You’re gaining momentum in your field and you’re on fire! Your hard work stands above the crowd and shines bright. By being engaged and curious, you are a producer of excellence.
At 20 years of media & entertainment marketing experience, Denise is a seasoned professional. She is currently the Vice President of Brand Strategy at iHeartMedia, specializing in multicultural marketing partnerships. She is also a professor at Fordham University Gabelli School of Business, where she teaches Advanced Business Communications at the graduate level.
Her most recent post was as a senior member of the WarnerMedia Entertainment Content Partnerships team and served as the NYC Chair of the Black Professionals at WarnerMedia Business Resource Group. Denise has held marketing partnerships roles at NBCUniversal, the NBA and TV One’s “One Solution” portfolio team, where she developed award winning marketing solutions across TV One, Radio One, Reach Media, and Interactive One.
She started as an intern at Viacom’s VH1 Save The Music and spent almost 9 years in various consumer and integrated marketing roles throughout the company including Noggin/The N, where she developed marketing campaigns with hit show Degrassi’s Aubrey Graham, aka Drake and custom brand campaigns with celebs like Fat Joe. She was also at Viacom’s Comedy Central, and MTV/MTV2 where she developed the 1st sponsored episode of MTV2’s short form series, Hood Fab.
Denise has a BS in Music Business from Indiana State University and an MBA with a dual concentration in Marketing and Media & Communications from Fordham University Gabelli School of Business. She was in the 1st class of the Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) MBA Prep class and has served as the President of the Fordham Black & Hispanic MBA Association and VP of the Fordham Media & Entertainment Alliance. She has served as the NY Chapter President of NAMIC (National Association of Multi-ethnicity in Communications) and in 2019, she completed the NAMIC Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Her many accolades include The Network Journal’s 2019, 40 Under 40 Achievement Award in recognition of her professional accomplishments and contribution to the community. She was recognized as a 2020 Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) Technology Catalyst and was recently named as a 2021 Trailblazer Honoree from Black Women in Media.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Denise is a classically trained pianist, an avid world traveler, and a proud & active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Find Denise on LinkedIn and learn more about her work at https://www.deniselbennett.com/ !
The ACNY Foundation is proud to recognize outstanding industry professionals, during our 4th Annual Black History Month recognition series titled, “Icons, Rock Stars & Innovators”.
It is our way of shining the spotlight on exemplary talent, integral to the evolution and growth of the advertising industry. Each day during Black History Month we profile a selected “Icon, Rock Star & Innovator” across all our digital platforms. Though we cannot be together in person, the spirit of our history and the legacy of our excellence lives on in us. Follow the series on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!
P.S. Check out our other content from previous years
2020 – Honorees
2019 – Sizzle Reel
2019 – Online Exhibition
2019 – Icons, RockStars, & Innovators
2018 – Icons, RockStars, & Innovators
