Concert promoter and festival producer AC Entertainment is set to open an office in Nashville. The company, which co-founded and produces the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival®, will be headed by industry familiar Nina Miller, with an office at 1200 Villa Place, Suite 405 in Edgehill Village.
Miller has spent more than 25 years in the entertainment industry, working in events, promotion, artist relations and philanthropy. She has previously held positions at Gibson Brands and The Gibson Foundation, and currently serves on the advisory committee for Music Makes Us and Music Health Alliance.
“Nashville has felt like a second home to us for more than a decade. It was time to make it official,” said AC Entertainment founder Ashley Capps. “Whether we are strengthening our Bonnaroo initiatives with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau and the city of Nashville or nurturing our relationships with the venues and industry folks in town, Nashville is core to the work we are doing as a company. The city is bursting with inspiration and energy, and we are excited to be spending more time here.”

Nina Miller

“With Nina at the helm, our Nashville office will allow us to further develop the connection between our current projects and Nashville’s continually expanding music and entertainment community,” added Capps. “It will also better enable us to explore opportunities and support projects elsewhere.”

AC Entertainment has developed several relationships in the Nashville community. In addition to Bonnaroo, AC has working relationships with the Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, Municipal Auditorium, the Cannery Ballroom, the Nashville Symphony for the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and more.
AC’s new office will continue to assist clients with festival and event creation and production, booking, marketing and promotion throughout the country.
Miller can be reached at nmiller@acentertainment.com.

The Universities of Florida and Nebraska have adopted CMA EDU, the Country Music Association’s college outreach initiative. Nashville’s Belmont University launched the program in 2011, uniting students with interests in Country music. CMA EDU chapters followed at other Nashville universities, with an additional 22 “ambassador” schools across the U.S.
“With six official chapters, CMA EDU has the potential to reach nearly 170,000 college students,” said CMA Community Outreach Manager Matthew Seaton. “That is a substantial sampling of a very important demographic for the format.”
Several clubs held opening meetings in September, including the University of Central Florida, which enjoyed a performance by Uncle Kracker. Meanwhile, the University of Nebraska welcomed Dee Jay Silver to its inaugural meeting on Sept. 16. The University of Florida chapter will hold its inaugural meeting later this month and celebrate with a Luke Bryan concert ticket giveaway.
Events for the upcoming year include a speech by radio personality Bobby Bones at MTSU in October. Last night (Sept. 30) Billy Currington paid a visit to Belmont University.
Nashville chapters can also participate in an industry career shadow day in partnership with the Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID). Students in the program will have opportunities to be involved in events, including the Country Radio Seminar, the Leadership Music Summit, PollStar LIVE, CMA Awards and CMA Music Festival.
For more information, visit cmaworld.com.

Great American Country, part of the Scripps Networks family, has unveiled a new brand identity that reflects the television network’s continuing evolution as an all-American lifestyle viewing destination.
“The re-imagined Great American Country marks a natural evolution for what was previously known as GAC,” said Burton Jablin, president of Scripps Networks. “We’ve long had a vision for this network to be an all-American lifestyle destination. Think of it as a love letter to America, with heart and soul. It represents how we as Americans live and celebrate.”
“This is a significant moment in the evolution of Great American Country” said Sarah Trahern, Sr. VP and GM of the network. “Our roots are in country music, and some of those ever-present themes woven throughout the genre – senses of patriotism, pride in our homes, our families and nation – in many ways embody our network’s spirit and will help guide our programming strategies going forward.”
As part of the brand evolution, the use of the former acronym has been changed to the use of the full title – Great American Country. Also, a new, bold red logo inspired by the American flag has been introduced; the new design was created by Los Angeles-based Big Block Design Group.
“It’s important for us to lead by clearly stating who we are and defining our position in the media landscape,” said Jennifer Leitman, Sr. VP, marketing and creative services for the network. “We’re celebrating America and want to wave that flag, which we’re actually doing through the playful, modern use of our new flag logo.”
The network is also working to include more lifestyle programming into its lineup, including recent programming such as Farm Kings, Kimberly’s Simply Southern, Celebrity Motorhomes and other programs. The October re-brand of Great American Country also marks the network’s debut in high definition – an improvement made in response to viewer and market demand.