Industry Ink: BMI Foundation Songwriting Scholarship, MTSU Wall Of Fame, BMLG’s Allison Jones

BMI Foundation Celebrates Scholarship Winner

BMI’s Jody Williams and Nina Carter, the BMI Foundation’s Clay Bradley, Nashville Songwriting Scholarship winner Angelica Rose Toumbas and BMI’s Leslie Roberts and MaryAnn Keen pose before Toumbas’ performance

BMI hosted a reception Monday (June 12) for the BMI Foundation’s Second Annual Nashville Songwriting Scholarship winner Angelica Rose Toumbas. During the event Toumbas treated the crowd to two of her original songs, including her award-winning “The Feeling of Almost.”

Middle Tennessee State University Adds Three To Media Wall Of Fame

Christin Baker, F. Reid Shippen, Traci Thomas

Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment has added a trio of alumni to its Wall of Fame, including entertainment manager/publicist Traci Thomas, music producer-engineer F. Reid Shippen, and filmmaker Christin Baker.

These three join 82 media leaders already included on the list, which is featured in MTSU’s Bragg Media and Entertainment Building. The MTSU College of Media and Entertainment Wall began in 2000 to honor successful mass communications graduates.

Baker, a 1997 MTSU graduate, founded and is CEO of LA-based digital distribution company tellofilms.com, a multi-platform subscription service for web series focusing on lesbian issues. Baker earned the Best Director prize at the 2016 Raindance Film Festival’s Web Fest Awards for the series Maybelle.

Shippen, a 1994 MTSU graduate, is a mixer, producer, engineer and entrepreneur, with credits including artists Ingrid Michaelson, India.Arie, Sam Hunt, Cage The Elephant, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Kelsea Ballerini, One Republic, MercyMe and more. Shippen owns and mixes projects at Robot Lemon, a private Nashville studio.

Thomas, a 1994 MTSU graduate, began her career in public relations, spending 20+ years working with artists including Kris Kristofferson, Drive-By Truckers, Old Crow Medicine Show and more. She psent the last 10+ years working with Nashville’s Thirty Tigers. As a co-founder of the Americana Music Association, Thomas was recently honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at its 10th annual  Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum.

BMLG’s Allison Jones “Makes The Wall” At The Palm

Big Machine Label Group A&R SVP Allison Jones officially joined the rankings of famous faces “making the wall” across the country at The Palm. A regular at the downtown Nashville location, she was honored with a reception to unveil the establishment’s newest caricature.

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Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

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