Home Login RADIO ONLINE RSS Facebook
Advertisement

Benztown Expands Production Team


Darren Silva & Jake Urbanek
Darren Silva & Jake Urbanek

Benztown is expanding its production leadership team with the addition of Darren Silva as West Coast Director of Commercial Production for the company and client YamanAir. Also joining the company is Jake Urbanek as Production Manager, Long Form Programming. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Silva joins Benztown after 22 years as Network Production Manager for Radio Disney in Los Angeles. He specializes in commercial production, imaging, writing, and voiceover. Silva got his start in radio in 1984 as an overnight jock for his hometown station in San Luis Obispo, CA, then moved to Los Angeles in 1987 to be on-air at the legendary 105.5 KNAC under the name "Dangerous Darren", and headed to Dallas in 1995 to rock the airways on 97.1 The Eagle. Silva joined Radio Disney in 1998. He has also been with SiriusXM for the past 17 years as a DJ on Hair Nation, Ozzy's Boneyard, and Classic Rewind.

Urbanek imports from Apple Music in Los Angeles, where he was Assistant Producer of The Zane Lowe Show. Prior to that, he was Audio Engineer for over 8 years Mr. Smalls Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, PA. He was also Sound Engineer for the Washington Symphony Orchestra in Washington, PA. Urbanek studied Commercial Music Technology at California University of Pennsylvania, where he hosted a weekly radio show on WCAL 91.9 FM.

"Darren and Jake are world class producers with remarkable resumes and amazing attitudes," said Dave "Chachi" Denes, President, Benztown. "We're ecstatic to have them both join the Benztown team!"

"I've been aware of the Benztown company and brand since they started," said Silva. "I've been in touch with them since my days with Radio Disney. The talent at Benztown is unmatched and I am honored to be part of this company and work with these amazing people, as well as with Yaman and the amazing creative team at YamanAir."

"I look forward to working and learning from the best, while bringing my experience in production to such an amazingly talented and driven team," added Urbankek.

Advertisement

Latest Radio Stories

Urban One Names New Dallas Leadership Team
Maurice Potts
Maurice Potts
Urban One Dallas has announced a series of leadership appointments for its Dallas-Fort Worth radio cluster following the company's acquisition of Service Broadcasting. Maurice Potts (pictured) has been named Vice President and General Manager, Karl Whittingham has been promoted to Director of Sales, and More

SiriusXM Launches $5-Per-Month Sports Pass
SiriusXM
SiriusXM
SiriusXM is introducing SiriusXM Sports Pass, a new subscription tier that packages the company's complete sports audio lineup into a standalone offering for $5 per month or $49 annually. The new service launches September 1, timed with the start of the college football and NFL More

Ian Rambo Named OM for Connoisseur Fredericksburg
Ian Rambo
Ian Rambo
Connoisseur Media has appointed veteran programmer Ian Rambo as Operations Manager for its Fredericksburg, VA, cluster. Rambo joins the company after more than a decade in Midwest broadcasting. Most recently, he served as Operations Manager for Riverfront Broadcasting in Rapid City, SD. Prior to More
Advertisement

Edison: Audio Key to Reaching 2026 Voters
Edison Research at SSRS
Edison Research at SSRS
A new analysis from Edison Research's Share of Ear study highlights the importance of ad-supported audio as political campaigns gear up for the 2026 U.S. election cycle, finding that 81% of voting-age Americans are reached by ad-supported audio every day. The report examines which audio platforms most More

TM Studios Brings TRIL Imaging Library to U.S.
TM Studios
TM Studios
TM Studios has partnered with Capital Of Media to bring TRIL -- The Radio Imaging Library to broadcasters across the U.S., offering producers a growing collection of production elements designed to speed workflow while supporting creative station imaging. Already in use by major European broadcasters More

Allison Demers Joins WIHS as News Director
Allison Demers
Allison Demers
Religious WIHS-FM in Middletown, CT has named veteran Connecticut broadcaster Allison Demers as its new Faith & Ministry News Director and weekday afternoon host. Demers will make her on-air debut Monday, August 3, hosting afternoons from 2-6pm. A Waterbury native with three decades of radio and More

Return to Menu

Advertisement

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Radio news and headlines delivered right to your e-mail box -- and it's free.

Advertisement

Advertisement