We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dom Betances a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dom, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My hero is my grandmother. She came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic as a teenager and immediately began working to help support her family. She spent her life doing whatever it took to provide and build something meaningful. I remember her working late nights with my grandfather at their Brooklyn bodega—greeting every customer with warmth and care. They had regulars who came not just for groceries, but because they genuinely loved my grandparents. Her work ethic, her generosity, and her ability to lead with both strength and heart have shaped the way I move through the world. She taught me that nothing worth having comes easy, and that showing up with purpose matters.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a freelance creative working in the music industry—designer, content creator, visual storyteller, and honestly, whatever the moment calls for. My first real break came in 2015 when I had the chance to create the cover art for Matt Walden’s debut EP. That project was the first time I truly felt like I had a place in this industry. Matt’s still one of my best friends, and we’ve continued to collaborate on some of my favorite projects over the years. As much as I’ve loved working with him, watching him grow—as both an artist and an incredible human—has meant even more.

In 2022, I started a company with one of my best friends, Jaime Bilotti. That chapter gave me the opportunity to work with some of my favorite artists and even step into day-to-day management for two of them—SERGIO and Grant Landis. That era was surreal. I was doing things that my younger self could’ve only dreamed of, and I’m endlessly grateful for it.

Now, I’m back to freelancing full-time and more energized than ever. I wear a lot of hats—design, content, creative strategy—and right now I’m working closely with Nick Mara, another artist I’ve believed in for a long time. Being a part of his journey as a rising Pop/R&B star, in whatever way that looks like, is something I’m genuinely excited about. I know he has the potential to be massive.

What sets me apart isn’t just the work—it’s how I show up for the people I work with. I care deeply about building real, long-lasting relationships. In an industry that can sometimes feel cold or transactional, I lead with honesty, intention, and heart. I want to see everyone in my circle win. I feel incredibly lucky to do what I love for a living—and if I’ve made even a small impact on someone’s journey through that, then I’m doing something right.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Definitely—what started as a side hustle rooted in pure love for music has grown into my full-time career. I’ve been a huge music fan for as long as I can remember. I was the kid staying up late to watch the VMAs, designing fake album covers in my room, and knowing every word to every song like I was prepping for my own tour. That fandom never left—it actually became the foundation of everything I do.

I started posting fan art of my favorite artists on social media, not thinking much of it. It was just my way of showing love to the people whose music meant something to me. But little by little, those posts started turning into opportunities. Artists and teams began to take notice, and suddenly I was designing real artwork, not just imaginary ones.

One of the milestones that still gives me chills: I went from posting Megan Thee Stallion fan art to designing her official Coachella merch in 2022. That’s the kind of moment that makes you sit back and realize how far things have come.

Since then, I’ve gotten to work on everything from cover art and merch to content and rollouts with artists I once only dreamed of collaborating with. The coolest part is that it’s all been driven by genuine passion and the same energy I had as a kid—a fan first, always.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Honestly, nothing beats seeing the work out in the wild. Whether it’s spotting merch I designed hanging at the merch booth of a sold-out show, or when I scroll through Spotify and see my cover art on New Music Friday—it’s surreal every time. I’ve had my designs pop up in theaters, arenas, tour buses, and timelines, and it’s those little flashes that remind me why I do what I do. Creating something that becomes part of a fan’s experience—that lives with the music they love—is the most fulfilling part of it all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dombetances.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dombetances
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dom-betances/

Image Credits

Robby Zacharias