Jake Basden Joins Sandbox Entertainment Group As President

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Jake Basden. Photo: Jason Myers

Music industry veteran Jake Basden is joining Jason Owen’s Sandbox Entertainment Group as President.

Basden brings with him over a decade’s worth of experience in Nashville. During his 12 years at Big Machine Label Group, he was named the 2019 PRWeek “40 under 40” designee and Young PR Professional of the Year winner. He spent a significant portion of his time at BMLG working music projects such as Taylor Swift’s record-breaking album releases, Steven Tyler’s solo country album, Sheryl Crow’s all-star Threads project, Thomas Rhett’s 20 No. 1 songs and Country Music Hall of Famer Glen’s Campbell’s final recordings.

At Sandbox, Basden will create well-established development strategies for the firm’s globally recognized artists, including Kacey Musgraves, Kate Hudson, Faith Hill, Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and Midland. He will also be hands on with Sandbox’s various media and entertainment entities including the highly anticipated Broadway musical Shucked premiering this spring.

“There is so much more to a successful launch, whether it’s an artist’s project, a Broadway show or long-term development. Perception can define reality, but you have to back it up with solid strategy and execution,” Basden shares. “To be in the trenches, finding events, building layers of messaging to create a solid foundation—and making sure the key players can deliver when the moment matters, the opportunity Jason has provided allows me to both stretch and take topflight people, TV and motion picture platforms to new places. That thrills me because I believe that marketing done as a well-thought-out strategy yields exponential returns. The Sandbox team is comprised of the highest caliber executives whom I have long admired, and I am grateful for the opportunity to join them.”

“Jake is the sort of star executive who recognizes this is not a business of boxes and lanes. He is beloved by all and brings elevation to everything he touches,” says Owen, Sandbox Entertainment’s Founder and CEO. “From conceptualizing events to executing campaigns, there’s no one whose vision can see a project from conception through to not just success, but the highest awards recognition for whatever arena they’re in. Sandbox’s incredible team was formed as an entertainment firm whether it meant movies, television, touring or career direction. Jake excels in all of those spaces. And let’s face it, he survived my dear friend Scott Borchetta for 12 years, so there is nothing he can’t do.”

Prior to moving to Nashville, Basden spent time in the New York offices of Ogilvy and Edelman, the world’s largest public relations firm, where he served as a Director in their Sports and Entertainment Division. While at BMLG, he was also heavily involved with multimedia projects in conjunction with Lionsgate (The Hunger Games), Netflix (The Ice Road), ABC (Nashville) and the various teams at FOX (American Idol) and NBC (The Voice). Basden led corporate and crisis communications for Borchetta and BMLG throughout the indie label’s most historic and groundbreaking moments, landing the company on Fast Company’s prestigious Most Innovative Companies list.

The University of Oklahoma graduate was also involved in the success of the Grammy-nominated trio Midland’s re-opening of the legendary Palomino, Jennifer Nettles’ acclaimed “I Can Do Hard Things” video, and Carly Pearce’s Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Female Artist of the Year campaigns.

LB Cantrell
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