Honored for year-round program revitalizing DFW’s music scene

DALLAS, Aug. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Business Council for the Arts (BCA) has named Mullen & Mullen Injury Law Firm the 2025 New Arts Initiative Award recipient at the 37th Annual Obelisk Awards, honoring the firm’s leadership in preserving and growing the region’s independent music scene through its Mullen & Mullen Music Project.

The Obelisk Awards are one of North Texas’s highest honors for arts and business partnerships, recognizing companies and individuals whose creative collaborations strengthen the cultural fabric of the region. Each year, awardees are selected by a panel of business and arts leaders based on measurable impact, innovation, and community reach. Past honorees include Fortune 500 companies, philanthropic foundations, and influential cultural leaders.

From Festival to Lifeline for Venues
 Launched in 2024, the Mullen & Mullen Music Project was created to address a crisis: independent music venues across North Texas were closing at alarming rates, squeezed by rising costs, declining attendance, and the lingering effects of the pandemic. In response, the Dallas-based law firm built a year-round program to fund, promote, and sustain local music.

The firm’s flagship event, JAMBALOO, debuted in February 2025 as a free, week-long festival featuring over 100 artists across four independent venues. It drove a 280 percent surge in attendance, boosted sales by 150 percent, and generated an estimated 3.5 million dollars in local economic impact.

This summer, Mullen & Mullen expanded its efforts with the JAMBALOO Venue Prize, a 20,000-dollar annual grant plus operational support for one DFW venue. The first winner, Fort Worth’s The Cicada, received funding and hands-on help to remain open after facing rent hikes, infrastructure issues, and other financial hurdles.

“We have served this community for over 40 years, and the arts are part of its heartbeat,” said Shane Mullen, Managing Attorney at Mullen & Mullen Injury Law Firm. “Supporting local music is not charity, it is an investment in the culture, economy, and identity of North Texas. This award is an honor, but the real win is seeing these venues packed again.”

More Than Money
 The Music Project goes beyond funding by providing venue upgrades such as stage improvements, streaming equipment, and custom murals from local artists, as well as professional-grade promotional resources for musicians.

“Independent venues are the breeding ground for tomorrow’s legends,” said Joseph Morrison, Senior Associate at Mullen & Mullen and JAMBALOO co-founder. “If they disappear, so does an essential part of our culture. We are here to make sure that does not happen.”

Celebrating North Texas Arts and Business Leaders
 The 2025 Obelisk Awards, presented by Capital One and Corgan, will be held November 19, 2025 at the JW Marriott Dallas Arts District. The event honors outstanding contributions to the arts in categories including New Arts Initiative, Arts Education, Arts Partnerships, and Lifetime Achievement. To learn more visit: https://ntbca.org/obelisk-awards-2025/

For more information on Mullen & Mullen’s music initiatives, visit www.mullenandmullen.com/music.

About Mullen & Mullen Law Firm:
Mullen & Mullen Law Firm has been privileged to represent injured North Texans for over 42 years. The firm is consistently recognized by TopVerdict for obtaining some of the largest personal injury settlements in the entire state of Texas. In the last 4 years, Mullen & Mullen made the “Top 50” list 44 times and the “Top 100” list 70 times. The firm offers the services of two investigators and an award-winning videographer. Website: https://www.mullenandmullen.com 

About Business Council for the Arts
Since its founding in 1988 by developer and philanthropist Raymond D. Nasher as a Dallas Citizens Council initiative to foster parallel growth in North Texas’s cultural and business sectors, the Business Council for the Arts (BCA) has thrived under visionary leadership. In 2008, Nasher’s daughter, Nancy A. Nasher, succeeded him as Founder’s Chair, bringing her own passion and dedication to the organization’s mission. Today, Founder’s Chair Nancy A. Nasher and Board Chair Joel Austin guide a 36 member board and a dedicated staff led by BCA CEO Stacie Adams. Through its membership of more than 150 leading businesses and organizations, BCA champions the arts in workplaces, classrooms, and communities across the region. BCA’s programming spans creative workforce development, community engagement, and leadership cultivation. Signature initiatives include On My Own Time™, an annual art competition that spotlights employees’ visual and literary talents, and ArtWorks, a multifaceted initiative that brings professional, rotating art installations to both corporate spaces and vacant storefronts. ArtWorks enhances employee wellness, fosters team building and creativity, cultivates community, and transforms vacant spaces into vibrant, welcoming destinations that reflect the heart of North Texas. Committee-led series—Arts & Health, Arts & Real Estate, and Arts & Technology—explore how the arts drive innovation, well-being, and community revitalization, while the Leadership Arts Institute prepares emerging and established professionals to serve as effective arts advocates and nonprofit board members. For more information or to join, visit www.ntbca.org

SOURCE Mullen & Mullen Law Firm