DeVon Manier

President, Co-Founder - Sportn’ Life Records

Senior Consultant, Artist Manager - SMG

DeVon Manier is the President and Co-Founder of Sportn’ Life Records, Seattle’s
longest operating independent Hip Hop record label. In 2002, Manier and a few
friends decided to start a record label to help foster talent in their local community.
Since then, he has grown the label to become one of the regions most exciting and
prominent urban music powerhouses, boasting some of the areas finest and
renowned Hip Hop talent including; D.Black, Fatal Lucciauno, and Spac3man, all of
whom have been under Manier’s management since their teen years.

After receiving a nomination for the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Hip-Hop in
2006, the label and its artists continue to garner many accomplishments including
MTV 2 video placements, included on Amazon’s list of Outstanding Albums of
2009, Top 5 CMJ chart placement, and having music placed on ESPN and an
Underarmour commercial. Several of his artists have had the honor to perform at
some of the city’s/nations’ most esteemed music festivals such as SXSW, CMJ,
Bumbershoot, and the Capital Hill Block Party. They’ve also shared the same
stage with some of the worlds’ biggest Hip-Hop names including Nas, Big Boi, The
Wu-Tang Clan, and Digital Underground to name a few. Featured in the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, Fall Arts feature, September 12, 2007; “Manier’s buoyant
enthusiasm reflects the regional pride that Sportn’ Life embodies…” says P-I resident
music journalist Gene Stout.

Constantly operating to expanding the labels reach beyond the NW, Manier is
currently working on effective licensing, distribution, tours, promotion & publicity
campaigns to ensure this goal is reached. Sportn’ Life recently diversified its roster
with a female RnB artist, and Manier himself has started managing a local rock band.
In 2009 he was selected to be on the panel for the Seattle City Arts Project and
also served as an initial member of the committee that created the concept for
Seattle-City of Music.

In January 2010 Manier was awarded the Martin Luther King County Executives
Award for Excellence in Hip Hop for entrepreneurial leadership. His interests also
include becoming more involved in the political side of music with plans to join the
Recording Academy NW Chapter, become a member of the Vera Project, and getting
more involved with committees, boards and panels, while also taking advantage of
both local and national music conferences & festivals. Most recently Manier has
started a SMG, the Sportn’ Life Music Group, a consulting/management company.
He’s taken on booking Hip Hop acts for the Georgetown Music Festival, and is
currently serving the next two years as a commissioner to the Seattle City of Music
Commission.

*Press quote

Artistic movements don’t exist without people like Sportn’ Life’s DeVon Manier
-Kevin Kapp/Seattle Weekly

*For more info on Sportn’ Life Records

www.sportnlife.net