OUR STORY

After Co-Founding Digital Brand Architects (DBA) in 2010 the first agency to manage bloggers as talent (that would later see Irving Azoff take majority ownership and be acquired by UTA), Kendra Bracken-Ferguson sought out to bring the best and the brightest brains together to solve problems and create solutions.  Kendra’s goal was simple to combine the two things that she learned are most important in business - a smart team and trust. In 2016, Kendra launched the BrainTrust as a consultancy that quickly evolved into a full service social, digital and influencer marketing agency. 

After working with brands across fashion, beauty and hospitality and helping Drew Barrymore launch Dear Drew, Kelly Ripa launch her home line and providing strategy support to Will Smith’s Just Water. In October 2017, BrainTrust joined CAA-GBG Global Brand Management Group, the world’s largest brand management company and a subsidiary of Creative Artists Agency and Global Brands Group. During this time, the newly named BrainTrust CAA-GBG expanded globally and solidified its presence in the industry as a leader in brand marketing and social media. 

In April of 2019, BrainTrust once again became independent forming a strategic partnership with Beautycon and refreshing it’s mission diving deeper into the beauty and wellness space and expanding it’s three year relationship with Sally Beauty that propelled the company into the world of retail, events, and manufacturing.  BrainTrust also took over social media for Morgan Freeman driving his base to over 32M and top 15% of most engaged brands of all time.

After working with over 200 brands, founders and talent, BrainTrust launched BrainTrust Founder Studio expanding upon its commitment to support founders and further amplify it’s current service portfolio including social media, digital marketing and brand development for the world’s most beloved beauty, lifestyle and celebrity brands.  

BrainTrust continues to be the agency of record for consumer brands and has developed 4 talent led brands that launch fall 2021 including Hair Dope with Super Dope Q, Dreaming of Juniper with Jazz Smollett, Men’s Grooming with Ibn Jasper and Pet Grooming with Ziggy Marley.

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MEET OUR LEADERSHIP

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Kendra Bracken-Ferguson is a transformative brand builder, connector and launcher. With a career that spans brand development, strategic planning, operations, investing, board membership and C-suite leadership, she has helped create, build and monetize over 200 influencer-driven brands that have generated more than $100 million in revenue.Kendra has made it a business practice to build data-first businesses around niche influencers and talent primarily focused on lifestyle, beauty, and wellness. Kendra was credited with launching the first mobile music studio licensing and rev share deal between unsigned bands, Cingular Wireless, and Myspace in 2003 and has continued to build revenue-generating brand partnerships and opportunities ever since.  Before starting her journey as an Entrepreneur, Kendra helped create the social media footprint for fashion behemoth, Ralph Lauren, where she was the company’s first Director of Digital Media. Kendra's work during and since her time at Ralph Lauren was informed by her years as Vice President of Digital at Fleishman-Hillard, New York, where she led the digital consumer team in developing social media strategies for clients including AT&T, DKNY, and P&G.  Allowing her mantra, “Carpe Diem” to guide her, in 2010 Kendra took a leap of faith and along with Karen Robinovitz created Digital Brand Architects (DBA), the first blogger management agency evolving into a global company that upon exit to UTA in 2019, had a collective reach of 200 million. Post DBA, Kendra founded BrainTrust, a social media, and brand development agency that drives the digital brand strategy and online media presence for talent and global brands such as Halle Berry, Kelly Ripa Home, Dear Drew by Drew Barrymore, Revelations Entertainment by Morgan Freeman, Sally Beauty, Under Armour and many more. After a long-standing relationship as Halle Berry’s Business Partner, the two launched rē•spin in 2020 to democratize the health and wellness industry. Kendra is the co-founder of BeautyUnited, a nonprofit focused on diversifying the beauty and wellness industry and is the host of Business of the Beat, a beauty and wellness podcast available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify.Her latest endeavor, the BrainTrust Founders Studio focuses on increasing inclusive economic opportunities for Black beauty and wellness founders connecting them with resources, capital and strategic guidance to help them accelerate their businesses and build sustainable growth.  She was named one of Essence Magazine's “17 Inspiring Black Executives Redefining The Face Of Beauty,” She is Board Member of Blushington, G&B, and Cayton Children’s Museum and holds membership in DealMakeHers and Female Founders Collective. Kendra has an endowment at her alma mater, Purdue University for a Black female freshman student in the communications school to increase the number of Black students at the University.She resides in LA with her Husband, Daughter, English Bulldog and Turtle.

Kendra Bracken-Ferguson is a transformative brand builder, connector and launcher. With a career that spans brand development, strategic planning, operations, investing, board membership and C-suite leadership, she has helped create, build and monetize over 200 influencer-driven brands that have generated more than $100 million in revenue.

Kendra has made it a business practice to build data-first businesses around niche influencers and talent primarily focused on lifestyle, beauty, and wellness. Kendra was credited with launching the first mobile music studio licensing and rev share deal between unsigned bands, Cingular Wireless, and Myspace in 2003 and has continued to build revenue-generating brand partnerships and opportunities ever since.  

Before starting her journey as an Entrepreneur, Kendra helped create the social media footprint for fashion behemoth, Ralph Lauren, where she was the company’s first Director of Digital Media. Kendra's work during and since her time at Ralph Lauren was informed by her years as Vice President of Digital at Fleishman-Hillard, New York, where she led the digital consumer team in developing social media strategies for clients including AT&T, DKNY, and P&G.  

Allowing her mantra, “Carpe Diem” to guide her, in 2010 Kendra took a leap of faith and along with Karen Robinovitz created Digital Brand Architects (DBA), the first blogger management agency evolving into a global company that upon exit to UTA in 2019, had a collective reach of 200 million. Post DBA, Kendra founded BrainTrust, a social media, and brand development agency that drives the digital brand strategy and online media presence for talent and global brands such as Kelly Ripa Home, Dear Drew by Drew Barrymore, Revelations Entertainment by Morgan Freeman, Sally Beauty, Under Armour and many more. 

Kendra is the co-founder of BeautyUnited, a nonprofit focused on diversifying the beauty and wellness industry and is the host of Business of the Beat, a beauty and wellness podcast available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify.

Her latest endeavor, the BrainTrust Founders Studio focuses on increasing inclusive economic opportunities for Black beauty and wellness founders connecting them with resources, capital and strategic guidance to help them accelerate their businesses and build sustainable growth.  

She was named one of Essence Magazine's “17 Inspiring Black Executives Redefining The Face Of Beauty,” She is Board Member of Blushington, G&B, and Cayton Children’s Museum and holds membership in DealMakeHers and Female Founders Collective. Kendra has an endowment at her alma mater, Purdue University for a Black female freshman student in the communications school to increase the number of Black students at the University.

She resides in LA with her Husband, Daughter, English Bulldog and Turtle.

KENDRA BRACKEN-FERGUSON

FOUNDER

Personal Website | LinkedIn | Podcast | Instagram | Clubhouse

Brandon has a keen focus on people, organizations and brands; with a desire to understand how they produce and consume, particularly in the digital space. He thrives on understanding and interpreting the nuances of culture, preference, style and res…

Brandon has a keen focus on people, organizations and brands; with a desire to understand how they produce and consume, particularly in the digital space. He thrives on understanding and interpreting the nuances of culture, preference, style and resonance. Brandon is a graduate of Purdue University. He began his career as a roadie for a rock band, then things got real; he completed the Macy’s Executive Development Program and had a progressive journey there with executive roles in operations, learning & development, diversity/inclusion, human resources and marketing. Brandon comes to The BrainTrust from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he was a business partner for The Met Store. Brandon concentrates on fashion and beauty, providing unique insight into multicultural audiences across the agency.

BRANDON CARTER

MANAGING PARTNER

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