Talent manager · PD Talent
Paul Desisto has spent more than a decade building careers for the people brands want to work with. Since 2013 he has been behind more than $500 million in brand deals for his clients.
- Born
- June 2, 1988, Trenton, New Jersey
- Education
- The College of New Jersey, accounting, 2010
- In talent management
- Since 2013
- Company
- PD Talent, started in 2021
- Career deals
- $500M+ since 2013
- Recognition
- 2026 Inc. 5000, PD Talent at No. 1,886
From the DJ booth
Paul grew up in Trenton, New Jersey and graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2010 with a degree in accounting, right as the economy collapsed. He passed all four parts of the CPA exam, then went a different way.
Through the EDM explosion he DJed clubs in Miami, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, including Harrah’s Pool in Atlantic City starting in 2011. That same year he became a club chart reporter for Billboard. Labels, radio, artists and promoters sent him new music every day, he played it for his crowds and reported back what was working.
He was early on Avicii, playing Seek Bromance under the Tim Berg name and then Fade Into Darkness, and after Levels broke in the fall of 2011 he pushed promoters and casinos to book him. He DJed with Avicii at Sun National Bank Arena in Trenton, and with Steve Aoki, Afrojack, Krewella and The Chainsmokers early in their careers. Promoters and talent bookers at Caesars Entertainment in Atlantic City and Las Vegas taught him the booking business.
Building the endorsement business
In 2013 Paul cold emailed the owner of Central Entertainment Group and joined the company. He created CEG’s endorsement division, brokering early deals between celebrities and major brands before influencer marketing had a name, and grew it from about $2 million to more than $100 million in annual revenue by 2021.
PD Talent
Paul started PD Talent in 2021. The agency is talent first: it only books its own roster, and it manages the whole career, not just the next deal. Every client is paired with managers plus creative and affiliate teams driving organic growth, social trends, affiliate, opportunities and partnerships.
Today PD Talent is a team of 30 representing creators, athletes and WAGs and pop culture talent, working with more than 5,000 brands. In 2026 it was named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies at No. 1,886.
In the press
Paul has been featured and quoted by The Wall Street Journal, Axios, Business Insider, Adweek, Digiday, Bustle, Page Six, E! News, The Ringer, Racked and NJBIZ on the business of creators, athletes and brand partnerships, and he spoke at Advertising Week New York in 2017.
In influencer marketing since before it had a name.