Meet a DCMer: David Lennon
Get to know David Lennon, Senior Campaign Manager, from his roots in New York and career-long passion for music and the arts, to his love of family and worldwide travel.
How long have you been with DCM, and what’s your title?
I’ve been with DCM for 13 ½ years. I am a Senior Campaign Manager primarily for Carnegie Hall’s marketing and fundraising campaigns.
Where are you from originally?
I’m a native New Yorker! I was born and raised in the Bronx, then lived in Long Island, and I’ve been a resident of Manhattan since I moved out of my family home.
What was your career path before coming to DCM?
I was a Juilliard-trained professional, classical violist. I did both undergrad and grad degrees at Juilliard and worked as a professional musician for many years, including lots of tours and travel.
What campaigns have you worked on? Which are the most memorable?
There are a lot that stand out. I started as a caller for the New York Philharmonic’s fundraising campaign, which was managed by the wonderful, late Thom Spillman, who was a mentor to me. There is a built-in mentorship program at DCM that allows you to learn on the job from the people around you. It gave me the opportunity to learn the ropes and helped me become a better manager.
The second is from my time as Performing Arts Manager at DCM’s National Performing Arts Call Center in Manhattan. In that role, I managed multiple campaigns at the same time. While most of our campaigns were in the performing arts, we also ran campaigns for advocacy and political nonprofits, and even the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Carnegie Hall’s subscription campaign is really exciting and special. Over a 2-3 week period, we reach out to thousands of subscribers, run shifts like a marathon, and generate a tremendous amount of sales.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love travel and spending time with family, and have the great fortune of combining both. I have a lot of family living overseas in London, Ireland, Paris, and more. On top of that, I can’t think of anything I enjoy more than going to a fantastic classical concert at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center. That's why I love living in New York - culture is right on your doorstep.
What’s your favorite thing about the work you do?
There are a lot of long-term, veteran callers at DCM. I’ve known my team at Carnegie Hall almost the whole time I’ve been at DCM. Not only are we doing great work, and it’s our passion, but we do it with people we’ve known and worked with for many years. We are a tight-knit group, and it shows in our results. A company has to be pretty inspiring for that to exist, and it’s part of our success.
The other aspect of this job that's deeply rewarding is training and leading teams. When I came to DCM, I thought I was just “passing through,” and then I just clicked with the job. My first campaign calling for the New York Philharmonic, despite my expectations, turned into a whole other career in my life. So now I enjoy teaching and passing it on. Everybody who comes to this job gravitates to it because of their passion for the arts, advocacy, etc. It’s exciting, and you don’t get that in every workplace. It’s especially rewarding to teach someone something new and then watch them succeed.
What’s one thing that’s changed since you started?
Working remotely! I always worked in our client’s offices or at our call center. It was a learning experience to see if we could make campaigns work in a remote world. We were a success from the start - we hit the ground running and haven’t looked back since.
It’s a beautiful day, you have no obligations, and no restrictions. What’s your perfect day?
I’m enjoying a great cup of coffee, going to the gym, and then meeting a friend at a nice restaurant for a leisurely lunch and good conversation. I’m planning my next trip, and then, to top it off, there’s nothing I love more than a great concert at Carnegie Hall. I’ve performed there, I’ve worked there, and I have spent decades of my life there. It resonates with me. This question made me realize that I get to spend most of my days doing the things I love. I have a lot of perfect days - any day spent with family (I’m a proud Great Uncle and spoil them rotten) and going to concerts, Broadway shows, and museums in New York.