Denise Pendleton
At the tender age of 15, Denise Pendleton, as young teenager in Chicago, landed her first job on Soul Train, as an assistant to the Producer. Since then, she has acquired a well-deserved reputation as a consummate professional with a proven track record in virtually every aspect of the entertainment business.
A Motown alumnus, Denise's ten years with that legendary company allowed her to accumulate early hands-on experience and expertise as a Film and Television Producer, Artist Management, Tour Coordinator, and Image Consultant. Denise subsequently oversaw the concert tours, for such artist as, El Debarge, Jennifer Holiday, Deniece Williams, The Temptations, and Luther Vandross featuring DeBarge national tour.
In addition to her duties at Motown, she served as a Talent Consultant for Burrell Advertising Agency. She booked and negotiated Celebrity Talent services and fees for numerous national television radio and campaigns including; Wil Downing, Pac Bell, En Vogue, Cameo, New Edition for Coca-Cola, DeBarge for Big Mac, and the 1995 Super bowl commercial hit ‘Big Mac Scat’ featuring Al Jarreau and Vesta. She also produced several entertainment promotional events for Blue Chip clients at Burrell including; The Sprite Vibe MC Battle, Quaker Oats Gospel Fest, Coca-Cola Soul Train ‘Lady of Soul’ concert.
Her free-lance skills earned her numerous production assignments as a Production Coordinator, Talent Booker, and or Media Coordinator for award winning music shows such as; The Grammys, The Billboard Awards, The Soul Train Awards, The American Music Awards, HBO pay-per-view specials, and Showtime At The Apollo.
By 2007 she started her own Production Company DeNice Productions, Inc., and thrust her production talents into helping less fortunate individuals by merging charity organizations along with her blue chip client contacts in advertising by producing special events for clients including: St. Sabina School, The Links Inc,. The Sinatra Child Abuse Foundation, 100 Black Men, Inc., The Crystal Stairs Inc., Pan African Film Festival, The Four Tops for “Live w/ Levi”- 50th Anniversary Event starring, Aretha Franklin. In a joint venture with the Grammy Foundation, she created and produced The H.E.R.B.I.E. Awards (Honoring the Evolution of Rhythm and Blues in Entertainment) honorees included The Chi-Lites, Kayne West, Betty Wright, Cuba Gooding Sr., and Angie Stone. Proceeds of the events benefit The Rhythm and Blues Foundation Motown Fund.
She recently served as Producer and Talent Scout at the famous Beverly Hills Hotel Bar 1912 Live Music Series, featuring Michelle Coltrane, The Motown Revue featuring new emerging musicians from Berkley, UCLA, and USC music programs. She serves as Assistant to the Producers for The 20th Anniversary (ABFF) American Black Film Festival 20th, and BET presents: American Black Film Festival Honors 2016 and 2017. She is member of The Independent Documentary Association (IDA), Women In Film, and (BADD-West) The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers-West.
Today, she is president of Baby Boomers Unite, Inc. a special events and media arts mentoring program in California. Their mission is to train and assist ‘boomers’ and their families to secure employment in the entertainment industry. BBUnite recently secured a special grant to produce a documentary film for PBS entitled: Burrell: Advertising Revolution. The film traces Tom Burrell, and the Burrell Advertising Agency journey from the 1960s to today, telling the story of a groundbreaking innovator who broke Chicago advertising’s color barrier and in doing so, permanently shifted the landscape of American advertising. Burrell: Advertising Revolution will mark her debut documentary film.
