Deborah Mannis-Gardner — the “Queen of Sample Clearance” according to Billboard, Forbes, Midem, Music Week, Okayplayer, Variety, and more — is the go-to expert for global music rights clearances, whether for samples for recordings; song usage in movies, television, and video games; or innovative applications such as the history of hip-hop Google Doodle. DMG Clearances, Inc., is known for clearing difficult copyrights from artists such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Prince, and AC/DC, as well as intricate multi-song mash-ups.  

Whatever she is working on, Deborah’s first goal is to educate the client about the value of music rights, and she takes great pride in aiming for the fairest deal for all parties involved.  

Having been a teacher for over 20 years, Janice was frazzled and ready for something completely different. When offered the chance to become part of the DMG team in 2009, she quit her lifelong teaching career and delved into the music sample clearance business! She found a new home at DMG, though certainly not an unfamiliar one, as Deborah and Janice have known each other since early childhood. Janice’s attention to detail served her well in contract administration and sample licensing during her first 10 years at DMG. She has been pleasantly surprised that an old hippie-at-heart can love so many different genres of music! To this day, she listens to many of the artists she cleared samples for, and continues her love of music across all genres. In January 2020, during a brief family medical leave, she made plans with Deborah to transition into sync clearances. Since then, she has found her true passion at DMG and loves working on clearances for tv, film and streaming.  

Rachel earned a Bachelor's Degree in Photography from the Art Institute of Boston in 2004. While photography is her first love, she decided to pursue other avenues while looking for a career. After bouncing around the Publishing industry for 9 years, Rachel was given an opportunity to join DMG in 2014, and has never looked back. Rachel loves animals, going to concerts, finding weird things to do with her friends, and Halloween. She lives in Baltimore with her husband, Cliff and their very silly Pit Bull, Ouija.  

Nicole began her journey at DMG Clearances, Inc. in 2014. She previously worked in the Wellness and Fitness Industry for over 17 years where she was grateful to witness the personal growth and accomplishments of clients who trusted her to be a loving source of support and motivation. 

Nicole sees working in the music industry as a natural progression to serve others. Her connection to music is more than merely a love of music. It has always been her intention to see every moment as an opportunity to recognize the inherent kindness that exists within humanity and to be aware of the experience of peace that comes with an open heart. Music is one of the most powerful ways to connect to the deepest part of ourselves and to one another.   

She has been privileged to work alongside the DMG team and has received a world class education in the music licensing arena. She continues to learn, serve, and grow. 

Billy’s experience in the music industry began with DMG Clearances in the fall 2014. After graduating from the University of Delaware with a degree in Interpersonal Communication the previous spring, he seemed doomed to drift into a life of obscure and boring office jobs. That is until he stumbled into Deborah’s house for an unlikely internship opportunity that would change his life. Since receiving that crash course in music copyright, Billy moved to Nashville, TN at the beginning of 2017 to pursue his personal music aspirations. To support this mission of his, Billy appeared briefly at BMI and then with Warner Music Group for 3 years. 

After 4 years in Nashville full of gigging, recording, and continuing to learn the ins and outs of the music business, Billy has relocated to Asheville, NC where the mountains are bountiful and the fresh air is evergreen. 

Billy is extremely grateful to be a full-time employee of DMG Clearances. 

Drew joined the DMG Clearances team at the end of 2019. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Radio-TV-Film. He has worked in different fields including Real Estate, Health Insurance and the Transportation industry. Although this is his first foray into the music business, he has always loved music, often raiding his parent’s music collection at a young age. Drew comes from a strong customer service background combined with a deep passion for music.

When Drew is not working you can find him playing the drums, cooking, exploring nature, enjoying music and hanging with friends.

Kat MacLean-Daley graduated Summa Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music with a double major in Music Business Management and Professional Music. While studying, she was a College Marketing Rep for Universal Music Group and upon graduation was hired as the executive assistant to Chief Counsel at Universal Music Publishing Group. She was then promoted to coordinator of Sampling, clearing samples for over 2,000 songs such as Old Town Road by Lil Nas X, Kings & Queens by Ava Max, Break My Heart by Dua Lipa, and many more hits. 

After rising to a director title at UMPG, Snoop Dogg hired Kat as the VP & Head of Publishing at Death Row Records, where she reported directly to him and was responsible for the company’s day to day operations in music. After exiting Death Row Records, Kat founded her own business, KatClearedIt, where she is providing professional services and consulting for producers, artists, and songwriters. 

Kimberly Fisher (she/her) joined DMG in November 2022 after working in the non-profit sector for over 15 years. A graduate of Bucks County Community College, she has managed a non-profit movie theater in the Poconos, wrote and managed grants for numerous community organizations, organized out-of-school-time activities for students, and most recently worked with community partners, school staff and families to overcome barriers to education as a community school coordinator. All of these varied experiences have given Kimberly a love for constantly learning and growing! She is thrilled to bring her experience to the music business with DMG.  

Kimberly lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with her three amazing teens and one rotund cat, Benji. When she isn’t working, she spends time with her family, makes crafts, reads books and listens to music.

After a 24-year hiatus, Wendy is pleased to return to dmg clearances as a Consultant. Native to no particular place, Wendy was born in Boston and spent her childhood and adolescence along the coastlines of Wales, Delaware, North Carolina, New Jersey and Maryland before moving to the landlocked heights of Colorado 30 years ago. She has a BA in English Literature from Smith College, a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Colorado’s Health Sciences Center and an MFA in Creative Writing from the Low Residency program at the University of Alaska/Anchorage.

Her poetry chapbook, Fault, was recently published by Finishing Line Press. Currently, Wendy lives in the foothills west of Boulder with her family. For additional information, please visit www.wendymscher.com.

Deborah Evans began working in the music publishing business in 1998 for Beebe Bourne at Bourne Co. She later joined the staff of The Harry Fox Agency for several years, working in both the synchronization and the mechanical licensing departments. In 2002, she moved to Helene Blue Musique Ltd. as Director of Copyright and Licensing before later becoming the Director of Publishing for Stray Dog Music in Brooklyn, NY.  

She founded Della Music Publishing LLC in August 2007, and represents Latin dance, R&B, and hip-hop artists such as Vein, Redman, and Faith Evans. In 2009, she joined DMG Clearances, Inc. and the fascinating and challenging world of clearing music.  

A musician herself, Deborah holds a Master’s Degree in Harpsichord Performance from Montclair State University and also spent many years teaching piano and performing. She resides in Delaware with her husband Joe and daughter Gianna.  

Nicolle Johnson, an LA local born and raised, attended California State University Northridge, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Cinema & Television Arts. Her first job was in music publishing for Universal Music Publishing Group. Nicolle then began working at Warner Chappell Music as a Manager in Sync Licensing, negotiating and licensing music clearances. After 13 years of working with two of the largest music publishers, Nicolle and her family took a leap of faith and moved across the country to South Florida, which led her to found her own music consulting company, NJ Music Clearance. In 2019 she joined DMG Clearances as a consultant. Nicolle’s extensive background includes projects with Beyonce, Dave Chappelle, Kraft, Amazon Prime, Netflix, CashApp, Google, HBO and more.  

She currently resides in South Florida with her family and enjoys visiting the beautiful beaches and spending time with her family and friends.  

Once tagged by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the music industry’s leading experts, Stacey has 35 years’ experience as a music industry executive, songwriter, lawyer, theatre/film producer, actor in London and New York.  

Currently roles include CLO of AYO Music Group, SyncLodge and Super Brain Heroes, Founder of SHHH Media, Inside Baseball Music Publishing, FoxPin Artist Management and The Music Firm, and Co-Founder of IAFAR Ltd, Stacey continues work in music, film, TV and theatre.  

Stacey also advises multiplatinum superstars to emerging artists and has previously advised billion pound brands in the use of music in their marketing and advertising, and global icons in their contract negotiations as part of two well known but no longer existing London firms.

Favourite client communication - Christmas card from David Bowie.  

Kylie joined the DMG team as an intern in 2023 and now works as a consultant on various sync projects. Originally from Maryland, she graduated from Drexel University in 2025 with a B.S. in Music Industry and a minor in Business Administration. 

While in school, Kylie began her career with the Philadelphia Fringe Festival as an intern before becoming the Volunteer Coordinator for the 2023 season. She also completed an internship in Dublin, Ireland, where she gained hands-on experience in event management and security coordination while working at festivals such as All Together Now and Electric Picnic, the largest music and arts festival in Ireland. 

She is proud to call Philadelphia home, where she lives with her roommates and her cat, Kozel. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, playing piano, and exploring the city with friends. Kylie is excited to continue growing with the DMG team. 

Nana is a second-year law student at Widener University Delaware Law School and joined DMG Clearances as an intern in April 2025. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware, where he became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Nana’s passion for music began in childhood through participation in musicals and choir, which later evolved into interests in DJing and music production alongside his pursuit of a Juris Doctor.   

Mikayla Ivory Daniel is a student at Smith College double majoring in English and Classical Studies. After graduation, she plans to attend law school and explore entertainment law and intellectual property.  

Mikayla is an active leader within her school community and is devoted to her studies. She is passionate about reading, writing, and immersive language learning; and she is particularly devoted to developing her French-speaking skills.   

Mikayla has enjoyed attending concerts of every genre and scale for as long as she can remember. Fun fact: she has also curated over 450 Spotify playlists and plans to make many more. Mikayla has always held a deep passion and appreciation for the business-side of music as well as protecting music rights is extremely grateful to be learning from the wonderful people at DMG!