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

Amy Leimbach Named Beasley Las Vegas Market Manager
Amy Leimbach
Amy Leimbach
Beasley Media Group names 25-year industry vet Amy Leimbach as Vice President and Market Manager of its Las Vegas radio cluster, including KKLZ-FM, KVGS-FM, KOAS-FM, KXTE-FM and KCYE-FM. She began the role on Monday, March 9. Most recently, Leimbach served as Region President for iHeartMedia's Dallas More

NAB Names 2026 Engineering Achievement Award Winners
Bert Goldman
Bert Goldman
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has named Bert Goldman and Harvey Arnold as the recipients of its 2026 Engineering Achievement Awards, recognizing their contributions to radio and television engineering. They will be honored during the We Are Broadcasters Awards Ceremony on the Main Stage at More

B-Dub Radio Expands to 70 Weekend Affiliates
BDub
BDub
B-Dub Radio, in partnership with Skyview Networks, has expanded its national reach to more than 70 weekend affiliates with the addition of Long Island's WWWF-FM (The Wolf). The program, hosted by country personality B-Dub, continues to grow its footprint among country music stations, offering a mix of More
Advertisement

Connoisseur Ups DiPrima to Station Manager in Long Island
Darren DiPrima
Darren DiPrima
Connoisseur Media has promoted Darren DiPrima from Director of Sales to Station Manager for its Long Island cluster. In the new role, DiPrima will oversee day-to-day operations and serve as a liaison between programming, sales, promotions and operations to help execute the company's overall strategy for the More

Rick Savage Returns to 91X as MD/Morning Host
Rick Savage
Rick Savage
XTRA-FM (91X) San Diego has named industry veteran Rick Savage as its new morning host and Music Director, beginning March 23. Savage, a San Diego native who grew up in Poway listening to 91X, previously worked at the station in the early 2000s. That experience helped launch a radio career that later More

Sean Brace Joins Middays with Marks on 97.5 The Fanatic
Sean Brace
Sean Brace
Sports WPEN-FM (97.5 The Fanatic) in Philadelphia has named Sean Brace as midday co-host joining Jon Marks weekdays from 10am-2pm beginning March 9. Brace reunites with Marks after the pair previously hosted together on The Jon & Sean Show on The Fanatic from 2013 to 2015, where they developed a following 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