CEO & FOUNDER

David "Beno" Benveniste

Our CEO & Founder, David "Beno" Benveniste is an American entrepreneur from Beverly Hills, California.

In 1996, after seeing System of a Down perform at a rehearsal in North Hollywood, Beno gradually took over managerial duties for the band. Through his use of emerging online marketing techniques, management, and free online distribution, he helped propel System of a Down to worldwide success. Velvet Hammer was formally founded in 1997.

"I don't manage conventionally, I manage spiritually, through vision, energy, belief, hope and just straight will."

Beno is also the co-creator of Sick New World Festival, launched in partnership with Live Nation on May 13, 2023, to a sold-out crowd of 65,000 fans in Las Vegas, Nevada — selling out within hours of the on-sale. The second annual Sick New World took place on April 27, 2024, which boasted another immediate sell-out at Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Sick New World is proving to be the biggest, most impactful and culturally relevant rock show in the country.

Around the time Velvet Hammer was founded, Beno also founded digital marketing agency StreetWise Concepts & Culture, which utilized social media marketing, interactive marketing, and word-of-mouth marketing to connect brands with emerging trends in youth culture. As the RIAA began filing hundreds of subpoenas for file-sharing violations, Beno continued to share free music with fans both through physical mail and via the internet. StreetWise clients included ABC, Activision, Coca-Cola, Electronic Arts, Live Nation, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Brothers, and many more.

In addition to music, Beno is hyperactive in the luxury real estate industry and has amassed a prolific collection of street art and pop art.

Beno attended Beverly Hills High School and graduated from the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. As an alumnus, he continues to give back to USC by speaking to students and challenging them to think beyond current music industry business models. As Michael K. Garcia, chairman of the USC Thornton Music Industry Program, puts it: "When it comes to guest speakers at USC Thornton's Music Industry program, Beno is definitely a headliner."