INFO
ARTIST MANAGEMENT
VANCOUVER + TORONTO
TALENT BUYING
20th ANNIVERSARY
ARTIST MANAGEMENT
VANCOUVER + TORONTO
TALENT BUYING
20th ANNIVERSARY
Eli Wener’s independent Canadian management company enters its third decade building artist careers around the world
VANCOUVER, BC — September 16, 2026 — Wener Mgmt, the independent artist-management company founded by Eli Wener, is celebrating its 20th anniversary and announcing the addition of Dazy Duke and Janky Bungag to its management roster. With operations spanning Vancouver and Toronto, the company marks two decades of developing artists, building international touring careers and connecting Canadian talent with audiences around the world.
Wener’s career has taken him from managing local bands while holding down a day job to working with some of Canada’s most recognizable artists on a global scale. Artist management remains at the centre of his business, complemented by his work as a talent buyer and festival producer.
Wener Mgmt has produced tours and developed artists across Australia, continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, Africa and the United States, while significantly expanding its work in China. That international reach reflects the company’s approach to building careers: identifying where audiences are connecting with an artist and developing those opportunities into lasting businesses.
FROM A HOBBY TO A CAREER
Before music became his profession, it was Wener’s hobby. An early venture into producing a major speaking engagement with a well-known actor and director at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre offered an abrupt introduction to the business when the planned appearance did not proceed. The setback only deepened his determination to work in entertainment.
“It was a hobby before it was a job,” says Wener. “That first event was a wake-up call to how wild this business could be. It set the tone early, but it only got me more excited. I wanted to earn my stripes in the City.”
Wener earned those stripes managing bands while booking Wednesday nights at Vancouver’s legendary Marine Club and shows for New Music West, a Western Canadian music industry conference. Among his early bookings were Portugal. The Man, playing to an audience he remembers as seven people, and Arkells at the Penthouse, a show the band recently revisited with a return to the venue.
During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Wener spent the Games producing EATART After Dark events, an experience he describes as life-changing. Taking over bookings at Electric Owl later enabled him to quit his day job and work in music full-time, while continuing to build his artist-management roster.
BUILDING AND REBUILDING ARTIST CAREERS
Wener’s management career began with Gypsy Bird, later known as Bear Mountain. His career has since included work with Humans, No Sinner, Delhi 2 Dublin, Colleen Rennison, Gang Signs and Yoko Gold, as well as time at the Paquin Agency.
His management work has also included Canadian rock icons Randy Bachman, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Burton Cummings. Wener helped revive Bachman-Turner Overdrive and expand the band’s U.S. touring business. He later helped reignite Cummings’ American touring and supported efforts that helped set the stage for Bachman and Cummings to regain The Guess Who name.
“Working with Randy and Burton reinforced that artist development does not stop once an artist becomes successful,” says Wener. “A great catalogue can find a new audience, but it takes the right strategy, the right live show and a willingness to rebuild. Seeing them perform together again as The Guess Who is incredibly meaningful.”
Today, Wener Mgmt’s management roster includes Merkules, DJ Shub, Ollie, Five Alarm Funk, Modern Biology and Garret T. Willie, alongside its newest additions, Dazy Duke and Janky Bungag.
NEW SIGNING: DAZY DUKE
Dazy Duke brings country and electronic music together through her “YEEDM” sound. Under her Howdy House™ banner, the DJ and producer combines prairie storytelling with high-energy electronic production, bringing country and rave audiences into the same room.
In 2026, Duke brought her rave-rodeo concept to major stages including EDC Las Vegas, Beyond Wonderland and Nashville North at the Calgary Stampede, while continuing to build an audience around the country-dance crossover.
“Dazy understands how to bring these audiences together,” says Wener. “She has a clear identity, a strong connection with her community and a vision that extends beyond individual songs. That gives us a lot to build on.”
NEW SIGNING: JANKY BUNGAG
Vancouver-based Filipino-Canadian artist Janky Bungag blends country grit, bluegrass drive and punk energy into songs grounded in working life, humour and lived experience. A flatpicker raised on skateboarding and punk rock, he brings an unmistakable West Coast perspective to alternative country. Bungag has steadily built an audience through new music, festival appearances and a high-energy live show. His recent releases include “Losing Streak,” with further touring and music planned as Wener Mgmt helps expand his audience in Canada and beyond.
“Janky is completely himself,” says Wener. “The songs, the humour, the musicianship and the live show all come from the same honest place. Our job is to bring what is already special about him to a much larger audience.”
TALENT BUYER AND FESTIVAL PRODUCER
Alongside his management practice, Wener works as a talent buyer and festival producer. He recently completed the ninth season of the Truck Stop Concert Series at Vancouver’s Red Truck Beer Company, where he serves as talent buyer.
In 2026, Wener also took over talent buying for the Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival at Deer Lake Park. His talent-buying portfolio additionally includes Burnaby Canada Day, while his earlier event work included shows featuring Brother Ali, Questlove, Blue Scholars and Apostle of Hustle.
Wener is also the co-founder and a producer of Picklefest™, which he launched with his cousin Adin Wener. Built around food, drinks, music, vendors, contests and pickle-themed experiences, Picklefest has grown from a single-market idea into a six-market touring festival. Its 2026 footprint includes Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Charlottetown, with further Canadian expansion planned.
“Picklefest started as an idea that made people smile, and it has grown into something we can take across the country,” says Wener. “Being a festival producer gives me another perspective on audiences and live experiences, which also informs my work as a manager.”
THE NEXT CHAPTER
As Wener Mgmt enters its third decade, its focus remains on long-term artist management and international development. Building on its touring activity and expansion in China, the company is helping its artists establish audiences and partnerships across multiple territories.
“We’re based in Canada, but we build careers globally,” says Wener. “Every artist’s path is different. Our job is to recognize where the connection is happening, put the right people around them and do the work to turn that opportunity into something lasting.”
ABOUT WENER MGMT
WenerHouseMusic Inc., operating as Wener Mgmt, is an independent Canadian artist-management company with operations in Vancouver and Toronto and an international scope. Founded by Eli Wener in 2006, the company represents artists across hip-hop, roots, country, electronic and alternative music, with a focus on long-term career development and global audience growth. Alongside his management work, Wener is a talent buyer for events including the Truck Stop Concert Series, Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival and Burnaby Canada Day, and co-founder and a producer of Picklefest™.
MEDIA CONTACT
Arianna Benincasa
arianna@wenermgmt.com
wenermgmt.com
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