DFEST HISTORY
Tom Green and Angie DeVore-Green created Dfest in 2002 to help their band Ultrafix win a Jim Beam/Rolling Stone Magazine Best Unsigned Band contest.
The couple came up with several marketing ideas to rally support for the contest. The one that took shape was the idea to host a small festival at Cronie's Bar downtown consisting of other local bands. Their hope was to gain voting support from as many fans possible.
The event rained out and only 150 people turned out for the 12 booked bands. Fortunately, Ultrafix went on to win the contest.
Later that year, the Greens - after many requests to hold the festival again - decided to make it an annual event, and in 2003 Dfest moved to the Boston District where it remained for the next four years.
In 2007, the festival made a new home in the Blue Dome District of downtown, giving it much needed space for growth. With the help of headliners Leon Russell, Shiny Toy Guns and Oklahoma City's own Flaming Lips, Dfest drew over 40,000 fans.
In 2008, the festival plans to grow on that success and expects a crowd in excess of 60,000.
FESTIVAL CREATOR BIOS
Tom Green
Tom Green, a Muscogee (Creek) Native American, is no stranger to the Native American business community in Tulsa. Green spent six years as chairman and state board treasurer of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma-Tulsa chapter. He devoted three years to the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission, and he worked for the Federal nonprofit agency, The Native American Resource Center, for more than ten years, ultimately becoming deputy director. The Native American Resource Center housed the The Native American Employment Training Center, the New Mexico Business Development Center and the Oklahoma Native American Business Development Center.
Green is the chief executive officer and president of Diversafest, LLC, the company that produces Dfest Music Conference and Festival. In 2008, Tom started the Oklahoma Foundation for the Music Industry as the nonprofit arm of Dfest and currently serves as the board president. Tom also serves as a 2008 board member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
In addition to Diversafest and Oklahoma Foundation for the Music Industry, Tom is the director of downtown relations for the Tulsa Chamber's Conventions and Visitor's Bureau.
Green and his wife, Angie DeVore-Green, started Dfest in 2002 which led to their mission of Dfest to strengthen the rich cultural diversity of Oklahoma's music scene. The festival has grown from just 12 bands to more than 100, and attendees drive from all over Oklahoma and surrounding states including Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Louisiana for the festival. The last couple of years have brought the couple many accolades, including #11 in Urban Tulsa's Hot 100, Oklahoma Magazine's 40 Under 40 and a feature in Spin Magazine as "Local Heroes" in 2008.
Angie DeVore-Green
Angie is the chief operating officer, chief financial officer and co-founder of Diversafest LLC (Dfest), Oklahoma's Annual Music Conference & Festival. DeVore-Green's experience in the music industry includes working for Scott Booker, the manager of the Flaming Lips and co-owner of the label management group known as World's Fair. She was the assistant manager for the Flaming Lips (Warner Bros), British Sea Power (Rough Trade Records) and Colourmusic (Great Society), and she worked on successful tours for each of the groups. She's helped with product endorsements and media campaigns, coordinated lifestyle and field marketing campaigns, and assisted in the successful Oklahoma City Ghouls Gone Wild Parade where Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips was the Grand Marshall.
DeVore-Greene worked on successful media blitzes for British Sea Power working with companies like Girlie Action, Spectre Media Group, Current TV, ManiaTV, Popmatters, Spin Magazine, MySpace, MTV, The David Letterman Show, Rhapsody, Variety.com, Under The Radar, X-FM, Blender Magazine, Fader Magazine, Shockhound.com (Hot Topic) and The MuseBox.
Additionally, DeVore-Green has appeared in various trade magazines such as Electronic Musician and National Association of Music Merchants' The Retailer talking about the music industry, music conferences and giving advice to emerging artists. She has also been featured as a panelist speaker at industry conferences such as South Park Music Festival.
In 2006, DeVore-Green became co-owner of iROK Radio (Independent Radio Oklahoma), a weekly podcast featuring independent Oklahoma musicians in every genre. The casts boast more than 200,000 subscribers in its weekly feed.
Recently, DeVore-Green and her husband started a new company, a non-profit organization, to provide Oklahoma artists resources and opportunities for their careers and help raise awareness of the great talent Oklahoma has to offer. Oklahoma Foundation for the Music Industry (OKFMI) serves as an educational outreach through cutting edge music seminars throughout Oklahoma all year long.
Lastly, Devore-Green feels most passionate about the artist endowment programs in touring and recording that she is developing to assist Oklahoma artists in need of resources. She realized the need to foster talent, bring a spotlight to Oklahoma and develop a true music industry within the state of Oklahoma.
DeVore-Green holds a degree in music from Oklahoma State University.
