As hard rock and metal continue to surge both in the live space and on DSPs, Cory Brennan’s 5B Artist Management is perfectly poised to surf the wave.

Now Brennan is expanding his world with the opening of creative/marketing agency Pink Motel and growing his team.

Brennan, who founded 5B in 2007 after punching a clock at various record labels and serving as GM of Sanctuary Music Group, oversees such amp-melting clients as 311, BABYMETAL, Lamb of God, Pennywise, Stone Sour, Amon Amarth and Trivium.

But he’s best known for his long association with the Grammy-winning, mask-wearing, hell-raising, Iowa-bred nonet known as Slipknot. That hard-charging crew is currently working on material for the follow-up to 2022’s The End, So Far.

In 2012 Brennan and the band introduced Knotfest, which is now both a touring and destination festival in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, France, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and other locales. It’s headlined by Slipknot, naturally, with a brutally curated lineup of hardcore and metal acts.

An avid long-distance runner and health enthusiast, Brennan has worked at indie label Triple X, tastemaking English label Beggars Banquet/XL and rock stalwart Roadrunner, where he began his collaboration with Slipknot. He left for Sanctuary in 2000, the same year he began managing the band.

Brennan himself doesn’t disguise his face with a mask—unless he sees us coming.