About Us
Welcome to Hideaway Marketing Agency! I'm Denise Leslie, a professional with a diverse background in music and marketing. My journey began in the early 90s when I stumbled into the marketing world, promoting artists, concerts, and venues. This unique experience, which started with an administrative role at a local stadium, has shaped my versatile career.
Ogden Entertainment was a corporation that managed concert venues, stadiums, and performing arts centers worldwide. I took advantage of opportunities to grow with the organization and landed the position of marketing director over time. I promoted music from classical to rock, country, and reggae; to theatre from Broadway, dance, and theatrical plays; to sporting events such as rodeos, wrestling, monster trucks, ice skating and gymnastic competitions, and NCAA basketball tournaments; to movie and music festivals – both indoor and outdoor, trade shows and visual art exhibitions and studio tours.
My journey with Ogden Entertainment led me to meet my husband, Charles, and relocate to Austin, Texas. This move to a bustling city opened up new opportunities for me. I began consulting with artists and arts organizations, leveraging my diverse experience in arts and entertainment. From marketing and sales to event management, I've worked with a variety of institutions, including the University of Texas and the Central Texas Food Bank.
In 2009, Charles and I relocated to Durango, Colorado. I started a publishing business focussing on arts and culture in the Four Corners Region and produced playbills for regional arts organizations. We purchased a quarterly arts publication, Arts Perspective magazine, where I was the publisher, editor, and sales director - you get the idea! After about five years of running my own publishing business, music called me again - only more out of stress management than anything else. Music has a way of healing and reducing stress - many studies have proven that, but for me, that rings true.
As I began to renew my love of music, I purchased a ukulele at the local music store and started attending several well-known ukulele festivals to hone my skills. It was then that I saw the perfect scenario for a new endeavor right here in Durango, Colorado. I started gathering like-minded ukulele-playing folks and began performing and teaching. In 2015, I created the Rocky Mountain UkeFest and spent the next nine years presenting educational opportunities and performances with ukulele professionals from all over the world.
During COVID, the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, had to close its doors, and I assisted my husband - the director of the Concert Hall - in marketing and public relations work throughout the shutdown. When time passed and the venue reopened to the public, I was hired to continue marketing the performances. I began building another part of my career, “adventures,” and developed Hideaway Marketing Agency to work with creative organizations and businesses.
My husband, Charles, and I live in a beautiful part of the country, surrounded by mountains and sunshine. We both work in the performing arts industry. We enjoy camping, traveling, and playing music with our dear friends. I love change and challenges. Contact me for a consultation. Let's talk!
I’ve had the privilege and honor to work with so many amazing folks over the years including Garth Brooks, Nashville Songwriters - Danny Myrick, Marti Frederiksen and Brett James as well as, ukulele pros Victoria Vox, Jack Maher, Jr., Marnie Ward, Kevin Carroll and The Quiet Americans.