Tara Barnes is a passionate artist manager, marketer, and storyteller dedicated to amplifying diverse voices in music, film, television, and social media. As a queer settler-ally, she founded Thunderhaus, a management company focused on brand-building, digital marketing and representation. She manages breakout singer Tia Wood (nominated for WIM Artist of the Year) and a dynamic roster of Indigenous creators and artists.

With over a decade in marketing, Tara served as VP of Marketing for Indigenous-owned Manitobah Mukluks, helping build the brand into an industry leader. Her work encompassed all marketing, community-building, digital and retail, contributing to Manitobah’s recognition on the GROWTH 500 list of Canada’s fastest-growing companies for five consecutive years and its placement among Canada’s 150 Most Iconic Brands of all time.

Guided by an education in fine arts and engineering, Tara brings a visual and digital-first approach to modern brand-building. She empowers artists and founders to shape their unique stories around their art, community and impact. She is dedicated to helping artists become entrepreneurs, equipping them with the teams, tools and strategies to build sustainable, long-term careers in the arts. Her contributions to business and media earned her a 40 Under 40 Award for excellence from the Ottawa Business Journal.