Meet Our Team
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Meet Our Team
Barbara Parham
Founder / Chief Executive Officer
Barbara is the President of Artistic Talent Group and a state-licensed Talent Agent (TA#780) since 2004. Her career began at age 12 in modeling and acting, and by 17 she secured an international modeling contract.
After returning to the United States, she discovered her strength was behind the scenes. She joined a local agency in model development and training, quickly advancing into talent booking. Years of hands-on experience gave her a sharp understanding of both talent and clients’ needs from every angle.
One of her favorite career highlights was traveling throughout the Southeast as an official, real-life Mattel “Barbie.” It felt especially natural, since close friends have long called her “Barbie.”
Barbara’s focus on live visual artistry deepened after meeting her husband, Keelan, whose creative talent helped shape the direction of the company. Today, she is a recognized authority in live, visual, and artistic entertainment within the special event industry.
A 20+ year member and former President of the International Live Events Association (ILEA), Barbara represents accomplished artists nationwide and is known for pairing clients with the perfect talent to elevate their events.
Keelan Parham
Founder / Chief Creative Officer
Artist, Cartoonist, Model, Actor, Former Elvis Impersonator, and Co-Owner and Creative Director of Artistic Talent Group, Keelan is an entertainer as much as he is an artist.
A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Keelan has served as the President of the International Society of Caricature Artists (ISCA) and is a prominent member of the prestigious National Cartoonists Society (NCS). He knows hundreds of artists around the world and those connections help ATG find artists and entertainers wherever our clients need them.
He has been a professional artist for more than 25 years and his illustrations have appeared in advertisements, comic books, comic strips, and magazines, both nationally and internationally.
Keelan has won the “Best Abstract Style,” “Best Cartoon Style,” and “World’s Fastest Caricaturist” awards from the International Society of Caricature Artists. He is also the author of the book Let’s Toon CARICATURES which is one of the best-selling books on the subject.
As Creative Director of ATG, Keelan is always coming up with new and unique services and products for our clients. He doesn’t just “think outside of the box.” To him, there is NO “box!”
Darla Bloyed
Chief Operating Officer
Darla joined Artistic Talent Group in 2012 as Operations Manager, bringing over 16 years of management and training experience to the team. Her introduction to the talent industry began with a college internship at one of Orlando’s top modeling agencies, where she was offered a full-time position immediately after graduating from the University of Central Florida. As a booking agent, she gained comprehensive insights into the entertainment industry.
Seeking to expand her professional horizons, Darla transitioned to a sales and marketing company, embracing her passion for travel. In this role, she managed sales and customer service training, coordinating live programs for groups ranging from 10 to over 100 participants. Her dedication and leadership skills led to a quick promotion to a managerial position, where she trained and mentored new associates to support her growing department.
Darla’s enthusiasm, attention to detail, and exceptional communication skills make her an invaluable member of the ATG management team.
Lisa Desjardins
DIRECTOR - TALENT ACQUISITION & ECOMMERCE
Lisa Desjardins joined Artistic Talent Group (ATG) in 2021, bringing with her over 21 years of experience in education. As a former educator, Lisa is known for her enthusiasm, creativity, and customer-focused mindset.
In her role, she oversees the recruitment and development of contemporary artists, ensuring that ATG attracts top talent to join its vibrant team. Lisa also leads the company’s ecommerce initiatives, providing exceptional customer support across ATG’s online stores and managing corporate custom orders. With her extensive experience and passion for both talent development and customer service, Lisa continues to be a driving force behind ATG’s growth and success.
Joanie Dean
Director of Agency Operations & Corporate Events
Joanie joined Artistic Talent Group (ATG) in early 2017 and quickly advanced from a part-time assistant to Agency Director, where she now leads national corporate event operations and artist management. Her leadership, strategic insight, and commitment to excellence have played a key role in ATG’s growth and reputation in the live events industry.
With more than 20 years of experience in customer service, team leadership, and client relations, Joanie specializes in large-scale corporate event planning, logistics management, and performance coordination. She has overseen thousands of live event activations across the country for Fortune 500 companies, destination management firms, convention clients, luxury brands, and major hospitality partners.
She is known for her operational precision, problem-solving skills, and strong relationships with both clients and artists. Her collaborative leadership style, “get-it-done” mindset, and dedication to service excellence make her an essential part of ATG’s success.
Rooted in the arts since childhood, she blends creativity with strong business acumen, setting high standards for organization, communication, and client satisfaction across the company.
Dana Pencak
Director - Weddings and PRIVATE EVENTS
Dana Pencak brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, relationship-building, and event strategy to her role as Director of Weddings & Private Events at Artistic Talent Group. She leads client relationships from initial conversation through contract and execution, helping weddings and a variety of private celebrations come to life through exceptional live artistic entertainment. Known for her ability to quickly understand a client’s vision and connect them with the right creative talent, Dana combines strategic thinking with a highly personalized, white-glove approach that makes the entire process feel seamless.
In addition to managing client partnerships, Dana represents ATG through local networking initiatives and industry conferences nationwide, building strong relationships with planners, venues, and event professionals while continually expanding the company’s visibility and reach. Before joining ATG, she held leadership roles in fundraising, media relations, promotions, and special events, including work with the Direct Marketing Association, the American Cancer Society, and Orlando’s Church Street Station. She is recognized for her positive energy, collaborative style, and genuine ability to make clients and partners feel immediately at ease.
John Frakes
Operations Manager / EPCOT Festivals Manager
John studied Journalism in college in Indiana, was a writer and photographer for a hometown newspaper, and worked as a store manager for a small chain of camera stores for five years before joining Disney, where he worked for 30 years as a retail manager.
In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, golf, hiking, biking, photography, and reading about historical events and persons, including Colonel Sanders of KFC fame, whom he had the pleasure of knowing personally.
Sandy Teves
Manager of The Art Corner by Artistic Talent Group ~ Disney Springs
Ted Tucker
Chief Development Officer
Entertaining and drawing caricatures at Walt Disney World since 1992, Ted is a true veteran of the industry. He is the Lead Talent Scout and Artist Trainer for Artistic Talent Group. He discovers and trains new artists to ensure they meet the high standards ATG requires. He is also the Lead Artist and Locations Manager for Caricature Connection (a division of Artistic Talent Group), which is the largest caricature concession company at Walt Disney World.
Ted has won many awards for his artwork throughout the years, but his most impressive is ISCA’s (International Society of Caricature Artists) “World’s Fastest Caricaturist” title. In addition, he creates comic book illustrations and character designs.
Having drawn more than half a million caricatures in the past two decades, Ted excels in his art form. His comedic personality, professionalism, and artistic talent put him at the top of the list of requested artists. He is truly a comedian with a pen!
Kierstin Greene
Location Manager – Hollywood Studios
Kierstin is originally from Eastern Kentucky and lived in Cincinnati, OH, for five years. She moved to Florida to participate in the Disney College Program in 2019. Kierstin joined ATG at the beginning of 2022 after working for 3.5 years in the Disney parks. She recently graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design, where she received her Master’s in animation. Art and Disney have always been her passion; now she gets to draw in the Disney parks daily!
Kierstin always likes to challenge herself in what roles she has worked in. She has been a Marketing manager, Safari Driver, and even a circus performer! She also loves to travel, having been to Spain, Canada, Puerto Rico, China, Singapore, and Bali.
Jeff Carrier
Retail Location Manager
Artistic Advisors
Our training team mentors our staff of more than 40 artists!
Michael Duron
Michael “Locoduck” Duron has been drawing caricatures since 1996 and joined Artistic Talent Group in 2003.
In addition to being an accomplished caricaturist, he is a renowned illustrator for many officially licensed projects for Lucasfilm, Marvel, DC, The Walking Dead and more. Michael is also a published comic book artist and donates his artistic talent to several charities including St. Jude’s and Give Kids the World.
He’s drawn all over the country but is thrilled to make Artistic Talent Group his home.
Jimmy Pereira
Jimmy Pereira (pronounced pur-air-uh) has been drawing caricatures since the age of 13.
His first caricature event was at his high-school fundraising fair while he was in junior high. He has never stopped drawing caricatures since. His caricatures are always meant to delight and entertain, but never to offend.
He specializes in a strong likeness and slight exaggeration to try to capture the essence of the individual. We have been honored to have him as part of the ATG team since 2007.
