Slush Management Taps companyX to Help Expand Brand Strategy for Artists

Slush Management, the boutique artist-management firm behind Porter Robinson, Jai Wolf and EDEN has entered a strategic partnership with companyX, the New York- and London-based brand-partnerships and strategy agency founded by Mara Frankel in collaboration with ATC Group and ROAM.

“Slush Management is focused on world-building around each of our artists, and that requires a deep understanding of how to connect with like-minded brands to scale each artist’s vision,” Aaron Greene, co-founder of Slush Management, tells Billboard. “We’ve always taken that approach while partnering with some of the biggest brands in the world, and our partnership with companyX is the next step in expanding that capability.”

Founded in 2022, companyX grew out of Frankel’s 12-year tenure leading brand partnerships at Atlantic Records. Her new venture was designed to bridge the gap between brands seeking authentic voices and artists ready to build meaningful campaigns beyond one-off sponsorships.

“I’d spent years watching the same ten to 15 major artists land the big brand deals,” Frankel tells Billboard. “We wanted to create an agency that opened those opportunities to a wider group — artists who have the right fan base and interest but not necessarily the infrastructure. companyX became a sort of people’s brand-partnerships agency—an external team that can plug into a management company and help build out opportunities that feel strategic and meaningful.”

Her past successes include campaigns such as Mt. Joy’s brand deal with Coors Light, resulting in a multi-year partnership spanning tour sponsorships and content, and Kimbra’s work with Candy Crush Saga, which produced a bespoke song and video later integrated into the artist’s album rollout.

Greene says Slush’s roster has long attracted interest from forward-thinking brands in gaming, tech and fashion. But until now, Slush managed those relationships internally.

“We’ve done everything from world-building experiences with Crunchyroll to digital collaborations with Magic: The Gathering,” Greene explains. “But we’re managers, not specialists. Having someone like Mara — who lives and breathes brand strategy — allows us to scale those opportunities and find new ones we wouldn’t have the bandwidth to pursue.”

For Neal O’Connor, Slush’s other co-founder, the partnership is about deepening the artist-fan connection.

“These partnerships aren’t just transactions — they’re opportunities to meet fans in other parts of their lives,” he says. “By partnering with companyX, we’re doubling down on that approach and expanding what’s possible for our roster.”

Under the deal, companyX’s services become available to all Slush clients, with Frankel and her team embedded into the management operation while maintaining their own external client base. “I’ll be working across the roster,” Frankel notes, “reaching out to my network for new opportunities and also building on relationships the artists already have. It’s about creating a more comprehensive, sustained presence in the brand space.”

Frankel describes the modern brand-partnership landscape as “an odd matrix” where managers, agents, labels, even relatives may all chase deals. What matters, she says, is proximity to the artist’s story.

“The power of management is that you can call a brand and say, Porter Robinson wants to work with you,” she explains. “That’s a totally different conversation than a cold agency pitch. It’s rooted in the artist’s real passions.”

Greene agrees, emphasizing that many Slush clients turn down lucrative but mismatched offers. “A lot of our artists have a very specific vision. Sometimes that frustrates traditional agencies,” he says. “But authenticity is non-negotiable for us. With Mara, there’s an understanding that not every artist wants a paycheck—they want partnerships that align with their universe.”

As Slush and companyX formalize their collaboration, both sides see it as a model for how boutique management firms can evolve without losing their creative core.

“Not a lot of independent management companies offer this kind of service,” O’Connor says. “We’re excited to give our artists—and future clients—access to more opportunities while keeping the focus on artistry and authenticity.”

Greene hints that this is only the beginning: “We have a lot in the pipeline. This is the first of many partnerships we’ll be announcing soon.”