Kelli Haywood & Leigh Holt Launch Hsquared Management [Exclusive]

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Leigh Holt & Kelli Haywood

Industry veterans Kelli Haywood and Leigh Holt have united to launch Hsquared Management.

Having met originally as executives at Warner Music Nashville, Haywood and Holt have developed a strong bond as female entrepreneurs over the years. Together, they bring more than 25 years of industry experience to their new Nashville-based company.

With a focus on transcending genres, the two have combined the clients from their respective businesses, KCH Entertainment and maddjett, to create a diverse roster consisting of Lauren Daigle, Megan Danielle, Annie F. Downs, Lizzie Morgan, Demi Tebow, David Thomas and Sissy Goff and Carlos Whittaker as well as their latest signee, Capitol Christian Music Group singer-songwriter Riley Clemmons.

“We’ve leaned on each other a lot over the years, so this partnership was a very natural, easy step to take,” shares Haywood. “Neither of us needed to change what we were doing, but it became apparent that we’re even better working together, and that our combined experience and talents would be beneficial to all of our clients.”

“I am excited to launch Hsquared with Kelli because it signifies two strong teams coming together to provide amazing service to our artists and authors,” echoes Holt. “The symbolism of H2 [Hsquared] for hydrogen was meaningful to us because hydrogen is the main ingredient in rocket fuel, which is how we power our artists careers and growth paths. And the number two signifies two strong leaders joining forces, to build a formidable management company that can service the full breadth of the needs our clients have–from brand development, product launches, marketing strategies, touring, record and book deals, merchandise, podcasts, digital and more–we are situated to build for the future.”

During her time at Warner Music Nashville, Haywood worked with artists such as Blake Shelton, Big & Rich, Faith Hill, The Wreckers, Gloriana, Dwight Yoakam and Brett Eldredge across radio promotion and digital media. After rising to VP of Brand Management, she joined Starstruck Management Group as the VP of Marketing and Partnerships in 2013, where she was responsible for creating and expanding revenue streams for the company’s roster of artists. In 2019, Haywood ventured into a new focus in the entertainment space with KCH Entertainment, where she took on management duties for Downs and continued to grow her roster.

Holt left her role as VP of Strategic Partnerships at Warner Music Nashville in 2013 to start maddjett. The company’s roster of clients and projects has included Hunter Hayes breaking the Guinness World Record for playing the most live concerts in 24 hours, Oprah’s “The Life You Want Weekend,” Pepsi MidAmerica, PixMob, Sony Music Nashville, Harper Collins Publishers, the Museum of the Bible and more. In 2015, she launched the artist management arm of maddjett to continue influencing the entertainment industry, including two-time Grammy winner Daigle.

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Liza Anderson
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