Frank Santella
Welcome to the digital hub of Frankie Santella, a visionary dealmaker and cultural strategist at the forefront of music, media, and brand innovation. This platform showcases Frank’s dynamic career spent shaping artist legacies, forging strategic partnerships, and redefining how talent connects with audiences in a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape. From multi-million-dollar podcast deals to Grammy-nominated music projects, Frank has earned a reputation for insight, influence, and execution. Beyond the headlines, he is deeply committed to uplifting creatives, guiding brands, and building bridges across culture, commerce, and content. With a rare blend of industry acumen and cultural intuition, Frank Santella continues to set the pace for the future of music and entertainment.
About Frank Santella
Frank Santella is the founder and CEO of Zilla, a boutique agency at the forefront of culture, creativity, and connection. Through Zilla, Frank leads a dynamic operation focused on artist and podcast management, brand partnerships, and talent booking with a sharp emphasis on navigating the evolving intersections of entertainment and culture.
Drawing from deep roots in hip-hop artist management, Santella has spent years working intimately with both legacy acts and emerging talent, shaping careers with precision and purpose. His understanding of artists’ needs, creative, professional, and personal, has positioned him as a trusted collaborator within the entertainment ecosystem. Over the course of his career, he has partnered with major cultural players such as Brand Jordan, Revolt, and other high-profile platforms, managing talent bookings and crafting campaigns that resonate with authenticity and impact.
Beyond Zilla, Frank also runs Good Groceries, a visual studio operating under the Zilla umbrella. Good Groceries produces a wide spectrum of content from music videos and short films to commercial work and documentaries that push creative boundaries while staying deeply rooted in real storytelling. This arm of his work further showcases Santella’s commitment to blending narrative, visuals, and cultural substance into every frame.
What sets Frank apart is his ability to connect the dots between talent, brands, and media in ways that are culturally relevant and emotionally intelligent. He operates with a clear understanding that authenticity is currency, especially in spaces where branding and artistry intersect. His direct, no-frills relationships with artists and their teams allow him to bypass traditional red tape and build momentum early, often bringing real opportunities to the table before agents are even looped in.
Santella’s career is defined not only by the deals he’s brokered or the campaigns he’s executed, but by the trust he’s earned in artist circles and the cultural fluency he brings to every collaboration. Whether managing a Grammy-nominated act, shaping a podcast brand, or crafting visuals that move audiences, Frank Santella continues to guide artists, creators, and companies alike through a media landscape that demands both clarity and credibility.
Frankie Santella Highlights How Strategic Advisors Bridge the Gap Between Music and Media Companies: Positioning Artists for Crossover Moments in TV, Podcasts, Fashion, and More
In today’s increasingly blurred entertainment landscape, the most impactful moments in music often happen outside of music itself. Artists are no longer confined to the recording studio or stage; they are becoming cultural brands, fashion figures, television personalities, podcast hosts, and brand collaborators. But these crossover moments don’t happen by chance. They are architected behind the scenes by a new breed of strategic advisors who operate at the intersection of music, media, and commerce. Among the most influential voices in this space is Frank Santella, a thought leader and cultural strategist whose work continues to redefine how artists expand their reach beyond the traditional music industry.
The Changing Role of the Artist in the Entertainment Economy
Today’s music artists are multifaceted personalities. A hit song may launch their name into the spotlight, but long-term success demands relevance across multiple platforms. Whether it’s scoring a branded content deal with a global fashion house, launching a podcast, or landing a recurring television role, artists are increasingly expected to maintain cultural visibility far beyond their music catalog.
This shift has created demand for professionals who can identify crossover opportunities, negotiate multi-platform deals, and guide talent through industries that operate on very different rules. That’s where strategic advisors like Frank Santella come in. With a career spanning artist management, brand strategy, media production, and talent representation, Santella has carved out a unique space, serving as a cultural architect who builds connective tissue between creative talent and the broader media ecosystem.
Frank Santella’s Cross-Industry Blueprint
As the Founder and President of Good Groceries, Santella leads a boutique agency focused on bridging entertainment verticals. Formerly known as Zilla Entertainment Consulting, Good Groceries has evolved into a go-to resource for artists and media figures looking to extend their reach into podcasts, fashion partnerships, television, spirits marketing, and beyond.
Frank’s strategic vision was most visibly on display in the deal he brokered between the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast and Barstool Sports, a multi-million-dollar agreement that solidified podcast hosts Wallo267 and Gillie Da Kid as leading cultural voices. He later followed this with a similarly high-profile deal between Revolt and the Caresha Please podcast, underscoring his ability to pair talent with the right media platforms for maximum cultural impact.
These are not just wins in entertainment contracts, they’re examples of cultural positioning. By identifying media formats and brand alignments that match the artist’s voice and audience, Santella ensures that these collaborations feel organic, not transactional. This attention to authenticity is what elevates his work from dealmaking to strategy.
The Strategic Advisor’s Playbook
Strategic advisors serve as translators between worlds, music and media, culture and commerce, artistry and business. Their work is about timing, positioning, and relationships. For Frankie Santella, this means recognizing when an artist is ready for a pivot or expansion, and then curating the right platform to execute that vision.
In a landscape dominated by streaming and digital platforms, simply releasing music is no longer enough. Strategic advisors help artists navigate DSP rollouts, optimize visibility on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, and supplement releases with supporting content, such as podcasts, visual albums, or branded collaborations. The goal? Create moments that feel like movements.
This approach was evident in 2023, when Frankie Santella played a role in launching a Grammy-nominated album featuring industry icons like The Weeknd, Busta Rhymes, Mary J. Blige, Summer Walker, and Ty Dolla $ign. It wasn’t just about making great music; it was about creating a fully integrated campaign that resonated across platforms and audiences.
Media, Fashion, and Spirit Brands: The New Cultural Currency
Artists today are brand ambassadors, media personalities, and tastemakers. Strategic advisors are the ones facilitating that transition, often quietly, behind the scenes. Frank Santella’s experience spans the spirits industry, where he’s advised on brand development and aligned artists with campaigns that match their aesthetic and ethos. In the fashion world, he’s been involved in talent bookings for Jordan Brand, including activations around the Jordan Classic events in Brooklyn, a perfect example of cross-pollination between sports, music, and streetwear culture.
In television and live content, Frank Santella produced the Crew League basketball series alongside Rolling Loud, not only managing production but also overseeing artist involvement, proof of his hands-on approach in both strategy and execution. His ability to identify which artists align with specific platforms allows him to create culturally rich, commercially sound content that serves all parties involved.
Representing Legacy Acts and Emerging Talent Alike
Another unique element of Frankie Santella’s advisory style is his ability to represent both legacy acts and emerging artists. While many industry professionals specialize in one end of the spectrum, Frank understands the different nuances each requires. For established names, it’s about preserving brand equity while modernizing their narrative. For new talent, it’s about building from the ground up, establishing credibility, visibility, and cultural resonance.
In both cases, strategic guidance is essential. Frank Santella helps artists avoid short-sighted decisions and instead invest in long-term positioning. From managing album rollouts to securing podcast deals to producing commercial shoots, his work spans both vision and logistics, making him a rare hybrid in the entertainment advisory world.
Looking Ahead: Culture Moves Fast—Strategy Moves Faster
In an age where the lines between music, media, fashion, and lifestyle continue to blur, the role of strategic advisors will only grow in importance. Artists need more than managers and agents; they need cultural translators, platform strategists, and brand architects.
Frank Santella represents the blueprint for what this role can, and should, look like. With his finger on the pulse of both mainstream and emerging culture, and a proven ability to convert vision into action, he’s helping artists and media companies not just keep up with the changing landscape but shape it.
In an era defined by crossover moments, Frank Santella is one of the few who know how to make them count.