me to have some great conversations with some people that were really just victims of the pandemic that deserve to be back on the front lines.To have those conversations now and to align in this way is exciting.”

In the worlds of fairs and festivals, the sun is starting to come out and many are beginning to announce concert lineups. They might not be at full capacity and the money not as big, but Shomes says it’s important that they come back  in whatever configuration they can.

“We’ve seen a lot of fairs around the country come back online, and it’s exciting because the fairs have been really hurt,” he says. “It’s tough to go a couple of years without having a fair, and I’ve seen that with some of the festivals as well. Even if they are used to doing 15,000 people and they can only socially distance in 2021 for 2,500 they want to do something because it’s important for their brand not to be quiet for two years.”

“I respect how hard the venues, buyers and promoters have worked to provide entertainment for fans during a very difficult time. We’ve seen a lot of ingenuity, whether it’s the drive-in concerts or the virtual concerts. What’s great about our business is entrepreneurs will always find a way and lead by example.”