From sweeping dealership floors in Canberra to building a leading automotive marketing agency, Dale Brittain continues shaping the industry while balancing DBC2 and a new role with Out There Group

The Australian automotive aftermarket has produced its share of colourful personalities over the years, but few have carved out a career quite like Dale Brittain.
From a teenage parts trainee in Canberra to the founder of a respected automotive marketing agency and now a key commercial leader at Out There Group, Dale’s journey is a classic example of how passion, persistence and relationships can shape a career in the automotive world.
It is also a story about someone who never planned the path he eventually took.
“I actually wanted to be a chef,” Dale admits with a laugh.
“Cooking was something I loved and still love today.”
Instead, a simple newspaper advertisement changed the course of his life.

From Canberra dealership to automotive career
Dale was born and raised in Canberra to English parents who migrated to Australia as part of the “Ten Pound Pom” scheme. Like many Australian families of the era, cars played a central role in daily life.
His father was a devoted Holden fan and owned what Dale still remembers as the best car the family ever had – an HX GTS Monaro.
“We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but that Monaro was dad’s pride and joy,” he recalls.
Trips to Canberra’s local speedway also left a strong impression.
“My earliest memories of cars were going to the speedway to watch Sprintcars. That was the biggest thrill I could remember as a kid.”
Despite the automotive influence, Dale initially stayed on the academic path, enrolling in college for Years 11 and 12.
That lasted four days.
“I got to the fourth day of college and thought, ‘I really don’t want to be here,’” he says.
Scanning the job ads in the newspaper that week, he spotted a position for a parts trainee at a multi-franchise car dealership. He called at 2.00pm, interviewed at 4.00pm and started the next day.
Dale was just 15 years and 10 months old.
His early tasks included sweeping floors and learning the fundamentals of the parts department across brands including Volkswagen, Honda, Subaru, Fiat, Lancia, and Audi.
“The minute I got into that role, I knew I was in the right place,” he says.

Rising quickly through the dealership ranks
Dale progressed quickly through the dealership system.
Within six years he had moved into management roles and by the age of 21 he was running the parts department. By 26 he had become group general manager, overseeing dealership and parts operations across multiple sites.
Along the way, a mentor recognised something that would shape the next stage of his career.
“A general manager said to me, ‘you’ve got a real flair for marketing,’” he recalls.
Dale began studying marketing while continuing to work in the automotive sector, eventually moving into a marketing role with Canberra Carparts – a business that would later become part of the Autobarn chain in the ACT.
“My passion for marketing and cars just seemed to work really well together,” he says.

The dot-com detour
Like many ambitious professionals in the late 1990s, Dale became fascinated by the rapidly expanding internet sector.
At the height of the dot-com boom he joined Asia Online as marketing manager for the Asia-Pacific region, managing an $11 million marketing budget.
Part of that budget went into motorsport sponsorship, including backing Supercars driver John Faulkner.
The experience exposed a major gap in the market.
“There was no sponsor activation agency back then,” he says.
“There was nobody helping sponsors leverage what they were spending.”
Recognising the opportunity, Dale decided to create his own business.

Launching DBC
In 2000 he resigned from his corporate role and launched DBC – Dale Brittain Consulting – focusing on helping companies maximise sponsorship and marketing opportunities around motorsport.
Within four days of launching the business he received a call from OzEmail, which was sponsoring Brad Jones Racing.
Dale’s first event was the Adelaide 500. Soon after, Brad and Kim Jones invited him to work directly with the team.
“They said, ‘we want you to come and work for us instead of the sponsor,’” Dale recalls.
He accepted and spent several years working with BJR while building DBC’s reputation across the motorsport paddock.
At one point the agency was working with six Supercars teams simultaneously.

Expanding beyond motorsport
While motorsport provided an entry point, Dale quickly realised the broader automotive aftermarket offered larger opportunities.
DBC began working with industry companies providing marketing, PR and strategic support.
Early corporate clients included Rare Spares and Fuchs lubricants, while other projects involved managing commercial programs for categories such as Touring Car Masters and the V8 Utes.
“Motorsport was part of the business, but the majority of our work was marketing,” Dale explains.
The agency also worked with major automotive lifestyle events including Summernats, helping Dale develop an extensive network across the aftermarket sector.

The move to Melbourne
A major turning point came in 2010 when Dale relocated the business from Canberra to Melbourne – widely regarded as the hub of the Australian automotive aftermarket.
The move carried risk but quickly delivered results.
Within nine months the agency grew from four employees to 16 as new clients came on board.
The business also evolved into DBC2, reflecting its transition into a broader full-service marketing agency focused heavily on the automotive aftermarket.
Seeing digital before the industry
One of Dale’s most important decisions was launching a digital marketing division around the same time.
In 2010 many aftermarket companies were still cautious about online marketing. Dale believed the shift was inevitable.
“I knew it was coming,” he says.
For two years the digital division operated without clients, costing the business significant money.
But when the aftermarket began embracing social media, digital advertising and online content, DBC2 was already positioned to deliver.
“If we hadn’t built that capability early, I don’t think the agency would have thrived the way it did,” Dale says.

Building a culture around cars
Throughout its growth, DBC2 maintained a culture built around genuine automotive enthusiasm.
Dale prioritised hiring car enthusiasts first and marketers second.
“Skills can be taught, attitude can’t,” he explains.
“I’d rather employ people who love cars and teach them marketing, rather than hire marketers and try to turn them into car people.”
Project vehicles also became part of the agency’s culture, including high-profile modified Mustangs producing more than 850 horsepower.

Celebrating 25 years
By 2025 the business reached a milestone few agencies achieve – 25 years in operation.
“I’ve always considered myself a knockabout bloke from Canberra who had something to prove,” Dale says.
“When we hit 25 years and I saw everything we’d achieved, it was the first time I really stopped and thought, ‘We’ve actually done something pretty special.’”

A new chapter with Out There Group
With the agency well established, Dale began considering new challenges.
That opportunity arrived through Andy Lopez and Out There Group, the company behind major automotive lifestyle events including Summernats and MotorEx.
Dale had known Andy for years and had already been advising the business.
Eventually Andy asked him to consider joining the company formally.
Dale accepted the role of head of commercial and partnerships, developing new commercial opportunities across the company’s portfolio of events.
“It’s amazing to have a blank canvas at this stage of my career,” he says.
“I get to build something new and do it my way.”

Family matters
Away from the business, family remains an important part of Dale’s life.
His son Mitch spent 14 years working inside the agency before forging his own path in motorsport, where he now heads commercial operations for a Supercars team.
Dale says the change has allowed their relationship to evolve from boss and employee back to simply father and son.
His daughter Mackenzie works in early childhood education in Melbourne and shares many of her father’s interests in the outdoors, including four-wheel driving and jet skiing.

Balancing two worlds
Despite the new role, Dale has not walked away from the agency he built.
DBC2 continues operating with a dedicated team managing day-to-day work while Dale remains involved strategically.
“I still work with our clients on strategy and that’s something I really enjoy,” he says.
Looking back on his career, Dale believes the key to success in the automotive aftermarket remains simple – relationships!
“If you’re starting out in this industry, build your network,” he says.
“It’s an industry that supports its people incredibly well.”
For the Canberra kid who once thought he might become a chef, it has been quite a ride – and the next chapter is only just beginning.

To learn more about DBC and Out There Group, visit www.dbc2.com.au and www.outthereproductions.com.au