My Music Row Story: River House Artists’ Lynn Oliver-Cline

Lynn Oliver-Cline. Photo: Emma Golden

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

In 2016, Lynn Oliver-Cline launched River House Artists, a creative firm that includes label, publishing and management, with flagship artist Luke Combs. River House Artists songwriters include Drew Parker, Ray Fulcher, Driver Williams, Nicolette Hayford, Jordan Rowe, and more. Oliver-Cline’s career began at Virgin Records, followed by time at BMI, ROAR, Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Artists, and Thirty Tigers, spearheading album launches for Jason Isbell, Lucinda Williams, and more. She is a 2018 MusicRow Rising Women on the Row honoree and has been named to multiple Billboard women in music and power players lists.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

North of Charleston, South Carolina in a little town called Hanahan. I graduated with under 100 kids. I went to school at the University of South Carolina, so I was in South Carolina most of my early life.

What was your dream job as a kid?

I always wanted to be in the music business. Growing up, all my friends were in bands. I threw band parties in high school. I would collect $5 at the door, rent generators and fields for the band parties. Part of that management thing was always in me.

I also had talent in my family. My aunt was on the Nashville Network back in the day on You Can Be A Star. She grew up singing, my dad played banjo, and my uncles sang and played football. I grew up playing drums, piano, and guitar. I always thought maybe I’d be on stage, but I also had really bad stage fright. I learned going into college that there was a media arts major at USC and I could actually be on the business side [of the music industry]. Luckily for me, the guys from Hootie & the Blowfish went to school at the University of South Carolina. I started as an intern with them when I was 19. I was their second intern ever, so I really got thrown in. I started the day that Cracked Rear View came out.

Oliver-Cline with Hootie & The Blowfish

What did you do after college?

Hootie & the Blowfish started their own record label called Breaking Records that I worked at. From there, I started doing A&R for a producer named Matt Serletic. Matt had just won a bunch of Grammys with Santana. He discovered Matchbox 20 and made Collective Soul records—very alt rock stuff.

I had moved from South Carolina to Atlanta to Los Angeles. When Matt became the president of Virgin Records, we all moved to New York. At that time, Matt was working with Willie Nelson and had made a record with Faith Hill, so he was doing more stuff in Nashville.

[When I heard about Nashville], I was like, “Wait a minute. There are people in a town in the southeast that write songs all day and you can pitch songs to these recording artists and they will listen to to them? This is my dream. That’s what I want to do.”

How did you get to Nashville?

At that time, Forefront Records was in Franklin, Tennessee. It was a Christian label. We started working with an artist named Stacie Orrico to help her make her first secular record outside of the Christian world, so I was coming down to Franklin from New York a bunch. I told Matt in 2003 or 2004 that I really wanted to move to Nashville.

I came down here and started interviewing in 2004 and nobody would give me a job, so I started my own publishing company in 2004 and went flat broke in about six months.

How did things turn around?

I ended up getting an offer from BMI in Atlanta in 2005. Two weeks into working in BMI in Atlanta, I met Zac Brown and Wyatt Durrette. About two years in, Zac was choosing a management company. I had been a big part of the team already, so he asked if I wanted to be his day-to-day manager. I was like, “Are you crazy? This is the best job in the whole world.” Working at BMI when Del [Bryant] was there was just the warmest, fuzziest job. But I decided I was going to do it because I just loved those boys, so I ended up living on the road for three years.

In 2010, Zac said, “What do you really want to do? I know you don’t want live out here on the road with us forever.” I said, “I really still want to start a publishing company. That’s still where my heart is.” He said, “Alright, let’s do it.” So we started a pub company and he decided to start his label Southern Ground at the same time, so we were putting out records, we were working with young songwriters, and we were sending them up here to write out of Atlanta.

I told Zac that I really needed to move to Nashville but he wanted me in Atlanta. I told him if I didn’t have boots on the ground in Nashville, it wasn’t going to work. Finally in 2013, he gave in and said, “We’ve got a studio there now and there’s office space, so you can go up there.” That’s how I finally got to Nashville in 2013.

Ray Fulcher plays MSG on Nov. 29, 2021 in New York, New York. Photo: Kurt Ozan

What was next?

We were doing well, but eventually it just got to be too much. There were too many different things going on, so Zac decided to close down Southern Ground in 2014. I took a job over at Thirty Tigers with David Macias. Then I found out I was pregnant for the first time in my whole life at age 41.

[My time at Thirty Tigers] was great. I was helping them put out projects for Greensky Bluegrass and Jason Isbell—all of these really cool, credible records. I didn’t necessarily feel the pressure of a major corporation at that time, so it really got me back to my roots. It was a really fun time. That’s when I decided to start River House.

What went into that decision?

[While I was working at Thirty Tigers], they were building this new, beautiful building and there was some lag time before we could move into the new office. It was at least two months, and I really loved being at home with [my son] Levi during that time. My husband, Jay, said, “I don’t understand why you don’t start your own thing.”

He was actually the one that convinced me to start my own company. I literally had a desk in the laundry room. We lived on the east side in Inglewood overlooking the Cumberland River. He said, “Just call it River House Records.”

I stayed on with Thirty Tigers to see through a Lucinda Williams album that we put out in February of 2016, but I actually started River House in September of 2015.

Oliver-Cline and Luke Combs at the ACM Awards

Luke Combs was your first signee. How did that come to be?

Chris Kappy and I were roommates. [Laughs] He was working on The Rock Boats and Zac Brown did a lot of those boats. Whenever I was living on tour with Zac for three years, I rented a room from Kappy because he was always gone on the boats and I was always gone on tour. We had been friends for half our lives.

He had decided to do the artist management thing after meeting Luke through Bradley Jordan, and moved to Nashville in 2015. He just came over to the house one day and said, “I want to put your A&R ears on something.” He had a little speaker in his backpack and just said, “This kid is Luke Combs from North Carolina. It’s pretty good.” He played it and I was like, “I think you might actually have something here. I really like this.” It was the first six songs from This One’s For You, the original EP.

Obviously Luke was still brand new and Kappy had never done management before, so I was like, “If you guys want me to help you out, I’m happy to put together some short term goals and some long term goals.”

At the time, I wasn’t trying to sign him to my label. I was just trying to help him because Kappy was my friend. Eventually he started meeting with labels and they weren’t calling him back. He was getting frustrated. I looked at what his numbers were doing online and he had done like a million streams of “Hurricane.” Even though that was only a few short years ago, that was a big deal. I told him, “I’m starting a record label. It’s got all the resources you need. I’ve got a little extra money. I can put this record out for you and I’m pretty sure I’ll make my money back.” So that’s what we did.

When did you start growing the River House roster?

After we did the JV with Sony, I was really part of the management team for the next couple of years because it was growing so quickly, but I still wanted to do the label because that’s what I set out to do. I didn’t set out to be a manager again, but I did help out on the management side quite a bit the first couple years.

Then we signed Jameson Rodgers. We knew that Jameson was going to be on tour with Luke for a full year. He was one of the artists who got super affected by COVID—it just hit at the absolute wrong time for him—but I just loved his voice and his swag. Then I met Georgia Webster and we signed her.

Oliver-Cline and Jameson Rodgers at Rodgers’ Grand Ole Opry debut

When do you feel most fulfilled in what you do?

In management and in artist development in general, there’s definitely daily victories that keep you going. You have to give yourself a pat on the back because no one else is really going to. You have to really just love it and live it and then you’ll feel rewarded by it. But I definitely think I feel the most fulfilled when seeing thousands of people singing a song back to an artist that you were there from the very beginning.

Who is your biggest mentor?

Matt Ceroletic for sure. He was such a mega producer and then became the president of a label—seeing that he could do both was was huge for me. Honestly, I still send him the records that I’m a part of because I want him to be proud. Him letting me be in the studio with him and be a part of that process with him was really huge. It helped me become pretty fearless. I don’t ever want to make decisions based on fear or be scared to do something.

What are some of the best qualities of our industry?

If you find the right tribe of people, there is a real communal feeling. There’s always those people that are going to take advantage, but I truly feel like most people have the artist’s best interests at heart. Overall, people have to work their faces off and make personal sacrifices [to have success]. It’s a lot of sacrifice. The executives have to be just as dedicated as the artist.

My Music Row Story: The MLC’s Ellen Truley

Ellen Truley

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

Ellen Truley serves as Chief Marketing Officer for The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), where she works closely with The MLC’s Leadership Team, CEO, Board and Advisory Committee members. In her role, she also leverages her wealth of experience in marketing, brand strategy, digital initiatives, advertising, public relations and industry relations to direct a robust and proactive communications operation that engages both the music community and the public at large.

Prior to joining The MLC, Truley was the founder and CEO of ETC Consulting, a leading music industry marketing firm focused in the entertainment relations niche, consulting with music, tech and entertainment companies in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles and London. Previously, Truley served as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations for SESAC Holdings, Inc., overseeing global marketing initiatives for all corporate entities, including the Harry Fox Agency, Rumblefish, SESAC PRO and Mint Digital Services. During her 20 years with SESAC, Truley noticeably elevated the organization’s brand through collaborations with industry partners and advertisers that maximized its visibility.

Her many achievements include being named one of Billboard Magazine’s Women in Music on numerous occasions and honored at the Nashville Business Journal’s Women in Music City Awards for several years. She currently serves on the Global Board of Women in Music, the leading industry nonprofit working to advance the awareness, equality, diversity, heritage, opportunities and cultural aspects of women in the musical arts, and is a member of the Leadership Music class of 2022.

Reba and Ellen Truley

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

Nashville. Born and raised.

Did you grow up wanting to be in the music business here?

I thought I would not be in the music business. Growing up here I was like, “I’m not into that.” Then, lo and behold, I found myself right smack in the middle of it. My first job out of college, I worked at an ad agency for just a short time. That quickly led to a position at Billboard. I worked there for a couple years and that’s really where I fell into the music industry. Then I joined SESAC.

You spent over two decades at SESAC, rising to Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations. What was that time like?

That’s really where I grew to love songwriters and their stories. I grew to understand their huge role in our ecosystem and of the music industry. I’m just a huge fan of singer-songwriters.

Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick with Ellen Truley

Who were some of the songwriters that you first fell in love with?

Obviously the Nashville songwriters, but I had such a great opportunity working at SESAC because I worked in all genres. I was exposed to music that I probably wouldn’t have necessarily been before. Everything from jazz musicians to pop and rock; as well as film and TV composers. I never would’ve crossed paths with them. That has been really a cool thing.

Just the other night I saw a film and TV composer, Jonathan Wolf, who wrote the theme song for Seinfeld. He was in town for the CMA awards. It was good to see him again.

You left SESAC in 2018. What were the next steps for you?

I had my own company for a couple of years where I did a lot of industry relations and helped people who wanted to get into the music industry.

From there, I got a call about The MLC. I knew it was happening because I knew about the Music Modernization Act from 2018. I had been following that closely because I knew it was going to affect songwriters and publishers, and that was my world. So when they called, I was really interested. Anything that helps creatives get paid, I was behind. So I started with The MLC in March of 2020—right as the world was shutting down.

Pictured (L-R): Kris Ahrend, CEO of The MLC; songwriter Even Stevens; Ellen Truley, CMO of The MLC; songwriter Steve Bogard; Jennifer Turnbow, COO, NSAI; Erika Wollam-Nichols, GM, Bluebird Cafe

What was that first year like?

I was employee number five. We’re now at 105, so it’s grown a lot very quickly. It’s been a great ride. Building something from the ground up and seeing this piece of legislation and this mandate come to life has been really rewarding.

I started in March of 2020 and we officially started operations January of 2021. We started paying publishers and songwriters in April of 2021 and we’ve been paying every month since. We distribute royalties once a month.

When you signed on, what were you specifically tasked with?

Part of the legislation said we had to get out in the marketplace and educate people about The MLC. We had to do a lot of education and outreach. My role is marketing, but that includes the education and outreach as well as traditional marketing and PR. It’s about educating people on who we are and what we do, which has been a challenge. We’re kind of this unknown organization, brand new to the landscape of the music industry. We had to tell people what we do and why it was important to sign up so they could get paid.

Blanco Brown and Ellen Truley

What are the hardest things to get people to understand?

Some people thought we replaced a PRO. We do not. We work alongside a PRO and we work alongside SoundExchange. We are another way creators can get paid.

Specifically we pay a “digital audio mechanical royalty.” You say those words and people are like, “What does that mean?” We break it down—a mechanical used to mean physical sales. But a digital audio mechanical pertains to streaming.

People think if they’re signed up with a PRO, that they’re going to get that money. They do get a stream of royalties from a PRO, but there’s a performance royalty and a mechanical royalties associated with a stream. So letting people know they have two ways to get paid when a song is streamed is really important. A lot of people didn’t realize that. Hopefully we’ve opened up a lot of eyes and we’re getting more people paid.

What’s the most fulfilling part of being part of The MLC?

It’s a couple of things. One is that we’ve been able to, literally from the ground up, bring this organization to life. That was a tall order. There was lots to do. It was a great accomplishment to be part of the team that launched on time, when we were supposed to, even with the pandemic going on, and started paying people. That’s been really rewarding. To see a songwriter’s eyes light up when you tell them you have money for them, that’s pretty rewarding too.

Hillary Scott, Ellen Truley

What is some of the best advice you’ve ever received?

Never burn bridges. Always be respectful to everyone. You never know how you might end up working with someone down the road.

What’s the coolest part about working in this field?

I think a lot of people, when they hear you work in the music industry, they think that’s really cool. But it’s not all going to parties and attending the CMA Awards like we just did. There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

Yes, it’s great to go to the CMAs but the rewarding part and what makes it cool is you’re playing a small part in bringing music to the people. It doesn’t get any better than that.

My Music Row Story: CAA’s Darin Murphy

Darin Murphy

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

Darin Murphy is a Music Agent at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and Co-Head of CAA Music’s Nashville office. He represents many of the world’s leading musicians, including The Chicks, Sam Hunt, Keith Urban, Hootie & the Blowfish, Dan + Shay, Maren Morris, Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, Mickey Guyton, Jake Owen, and Lindsay Ell, among others.

Murphy graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Business Marketing. He served as President and Chairman of the Board of the Academy of Country Music and is a member of the Country Music Association. Murphy was named Talent Agent of the Year at the 2015 and 2017 CMA Awards. He also served as a Governor to the Grammy’s Nashville Chapter Board.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, which is about 70 miles north of Manhattan, and lived there until I was 11. My mother remarried when I was 11. My stepdad was in the military. Once they were married, we started to move around as military families do. From the upstate New York area, we went to Virginia, we went to Kansas for a bit, and then I finished my high school years up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Darin Murphy, Maren Morris, Meredith Jones

Were you musical as a kid?

No, not at all. My natural dad did own some nightclubs though, when I was young. So I would get to go and see shows. I would get to clean up the bars in the mornings with my grandfather during the summer. I was exposed to live music from that age.

How did you get to Nashville?

I played tennis for Belmont. I was a business marketing major and worked for an investment firm my last two years for college credit, so I was heading down that stock broker path. Then the stock market crashed in 1987, the beginning of the year that I graduated. I pivoted in my brain as I was getting closer to graduating from college. My last semester of school, I took an Introduction to the Music Business class. I had a great time with the class. My professor gave me some cool advice. He said, “You should look into the agencies in town. You’re good with numbers, you love music, you have a great personality. Maybe you’d be a great agent.” So I did that. Luckily for me, after dropping off some resumes, I got a call from the William Morris Agency to interview for a position that had opened up working for one of the agents, Steve Lassiter.

Darin Murphy and Sam Hunt

At the time the roster was Charlie Daniels and the Oak Ridge Boys, they had a lot of different old school country acts. I just liked the pace of it. I liked the sales side. I liked how they had to fill dates on a calendar and sell. The core of being an agent is selling and filling calendars, and I felt good about it. I’ve always liked music and I think once I started working on desks and so forth, I knew where I was going to make a career.

So I worked for Steve right out of school, just typing up contracts and answering phones. A few weeks into the gig, I was digging it. I was digging the energy. I liked the flow of how the days went there, but musically I wanted to be in a different place.

What was next for you?

I eventually got accepted into the Agent Training Program [in Nashville], moved to Los Angeles later that year, and worked my way up the ladder through the LA office there into the contemporary department.

How long were you in LA?

William Morris acquired another agency in 1991 called Triad Artists and I was unfortunately let go. I had a few bands that I was booking that hadn’t quite hit yet or made enough noise, so I was one of the young people they disposed of. That sucked.

Next I went to Bill Silva Presents in San Diego for almost a year where I got to see the other side of it—the buying and promoting part, which was awesome. We did a lot of great shows and worked with all the different agencies. I mostly focused on the club stuff that we did in the area. It was a pretty busy company, we had lots of different cool venues down in southern California. That was a great experience. Then I got hired back at William Morris, but for the Nashville office in ’94. I worked there until I started working for CAA in ’98.

Russell Dickerson and Darin Murphy

Now you help guide the touring careers of Sam Hunt, Keith Urban, Dan + Shay, Maren Morris, Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, and more. When do you feel most fulfilled in what you do?

I try to get to the office pretty early every day. It’s quiet way before the phones start ringing. I try to put together an agenda each day for what I want to try to get through and accomplish. [A big part of my day is] obviously staying in touch with the managers that I work with, as well as my clients and buyers, and making sure I’m checking off the list, so to speak. The best part of my day is when a deal closes, a tour goes on sale and does great, or I get a call from a buyer saying, “Oh my God, that act killed it last night. Can’t wait to have them back.” When those moments happen throughout your day, it still gives me goosebumps and I feel great about it after all these years. Those are the little things that are big things for me still.

Do you feel like you still have the same motivation and drive that you had when you started?

100%. Especially coming out of what we all just went through with the pandemic. It reminded me how awesome it is to—whether it’s at a club, an arena, a stadium, or an amphitheater—watch people have a great time at show from someone you get to work with every day. Just being around live music, for our clients and [other acts] who aren’t our clients, was definitely a big part of what I missed.

Darin Murphy and Loretta Lynn

Have you had any mentors along the way?

I’ve learned from a lot of different people. I learn from the people I work with currently. Ron Baird was a really good mentor for me when he was here. I would go to Ron for advice, he would come in my office to check in and see how I was doing. I felt comfortable going to him about any issue with a promoter or a client. He would give me a different perspective. I still think about some of those conversations even today.

John [Huie] and Rod [Essig] have been here from the beginning and are great friends as well as mentors.

If you could go back and talk to yourself as a new Belmont grad, what would you tell him?

Put your seatbelt on. It’s a ride. It’s how you treat people. There’s certainly a level of hustle that you have to have initially. I would also remind the younger version of myself to be careful how you talk to people. [Laughs]

What has been one of your favorite career experiences?

From time to time when I would be at a show and I hadn’t seen Loretta [Lynn] in a while, she would call me up and ask me to escort her off the stage. It was incredible and one of the coolest experiences that I get to tell my children. I had privilege of doing that a couple times over the years. That’s pretty special, escorting her off the stage after a show. That coupled with just spending time with her on the bus and listening to some of the stories that she would tell… She had an incredible memory.

My Music Row Story: Robert Deaton

Robert Deaton. Photo: John Shearer

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

A highly respected television producer and award-winning director, Robert Deaton’s career has skyrocketed from launching a pioneering video production company, in which he created more than 500 music videos for a variety of chart-topping artists, to producing some of the most successful properties on network television.

Since 2007, he’s served as executive producer of the CMA Awards on ABC. He is a two-time Emmy winner for ABC’s Monday Night Football opening. Deaton is at the helm of CMA Fest and CMA Country Christmas, annual network shows that are consistently high in the ratings and spotlight the broad appeal that places country music at the forefront of American culture. Deaton produced Sports Illustrated: 50 Years of Beautiful on NBC, as well as the “Soul to Soul Las Vegas” residency for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. He was executive producer of The Passion with Tyler Perry for Fox Broadcasting and currently serves as executive producer of the Billboard Music Awards on NBC.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

Fayetteville, North Carolina. Although when I was smaller, I grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Were you musical as a kid?

Yeah, I grew up playing in bands, playing guitar and playing in orchestras. I started playing trumpet in the fourth grade and then was in garage bands all through high school. One of my best friends is actually a famous musician now, he’s the lead guitar player for Widespread Panic. We played together in bands growing up.

Robert Deaton and Walter C. Miller, longtime director/producer for CMA Awards. Photo: Courtesy of CMA

What was your dream then?

The dream was always, from the very beginning, to be in the entertainment industry. I had no other dream. I’ve been around this since I can remember. Any memory that I have [from childhood] was always in a theater or at a TV station. My father was in radio and television. He was a celebrity anchor at WECT TV, which was Channel 6 in Wilmington, North Carolina. On Friday nights, he had a country music show that all the Grand Ole Opry cast would come through to play if they were in the region. I can remember as a kid going to a Jerry Lee Lewis concert and sitting beside Jerry Lee when I was six years old.

The whole time I was growing up, I was all about getting out of school. I was just in a hurry. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to be doing in entertainment, I just knew I was going be doing something. So from elementary school on, it was about getting done so I could move to Nashville.

Deaton, The CMA’s Sarah Trahern, Darius Rucker and Little Big Town reveal the nominees for the 48th CMA Awards on Good Morning America. Photo: Courtesy of Deaton

What happened when you finally got to Nashville?

Johnny Rosen had this company called Fanta Sound. He was teaching audio over at Vanderbilt and I was taking all of his classes. Then I started getting into photography and started going to up to Maine for the Maine Photographic Workshops. The doors started opening first on the TV side.

One of my first gigs working in this industry was when I was a production assistant on the Crisco commercials with Loretta Lynn out in Hurricane Mills. One week I worked on that and then the next week I did something over at the old RCA building with Jerry Reed. I thought, “I have made it!” I was a 19 year old kid and one week I was hanging out at Hurricane Mills with Loretta and the next week, Jerry Reed.

What was your path from there?

I got offered a job at Channel 2. I was in the news for the first year and then the next couple of years I was in the marketing department, shooting all their promos and marketing. That was a great experience.

I stayed there a couple of years and then I met a guy named George Flanigen. We started a company called Deaton Flanigen Productions and we did probably 300 music videos. We were doing music videos for Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Alabama and Diamond Rio. George and I were fortunate enough to win two CMA Video of the Year awards. One for “Independence Day” with Martina and one for “Believe” with Brooks & Dunn. It was great fun. We created “Are You Ready for Some Football?” for ABC. We were doing lots of commercials and marketing promos for syndicated TV shows.

It was going really well but times change and things shift. When streaming came in, the business shifted, so I knew I needed to make a transition of some kind. I got on the board at the CMA and that was a big life change for me because of all these great people on the board. Donna Hilly, Joe Galante, Connie Bradley and Kitty Moon were on the board. Eventually they made me the chairman of the TV committee. That’s how I started working on the CMA Awards.

Kelsea Ballerini, Robert Deaton. Photo: Courtesy of Deaton

How did that happen?

All these board members [I was surrounded by] were trailblazers, so I was trying to figure out a way to contribute. I decided my way to contribute was to try to make the CMA Music Festival into a television broadcast. I went and shot sizzle reel at what I think was our second year at the stadium after we shifted from the fairgrounds. I shot it and put together a pitch piece. I flew out to LA and pitched it to CBS and they bought it.

I was doing that to contribute, I wasn’t necessarily doing that to actually produce a show. It was Larry Fitzgerald that said I should be the one that produces it. They voted on it and that was my first network show, The CMA Music Festival. So I started producing the festival and then a couple years later, they asked me to do the awards. I’ve been doing the awards ever since. I also created the CMA Christmas show, so I went from doing one television broadcast to three, which has been great.

Do you have time for anything else?

I’m always trying to shift and reinvent. A couple of years ago, I did my first film which was called Benched. I’m currently working on two other movies right now, one for next year. Also, the doors have opened back into the music recording process. The first project that I did was a Christmas record for Michael W. Smith called The Spirit of Christmas. This past year, all year long, I’ve worked on an album called Stoned Cold Country. That’s a 60th anniversary celebration and tribute to the Rolling Stones.

It’s not necessarily about the medium, but it’s always about how can you reinvent yourself from a creative standpoint? What is it that you haven’t done before? I feel like you always have to put yourself, as a creative person, into uncomfortable situations. You really have to put yourself into a place where you’re like, “What have I gotten myself into? I’m not sure I know how to do this.” Then you go through all those feelings of self doubt. You want those feelings as a creative person because it pushes you to make great work.

Willie Nelson, Robert Deaton. Photo: Courtesy of Deaton

Do you have any stories you’d like to share about a time you’ve felt a lot of self-doubt but prevailed?

The one that is at always at the forefront of my mind is the most important creative endeavor that I’ve ever been a part of: the 50th anniversary open of the CMA Awards. I told you how I grew up. This genre is important to me. The 50th anniversary open was the most important thing that I’ve ever done, and I also felt like it was important to the industry and to us as country music. I had to get that right.

It was the most nerve-wracking disaster in rehearsal that you’ve ever seen in your life. A lot of these people hadn’t been on TV in 20 years. We are surrounded by greatness with Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, Roy Clark, Charley Pride, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Dwight Yoakam and Charlie Daniels. It had to work like clockwork in order for it to work and it was the worst rehearsal of all time. I remember walking on stage with my head down and thinking, “Buddy, you have bitten off more than you can chew this time.” I hear a voice that goes, “Looked better on paper, didn’t it?” I looked up and it’s Vince Gill. He is laughing and he goes, “It’s going to be alright.” [Laughs]

We never finished it from beginning to end during rehearsal. The only time that we ever saw that performance from beginning to end without stopping was live on the air. I was praying, “Please, Lord, let us get through this.” We got through it and I literally busted out crying. I was so proud.

If someone were to ask you how to get a job like yours, what would you tell them?

Well, I want to keep it for a while. [Laughs]

I think that you have to do your one hundred thousand hours. This position here is not 10,000 hours. This is hundreds of thousands of hours. I do feel like I’m unique because of the experiences that I’ve been able to go through. I experienced Buck Owens, Jerry Lee Lewis and the stars of the Grand Ole Opry at a young age. I was 12 years old backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. I would be in the dressing room asking Jack Greene, “How did you record ‘Statue Of A Fool’ with only four tracks? How did you do that back then?” I can hear an Everly Brothers record and tell you who played on that record. I know the history. I know where we came from. I knew, adored and loved Jo Walker-Meador here at the CMA. There’s practically not a country song that I don’t know the lyrics to if it was a hit from the ’40s on. I think in order to do this job well, you’ve gotta know all that. It’s better to know the history for you to make decisions in the present.

It means everything to me. Doing this job at this time means everything in the world to me. Other than my family, it’s the most important thing that I do.

My Music Row Story: Wasserman Music’s Chappel McCollister

Chappel McCollister. Photo: Stacie Huckeba

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

As SVP of Business Development at Wasserman Music, Chappel McCollister is devoted to leveraging synergies between the company’s music, sports, film, marketing and social media divisions to build unique, high-profile and profitable campaigns for clients.

Prior to joining Wasserman, McCollister spent five years spent running Taylor Swift’s tour partnerships, during which he represented brands such as Covergirl, Keds, Diet Coke and Elizabeth Arden. He also executive produced Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s documentary Tim & Faith: Soul2Soul and sold it to Showtime, where it aired in 2017. In addition, he activated Covergirl’s partnership with the NFL for an innovative 2011 campaign involving pop-up nail salons to provide team-themed manicures in stadium parking lots.

More recently, McCollister collaborated with Kacey Musgraves early in the pandemic on a candle line with Boy Smells, which has sold more than 100,000 units and earned the Candle of the Year award for 2021 from the Fragrance Foundation. In addition, he negotiated George Strait‘s H-E-B Super Bowl commercial, LeAnn Rimes‘ partnership with Novartis and brokered CAAMP‘s “See the World” sync for the TV and digital campaign Ohio.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Montgomery, Alabama. I was there until I was a sophomore in high school. Then I moved to Birmingham and finished out high school there.

Were you into music as a kid?

I wasn’t musical at all. I was a runner. I ran track and ultimately went to college for track. I went to UNC Charlotte and ran freshman year at UNCC. The only music I absorbed was whatever my brothers were introducing me to.

What was college like?

Freshman year I ran for UNCC and then I decided that my running career was over and decided to transfer to Auburn University. At Auburn, I took up rowing. I rowed on their crew team for three years. In addition to that, I started working with the Auburn University Programming Council. I started focusing on booking university-funded entertainment, specifically their music. I booked two big shows a year, one per semester. I eventually ran that department. That’s where I fell in love with music and the music industry.

In the summers, I would go back to Birmingham and intern. I did a free internship for a little club called Work Play in Birmingham. I was a local stage hand for them at night to make a little extra money. In the summer, I worked for a music festival in Birmingham that no longer exists called Birmingham City Stages. With the university side of things, I learned about the booking side; I learned a little bit more of the production elements being a stage hand at Work Play, and then I learned even more doing production work for the festival.

Chappel and Haley McCollister on Taylor Swift’s “1989 Tour.”

What an education! Were there any shows you booked during college that affirmed that you wanted to pursue a career in the music industry?

We were fortunate at Auburn that we had a pretty deep budget, certainly for 12 years ago. I had to alternate the genre every semester. Auburn is an agriculture and engineer school—so I couldn’t neglect country. At the same time, when I was in college, rap and hip-hop was super big so I had to make sure I facilitated that genre. We also had some rock fans, so it was a bunch of different stuff. The show I was probably the most excited about was when I had Ben Harper play with Citizen Cope. I also had O.A.R. play, which was a huge college band at the time. My hip-hop show was Soulja Boy opening for Akon. That was a really fun one. I did a rock show that was Live and Collective Soul.

It gave me the bug. I’ve never been an agent, nor wanted to be an agent necessarily, but being on the booking side gave me the bug for the industry.

What did you do after graduation?

I graduated in the summer of 2009, which was pretty deep into the recession, so there weren’t a lot of “dream jobs” that you think you’re going to get. I was fortunate enough to get a contractor position with a company based in Detroit that had just opened a Nashville office called George P. Johnson. They were an experiential marketing company that focused on auto shows, but they were starting to get into other elements of experiential marketing. They had just sold this tour sponsorship for an insurance brand named Country Financial Insurance. They were sponsoring two separate tours, Jason Aldean and Jewel. They needed somebody to go out on the road to help fulfill all those elements that had been agreed upon. They needed someone that would work hard for like 18 hours a day and be grateful for the opportunity, so I did that as a contractor for George P. Johnson for a year. I went out on the road with Jason and Jewel and enjoyed that, but realized that I didn’t necessarily want to be on the road full time. I was fortunate enough to get a full-time job with GPJ, managing those tours from the office and going out occasionally.

Later, three or four of us spun that group off into a side agency called G7 Entertainment Marketing. For the next five or six years, I ran our tour sponsorship division. I helped pitch, sell and manage those tour sponsorships.

What was next?

[My nearly 7 years at] G7 were great for me. I was helping advise brands on how to spend their money in live music. Tour sponsorships started shifting, money was shifting, and [brands became] very much focused on content opportunities. I had been on the brand side of the coin and I was interested in being on the artist’s side. I felt like I would have a more holistic view of what an artist was working on. There weren’t a lot of people on the artist side who had previously been on the brand side, so not a lot of people had that perspective. I felt like there was value there and I looked for the right opportunity. I also wanted to expand outside tour sponsorships; I wanted to touch other aspects of an artist’s career.

I was fortunate enough to connect with Jason Owen and his team at Sandbox. At Sandbox, I was able to focus on endorsement, licensing opportunities, and VIP opportunities. I packaged and sold the Tim & Faith: Soul2Soul documentary and helped launch Little Big Town‘s wine brand, along with Jason and the team. My time at Sandbox helped expand my horizons as to what was possible, and ultimately grow my skill sets.

Part of Wasserman Music’s Nashville team at their recent AmericaFest Happy Hour. Photo: Stacie Huckeba

Next you joined Paradigm, which became Wasserman in 2021. How did you get there?

Paradigm was looking for someone to help grow some non-touring opportunities for the roster, specifically in Nashville. Most of the Nashville office were agents or agent support teams, so there weren’t a lot of people that were focusing on things outside of touring or performance-based opportunities. I came over and, at the time, the only artist that Sandbox and Paradigm shared was Kacey Musgraves and the Johnny Cash Estate. I was lucky that I got to continue to work with them [when I went to Paradigm].

Early in my time at Paradigm, I was focused on trying to get some wins on the board and provide value for our artists in the brand space. That has grown into licensing and I do some sync work. My job at Wasserman is solely focused on growing the country and Americana genre for the roster and bringing opportunities for that roster that may live outside of traditional touring.

Your role is unique at an agency. Did you feel a lot of pressure during the pandemic to find other ways for artists to make a living?

Absolutely. I have a colleague here that works with me and the two of us were some of the only people that could produce revenue during the heat of the pandemic. The pressure to bring opportunities and to retain clients was really high. I’m very glad that we’re out of that. The pressure is always high in the agency world based on the competitors, but it was just a very different environment.

During normal times, when do you feel most fulfilled in what you do?

I think there sometimes is a misconception that, in some of these partnerships, there’s a winner and a loser. At the end of the day, I wear the artist jersey and I always will. So I feel the best when the artist is happy [with a partnership]. But for the sake of a partnership, assuming everyone is playing by the rules, I think there’s a lot of opportunity to have both parties feel really good. When both parties feel good about a launch, a partnership or a collaboration, that’s when I feel the best. But like I said, at the end of the day, my sole job is to represent the artist and make sure that they feel heard and represented appropriately.

Have you had any mentors along the way that have been important to you?

When I joined Jason and his team at Sandbox, it really opened my world as to artist representation and what that meant. The way that Jason thinks outside of the traditional model of artist representation is, to this day, something that I think is unparalleled. I feel really fortunate to have had that time with him and I still work very closely with him.

Louis Messina has been a friend and a mentor for me for over 10 years. My wife works with Louis, but he’s been kind enough to give me some time over the years. I have an immense amount of respect for what he’s built, how he’s built it, and how he’s evolved over his career. This year is his 50th year in the industry. How he’s been able to evolve as a promoter and as a leader in the industry over five decades is pretty amazing.

What have been some moments in your career that you’ll always remember?

Touring internationally was an amazing experience. I got to do that with a couple of Taylor Swift tours as well as U2. Those were really big moments. At Wasserman, we just launched this full Blake Shelton/Lands End lifestyle collaboration that involves apparel, pet and home. It was almost two years in the works. It takes a long time and it’s a really cool feeling to get it out there into the world. That has been a moment we’ve been really excited about as well.

What does success mean to you?

It’s cheesy to say, but I haven’t dreaded going to work in probably 10 years. I’m excited to get in the office and see what the day brings. There’s definitely days that are tough and annoying that will wear on you, but as a whole, I get excited to come into the office. I really enjoy what I do. If you don’t, it’s worth taking a look at making a change.

My Music Row Story: UMG Nashville’s Stephanie Wright

Stephanie Wright

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

Stephanie Wright has been an integral part of Universal Music Group for more than 20 years. As Senior VP, A&R, she aids A&R initiatives for Capitol, EMI, MCA and Mercury, including talent recruitment, artist development and oversight of respective recording projects for UMG artists Sam Hunt, Jordan Davis, Maddie & Tae, Parker McCollum, Little Big Town, Mickey Guyton and more. Her artist signings include Hunt, Davis, McCollum, Kacey Musgraves, Kassi Ashton, and Catie Offerman. She was promoted to her current role in 2018.

A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Wright came to the music business through her cousins, the Platinum-selling sibling trio SHeDAISY. Since, Wright has been instrumental in critically-acclaimed albums, including Lee Ann Womack‘s Call Me Crazy, Musgraves’ Same Trailer Different Park, and Hunt’s Montevallo. She serves on the T.J. Martell Foundation (Southern Region) board of directors and is a member of the ACM, CMA, Recording Academy and N.O.W. In addition to Rising Women on the Row, Wright has been honored multiple times as one of the Nashville Business Journal‘s Women of the Year.

Wright will be honored as part of the current class of MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row on Oct. 20. For more details about the class and the event, click here.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Utah in a town called Magna that’s about 20 minutes outside of Salt Lake. We called Magna the armpit of Salt Lake. It was close to the Great Salt Lake and the Great Salt Lake stinks. It’s sort of centered in between the lake itself and then this big copper mine that’s there. Copper smells and the Great Salt Lake smells, so we called it the armpit.

Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Wright

What did you want to do when you were growing up there?

I didn’t really know. After graduating high school, I started college to be an interior designer. The creative side of that was great. My cousins are the girls from SHeDAISY. Kristyn and Kelsi had moved [to Nashville]—I don’t think Kassi had moved there yet—but they were pursuing a career and trying to get a recording contract. Kristyn and I were really close. She would call me and tell me all about what was going on here in Nashville. We had a lot in common in that I was the kid at the record store that would go in Tuesday to find the albums that had just released.

The reason I ended up moving here was because my starter marriage. My son’s dad wanted to come to Nashville or to Iowa. He wanted to become a dentist and he wanted to go to Meharry [Medical College School of Dentistry], so that’s the reason we ended up here. We ended up buying a house right next to where my cousins were living. My first trip into Nashville was the weekend Kristyn signed her record deal. I flew in and she said, “I have a busy schedule, but we can at least look at a few different houses.” I met Dann Huff that weekend because they were in the process of recording. I met Randy Goodman, Shelby Kennedy, Connie Harrington, Bonnie Baker and more. I didn’t know who any of those people were, but looking back on the magnitude of what that is, I had no idea what a blessing it was.

Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Wright

Did you join the music business when you got here?

When I got here, I ended up going to work for a company that was buying up small mom and pop heating and air conditioning companies in Maryland Farms. I had a young son, so I needed to figure out how to make an income. I took that job immediately but really hated it. I started going to some of Kristyn’s business meetings. I really did not know anything about the background of what happens in the music business other than what she was doing, but the more I was in these meetings, I started thinking maybe management would be kind of cool. I also thought working at a record label seemed pretty interesting. But I found out really quickly that if you did not go to school here and you did not go through the networking process of meeting people, you were definitely an outsider. I would go into interviews and they’d be like, “So are you trying to be an artist?” [Laughs]

I probably went on 10 or 15 interviews. I got to a place where I felt like this must not be the right path for me. No one wants to let you in if you’re not already in. Then I saw this advertisement in the newspaper for an executive assistant position for a CEO of a major record label. At this point, I’d had at least enough experience to know that is not how those jobs come about, but in this particular case, it was. I had to go through a staffing agency. I had to go in and take a type test and go through several interviews. The job was to work for Capitol Records for Pat Quigley. I think the only reason I got the job is because I talked fast and he wanted someone that had not been in the music business. He wanted someone that had really just done executive assistant work outside of the business. It was a big blessing and a really great overview of structure of the label, how it all worked, and all the different departments. He was an interesting person to work for. He was also an outsider and he relished in that.

Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Wright

How did you become interested in A&R?

I found myself really watching the A&R department at the time when Larry Willoughby ran it. Molly Reynolds was there as well. Larry was really good about coming in and playing songs. He would say, “Wait until you hear this new Keith Urban track we just cut.”

One day Pat came in and said, “There’s a meeting happening. I think I’m going to be let go. I have a contract, you do not, so you need to go find another job.” I didn’t know enough about the music business to know that this was not uncommon, so I was completely panicked. Larry came to me and said, “You should probably reach out to Mike Dungan because that’s who is going to take this job.” I felt like that would be a betrayal to Pat—I didn’t know how to navigate that.

Haley McLemore had been working with me at Capitol under the finance department. I called her and she said, “I think there might be a job opening in the A&R department. Why don’t you come over? I’ll introduce you to Gary Harrison and Carson Chamberlain and you can see if that’s something that might be interesting to you.” Gary Harrison and I spent the afternoon talking. I came back in for an interview and they offered me the job, thankfully. It was a lot less than what I had been making, but I needed a job and I didn’t want to not be in this anymore. Little did I know how that would greatly affect the rest of my life and where I am today.

What was one of your most memorable experiences from that time?

I was in the studio when Alan Jackson recorded “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).” It was so fresh. We were finishing up the Drive project and it was the second to last song that we recorded that day. He came in and said, “I want to play this for you. I woke up last night and finished this song.” We all sat there just completely blown away by what it was. Then the musicians all just quietly and very reverently got up and started playing music. Right after we cut that song, he forgot he had to do a song for a ZZ Top collaboration record that they were doing. We were having to shuffle from this big reverent, somber, heavy moment to ZZ Top. (Laughs)

Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Wright

What was next for you?

There’s been several mergers that have happened and different labels that have been brought under the umbrella of Universal. Gary and Carson left and they brought in Mary Martin. I got to work with her for a year and a half, which was extremely educational and very helpful. Then we merged with MCA and at that point, David Conrad came over. I was his executive assistant, but I found myself liking more of the recording admin. and I also was starting to like the creative stuff. At that point I had been divorced and I was a single parent, so I looked at the person that was in the spot I wanted and they’d been there for 28 years. So I really dug into what that process was and following up a project from start to finish. David was great about it. He said, “As long as you can take care of me or train someone to take care of me, I’ll let you have some of this.” I was still going to the studios. I was still seeing how Mark Wright, Richard Marks, and Byron Gallimore worked in the studio.

Next, we merged with DreamWorks. Then it was James Stroud and Luke Lewis that were the head of the label. James came in and said, “I want everybody in here, no matter what you’re doing in this department, to be creative.” So I started begging people to come in and play songs for me. People like Jeff Skaggs, Kerri Edwards, Cris Lacy and Cyndi Forman who I’d met booking appointments for David or for whoever else at the time. I even reached out to someone like Brandy Clark, who was just starting to come up through the ranks. I had her pitch group—which was all songwriters—come in and play for me in my little tiny office. I would have them all take turns at the CD player. I was taking notes and was really dedicated to trying to figure out how to make it work.

When did you start to have success as a creative A&R executive?

During that time, Erin Enderlin came in and played a song for me called “Last Call.” It was a song that her and Shane McAnally had written together that Lee Ann Womack eventually cut. I remember being really brave that day and I walked into Brian [Wright]‘s office saying, “This is a really great song for Womack. I know she’s looking.” It ended up getting cut. Through that, I realized I really loved this.

Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Wright

During that time, we had changed buildings again. I think we had moved downtown at this point. I had met with Alicia Pruitt one day and she mentioned something about Kacey Musgraves. They had just signed her. She played me a couple things and I knew I had to reach out. I cold called her one day. I didn’t really have the ability to sign anybody at that point. I went and met with her and we had a great conversation. I came back to Brian and I said, “I don’t know what goes into signing someone, but I know that I sat across from someone today that’s magical and mesmerizing. If there was a sheet of things that you should probably have [to get signed], I think she has all of those things. She has vision. She’s unique.” It took a long time to convince people that I was serious, but I finally talked Brian and Luke into meeting with her and signing her.

It comes full circle back to Mike Dungan. When we merged with Universal, Mike and I went to breakfast one morning, which is what he was doing with everyone when we merged. He said, “I think you should be doing creative full time and not the other stuff.”

We will be honoring you tomorrow at Rising Women On the Row. If someone were to ask you what success meant to you, what would you tell them?

Where I feel like the success comes in is when you see the satisfaction of an artist when a crowd reacts to a song. You see that crowd sing a song back to the artist, and them get emotionally overwhelmed at what’s happening, that’s pretty magical. I still live for those moments. Those moments are super precious and the ones that keep me interested in trying to continue to do this for other people.

I think I take the things that I don’t have success at a whole lot harder and they stick with me a lot more, so I think learning from the mistakes I’ve made along the way is so much more of a motivator for me. I don’t do a lot of thinking on success, so that’s why these interviews are a little bit difficult because, while there is a lot of that, I think that there’s still much more to accomplish and more people to help.

My Music Row Story: City National Bank’s Mandy Gallagher Morrison

Mandy Morrison

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

With over 18 years of music industry banking experience, Mandy Gallagher Morrison’s specialty is helping her clients meet their financial goals. She joined City National Bank in 2011 to help launch its Nashville office, which made her the youngest relationship manager in the bank’s entire Entertainment division. Morrison was promoted to vice president in just two years, and has played an integral role in the bank’s growth story as it has become one of Nashville’s premiere entertainment banks. During the pandemic, Morrison quickly pivoted to helping clients secure Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to help them survive the uncertainty and build their businesses for the “new normal.”

A year after joining City National, Morrison helped to start the Troubadour Society, an organization for young professionals that supports the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. As one of the founding leaders, she spearheaded the collaboration with the Hall of Fame to launch the organization, and is still a member today. She is currently a member of the nonprofit SOURCE, of which she sat on the board for eight years including as board president, past president and program committee chair. Morrison is also a member of the Gospel Music Association’s Business Advisory Council. She is heavily involved in Leadership Music after graduating from the program in 2015.

Morrison will be honored as part of the current class of MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row on Oct. 20. For more details about the class and the event, click here.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Altamont, Tennessee, which is about an hour and a half from Nashville going towards Chattanooga. It’s a very small, rural town in Grundy County.

Photo: Courtesy of Mandy Morrison

Were you musical? Did you have aspirations of being in the music business when you were growing up?

No. It’s a total God thing, when you look back at your life. When I graduated, I wanted to go to the University of Tennessee but I ended up getting a scholarship at MTSU. So obviously the wise decision was to go to MTSU. I knew I wanted to do business, but I didn’t know necessarily what I wanted to do. My next door neighbor back in Grundy growing up was very high up at SunTrust Bank. When she found out I was going to MTSU, she said, “We’re always hiring college kids to be part-time tellers. Would you be interested in a job?” So my freshman year of college, I got a part-time job at SunTrust. In the summers, I would work there full time. Throughout that process, I decided to go the marketing route, so that’s what I ended up graduating in.

What did you do after college?

After I graduated from school, my manager at the time at SunTrust said, “I know you graduated in marketing and you’re probably going to be looking for a marketing job, but you are really good at your job and I think that you need to try to move up within our company until you find something that you like. There’s a position open at our music industry office in Nashville that I think you would be a great fit for. I think you need to go interview.” It wasn’t necessarily what I was planning on, but it sounded like a great opportunity. I wanted to make some more money and move up at the company while I could. So I went and interviewed. Beverly Templeton was the manager at the time, and Brian Williams managed the whole office. One Friday morning I came in and interviewed with Beverly. She called me on Monday and offered me the job.

I moved and started working at the SunTrust Entertainment Office. I probably wasn’t there for a month before I was like, “This is the coolest thing ever.” I’m in the music industry, but not in the music industry. It’s a different side of banking. You’re getting to work with artists, songwriters, business managers and publishers. Diane [Pearson] and Lori [Badgett] were there. After seeing what Beverly, Brian, Diane and Lori were doing, I knew I could actually make this a career.

Mandy Morrison, Diane Pearson, Lori Badgett. Photo: Courtesy of Mandy Morrison

What was your path at Sun Trust?

In the banking world, there are so many avenues that you can go down—especially when you were at SunTrust. You could get on the mortgage team, you could go investments, you could go into business banking, et cetera. I just knew I wanted to be Lori and Diane one day. [Laughs] I eventually wanted to be a relationship manager or a private banker.

I started as what they call a financial service representative and I did that for a few years. After that I became the assistant manager. Then my area manager at the time was like, “In order to move you up within the entertainment division, we’re going to have to move you out of the entertainment division.” So I actually went and worked at the West End office for about a year and a half, outside of entertainment. I hated it the whole time.

After that, they had a business banking position come open at the entertainment office and they immediately took me back. So I moved back to business banking for about another year and a half. Then the management position came open for the retail side of the entertainment office. So at that point, I was managing the whole team downstairs: the tellers, the financial service representatives, the assistant manager, and the retail office of the entertainment business. I loved it.

How did you get to City National Bank?

Me and Diane Pearson went to Vegas for an awards show. Diane said, “Mandy, I have an offer for you. I’ve been talking to City National Bank. They’re coming to town. I would love for you to come and be a junior relationship manager under me.” That’s what I wanted to do from the very beginning. But at first, I wasn’t sure. I had been working at SunTrust since I was 18. It sounded exciting, but it was very scary. My dad worked at Carrier for years because it was a company that was good to him. My parents instilled in me that you stay with companies that are good to you, there’s no reason to move just to move. SunTrust has been great to me, so at first I started back paddling but we talked about it again and I started feeling good about it.

I remember walking in and telling my manager at the time that I was leaving. My heart was pounding. I was taking a big leap of faith. It was like nothing that I’ve never done. I was scared to death. But Diane was coming and Lori was coming, so at least I knew that I was going to be surrounded by amazing people that could help me and cheer me on. 11 years later, here we are.

Photo: Courtesy of Mandy Morrison

What were those first years of building the Nashville branch of CNB like?

Hard. [Laughs] We had to figure out the systems of CNB. Diane and Lori had been at SunTrust pretty much their whole career as well. We were all trying to figure it out together. We were all in it together. The LA teams and the New York teams were so helpful. CNB is an incredible company, especially when it comes to entertainment.

11 years later, what all does your role entail?

I describe myself as the quarterback for my clients. My book of business is a lot of songwriters, so I deal a lot in songwriter markets in addition to business managers, producers, et cetera. I help them with, ultimately, whatever they need. If they need a mortgage, then I’ll get my mortgage advisor involved and we’ll get a mortgage. If they’re looking at investments, I get my investment guy and we talk through everything. You never really know what’s going to happen day to day. It’s really just continuing to grow my book and elevating and helping my clients financially as as much as I can.

Photo: Courtesy of Mandy Morrison

You’ve talked a lot about Diane and Lori, what are some things you’ve learned from them?

Those two are two of the hardest working women. I could cry talking about them. They are so inspiring. They’re very humble. They’re just great leaders in their own unique ways. They both bring so much to the table.

Do you think that having women in your life like that impacted your experience as a woman in the music industry?

100%. Diane took me under her wing when we were in SunTrust and really helped me along way. I remember when I had to go out to the West End office, I asked her if that was a good move. With her experience, she guided me in that decision and really helped me understand that. They’re brilliant bankers. Lori, for example, is incredible with catalog loans. The knowledge that they bring to the table is wonderful. Having mentors and grabbing them early is such a key to succeed.

Photo: Courtesy of Mandy Morrison

You’re super involved in philanthropy efforts as well. What have been some of your proudest accomplishments over the years?

I would say one of my proudest is the Troubadour Society with the Country Music Hall of Fame. I helped start that from the ground up. It has been really rewarding seeing it become what it has become. SOURCE has also been a great one that I’ve loved to be part of.

Starting so young in my career, I was able to get involved with SOLID at the very beginning. Then I sat on the board of SOLID. I went from SOLID straight into SOURCE. Then I was able to get into Leadership Music in 2015. All of that has been rewarding.

You will be honored at MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row breakfast on Oct. 20. If somebody was to ask you what success for you, what would you tell them?

During that process of transitioning from SunTrust and CNB, I actually got my master’s at Lipscomb. They have an MBA on leadership. I took a class on leadership over there and something in that class hit home for me. The professor had a deck of card that had all of these adjectives on them. You had to go through the deck four or five times and pick cards that you felt were meaningful to you as a person. Once you got down to five cards, she said, “When these five values are coming out of your job, that means that you’ve found the job that is true to yourself.” So to me, success is defined when you are being true to who you are and your values are pouring out in what you’re doing. My five values were faith, family, service, trust, and legacy.

My Music Row Story: UMPG Nashville’s Missy Roberts

Missy Roberts

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

As Vice President, A&R for Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville, Missy Roberts represents a catalog of writers that include Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Andress, Caitlyn Smith, Paul DiGiovanni, Justin Ebach, Jamie Paulin, Derrick Southerland, Shane Minor and more. After an internship in marketing at Sony Records, Roberts was hired by the A&R department as assistant to industry vet Tracy Gershon.

She launched her publishing career at Island Bound Music. From there, she moved to Disney Music Publishing where she helped start the Nashville office. Since then, Roberts has held posts at Stage Three Music and EMI Music Publishing, before joining UMPG Nashville in 2012. She was promoted to her current position at UMPG in 2021. Roberts has been a part of numerous cuts and No. 1 hits throughout her career, including “The Climb” (Miley Cyrus), “The Truth” (Jason Aldean), 2014 ASCAP Song Of The Year “It Goes Like This” (Thomas Rhett) and 2020 CMA Song Of The Year Nominee and MusicRow Song Of The Year award winner “More Hearts Than Mine” (Ingrid Andress).

Roberts will be honored as part of the current class of MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row on Oct. 20. For more details about the class and the event, click here.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a little town called Downs, Illinois, which is right outside of Bloomington. 500 people, corn and beans. I hated it as a kid but I’m very thankful for it now. It was a really great way to grow up.

Photo: Courtesy of Missy Roberts

Were you musical?

I was not musical, but always very drawn to music. My uncle on my mom’s side, who I’m still really close with, did lighting and sound in the ’80s for all the big arena rock bands like Rush, Damn Yankees and Bad Company. I was very drawn to and connected to him. If he was on tour within three to four hours driving distance of where I grew up, my mom would take me and drop me off with him at the venue and I would run around with him all day. I became so fascinated by what is it about songs that get a person to connect to an artist or get a crowd to react.

Did you know you wanted to be in the music business from then on?

I did. I have said since I was a kid that I was going to do music business, but I ended up getting really active in sports. That really took over, especially from junior high into high school. I toured the country playing softball and ended up getting a scholarship for it. So I thought that was my path for a while, though I was still very drawn to music. I was the kid in school that everybody came to for new music. If I wasn’t practicing softball, I was in front of a radio just taking in music and making mixtapes.

Photo: Courtesy of Missy Roberts

How did that shift from softball back to music business?

I had gotten a scholarship to play softball and was majoring in sports psychology. A year into it, my family went down to Florida where my uncle was for Christmas break. He was running The Wildhorse Saloon that was at Disney. The whole Christmas break, I hung out with him at the Wildhorse. I was hanging out with the bands and just back in in that world. I thought, “What am I doing? This is what I’ve always said I was going to do from the time I can remember talking.” But who would be crazy enough to tear up a scholarship and this whole plan that you’ve established? Who would be crazy enough to give all that up and walk away? Two days before I was supposed to go back to school, I sat down with my parents and said, “I’m not going back. I quit.” That was not easy. I think they thought I was having a midlife crisis. [Laughs]

I gave up the scholarship. I went to Southern Illinois University, and worked two full-time jobs and a part-time job. Southern Illinois, at the time, had a music business program, but it was half of a true music degree and half of a business degree. It wasn’t really music business. I ended up going to one of my professors and said, “This isn’t really music business. There’s a whole side of the industry where people don’t play instruments and they don’t do recitals. That’s what I’m looking to get into.” I ended up creating my own curriculum of marketing and music business. They gave me a professor as a point person and before every semester, I would go and present to them what classes I thought I should take and why.

Photo: Courtesy of Missy Roberts

How did that lead you to Nashville?

Stan Marczewski, who is at Broken Bow now, was a year ahead of me at SIU. He had just gotten a job at a management company and had stayed in touch with the recording engineering professor. Stan called in one day and said, “I’d love to help somebody from SIU. Do you have a student that would be interested in internship?” The next day the professor told me, so I cold called Stan and we talked on the phone. I came down for my spring break that year and spent time helping him at the management company. My classes ended on Thursday, so I’d drive the three hour drive from SIU to Nashville. I’d help out at Mission Management on Fridays, I’d go out and meet people on Saturday, and then I’d drive back to SIU on Sunday nights and go back to being regular college student for four days.

The summer going into my senior year, he helped me get an internship at Sony in marketing. About a month into that, my supervisor in marketing had been begging me all day to come see this band that she was friends with. She was trying to get Tracy Gershon, one of the heads of A&R, to come out and see them. I’d been out with the interns the night before and all day I was like, “I can’t do anything else. I’m so tired.” At the last minute, I changed my mind. Tracy came with us and when we were driving to the show, Tracy said, “I don’t know I’m going to do. My assistant just told me she’s quitting. She gave me two days notice.” I made it a point to make a connection with her that night. As soon as she got in the office the next morning, my little intern desk phone started ringing and it was her. I went and sat down in her office and she said, “I sent an email out this morning asking the staff if there’s an intern that I should hire since I’m in such a pinch for somebody. There’s only one name that came back from everybody in the building and it was yours. Do you want a job?” Two days later, I was working for Tracy Gershon in A&R.

Photo: Courtesy of Missy Roberts

When did you decide you wanted to be in publishing?

Tracy was so, so great. My desk was outside of her office and she would leave her door open, so as publishers came in and met with her, I got to sit outside of her office and just take all of that in. I remember one day sitting outside of her office going, “Wait a minute. So these publishers come in here with songs that they love and they play them for her and tell her why she should love them? Because I was that kid in high school. Everybody piled in my car on Friday nights. It was me with my mixtape and a captive audience going, “Here’s why you need to like this song. Check out this artist; this is why they’re great.”

When Sony merged with RCA, Tracy left and went to Warner Bros. and couldn’t take me with her. That’s when I got into publishing and I’ve been in it ever since.

What was your path from that point?

I went to a really small publishing company here in town for about a year called Island Bound Music. The only writer that they had at the time was Steven Dale Jones. They closed that down and turned it into day-to-day management, so I was back in the management thing where I first interned and just not where I was supposed to be. I found out that Disney Music Publishing was starting an office in Nashville. Philip White, who was a really good friend of Steven Dale Jones, was in our office one day writing with Steven. He was like, “You should call Disney and see if there’s a position open.”

I helped start the Nashville office from scratch [with Lisa Ramsay]. Disney had never had a Nashville publishing company before, so there was no design of how it works. We had this blank slate. Lisa was really great about trusting me to figure it out. That accelerated my learning way more than it would have if I were to stay where I was.

Photo: Courtesy of Missy Roberts

Next I went to a company called Stage Three. It was me and Tim Hunze. I was there for five years and had a really great run. BMG bought us and then Ben Vaughn called me. He had just started running EMI. I went to EMI and got to work very closely with Ben and learned a lot in that process. That was a pretty scary, big change. All my publishing experience to that point was indie, small publishing companies where you’re really close with your writers. You see them every day and you talk to them every day because you’ve got the time to. That’s the foundation of how I learned publishing and getting thrown into a major for the first time is a major learning curve.

What got you to UMPG?

I was at EMI for two years and we sold to Sony. When we merged with Sony, there we now had like 180 writers. In my head I was going, “This just isn’t for me. This isn’t how I learned publishing.” I was looking to make a move back to the indie world.

Then Kent Earls called me. He had just taken over UMPG Nashville. When I met with Kent, I realized how different Universal is. We operate so differently from the other majors. It really is about time and intention—it’s an indie mindset for a global company with global access. I’ve been here for 10 years now. Troy Tomlinson has been an incredible addition because he is an amazing leader, but he’s kept all the great things about it and just made better some of the things that needed to change. It’s been the perfect blend.

Photo: Courtesy of Missy Roberts

When do you feel most fulfilled in what you do?

When I feel like there’s been an impact made, whether I’ve had an opportunity to make an impact on a songwriter or an artist, or if somebody’s made an impact on me. That’s truly what fulfills me. At this, this point in my career, I have been very blessed that I’ve pitched or facilitated number ones and some songs of the year and helped artists get record deals. But the whole thing is for me, did that help somebody? Did that make their life better? Did that help a dream of theirs come true? That’s what motivates me. That’s what moves me.

You will be honored at MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row breakfast on Oct. 20. What are you most proud of when you look back on your career so far?

I’m most proud that 18 out of my 19 years in town have been with what, to me, is the foundation, root and lifeline of this business: the songwriter. Getting to work with them every day is something that I’m really proud of.

My Music Row Story: BBR Music Group’s JoJamie Hahr

JoJamie Hahr

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

JoJamie Hahr serves as Senior Vice President of BBR Music Group, where she guides and supervises day-to-day operations of the label group, its imprints and its roster of artists, including ACM Artist of the Decade Jason Aldean, as well as Dustin Lynch, Chase Rice, Craig Morgan, Blanco Brown, Jimmie Allen, Parmalee, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll and more.

Hahr began her career in radio in Florida before moving to Nashville to work in promotion at WSIX. Her career stops include time at MCA Records and the The Valory Music Company. BMG acquired BBR Music Group in 2017 and Hahr was promoted to Sr. VP of the label group in November of 2020.

Hahr will be honored as part of the current class of MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row on Oct. 20. For more details about the class and the event, click here.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Inverness, Florida. It was a really small town in Citrus County, Florida that was about two hours from Orlando. I went to college in Orlando at the University of Central Florida.

Photo: Courtesy of Hahr

How did you start your career?

I went to college early. I was 17 and had done two years of dual enrollment in school. I was already taking PR and advertising classes for my major in my first semester. One day I was walking in the communications hall and saw a flyer. It said “If you love country music and want to have fun, call Mike Moore at K92 FM.” I called him and got an interview for an internship. I remember for two weeks leading into my internship interview, I wouldn’t let any of my friends change the radio station. I wanted to know everything that was going on and study.

My last day of my internship, I remember all day I was trying not to cry because I did not want to leave. I loved it so much. Mike called me into his office and he was like, “We’re able to hire you part-time, but we can only give you like six hours a week.” I just started bawling. He said it was the first time somebody has cried when he hired them, not fired them. [Laughs]

Those six hours went up to like 14 hours, then 16 hours and 20 hours. Throughout college it went up to 39 hours. They put me on the morning show when I was like 18 or 19. I was the events coordinator in the promotion department. I was working two other jobs and going to school full-time at the same time.

Did you know then that you wanted to stay in the music business?

Yes. I wasn’t one of those kids that wanted to be in the music business—I didn’t even know this existed growing up. It’s like the flyer said: “If you love country music and want to have fun…” I just fell in love with the business.

Photo: Courtesy of Hahr

How did you get to Nashville?

Mike Moore, who my story starts with, left and went to Hartford to be the program director. I stayed in Florida. We stayed really good friends because he’s really more like family to me. Right after Hartford, he went to WSIX in Nashville. He was asking me for months to come to Nashville. At the time, my family was all in Florida and I just wasn’t quite ready to leave.

The morning after a Tim McGraw concert in Orlando, I was the only person out in the garage and I was unloading the promotion truck. I thought, “It’s time for me to grow.” I called Mike from the garage and was like, “Hey, I’m ready to come.” That was May of 2003 and I was here by Memorial Day Weekend. I took over the promotion director job at 23.

What was next?

I was at WSIX for a little over a year and then Mike left again. He went to Portland, Oregon to be the program director there. By that point, I knew I wanted to be on the records side, probably as a regional promotion rep. I was meeting with people all over town to try to get my foot in the door at a label.

I met Jimmy Harnen and he gave me the best advice I’ve ever gotten. He said,”In your free time, sit and think about what you would do if you were a promotion rep at Broken Bow or MCA. Put together those ideas and start sending them to the VPs of the labels.” I was like, “I can’t do that. What if they think I’m stupid?” He said, “They’re not going to think you’re stupid. People see initiative or an idea much more than they see a resume. I’ll also look at your ideas before you send them out.” He was such a big mentor.

Scott Borchetta hired me at MCA as the promotion coordinator. I did that for almost two years. Then Jon Loba hired me to be promotion regional at Broken Bow. We had Craig Morgan, Megan Mullins and this new guy Jason Aldean, who nobody knew. Jason didn’t do a traditional radio tour, but he went and played full band shows for radio. I remember the first show I took him to, he played for three people in Alabama.

Photo: Courtesy of Hahr

Then you went to Big Machine.

I was at Broken Bow for two years as a regional and then Jon and I both left and went to Big Machine to help start The Valory Music Co. We were there the opening day in 2007. I was in southeast promotion and Jon was VP of Promotion. Three years into that, Jon left and came back to Broken Bow and opened all of BBR Music Group. I stayed another three years, so I was at Big Machine for six years. We started with Jewel and Justin Moore [on Valory] and then we signed Thomas Rhett and Brantley Gilbert.

What brought you back to BBR?

After my last part of my contract was up, I called Jon Loba and I called John Esposito in March. Espo didn’t have anything for me until October, and Jon created a VP of Promotion job for me, so I came back over here.

Now you’re Sr. VP of the label group. In your experience, how has the label changed over the years?

We have always felt like Broken Bow/BBR Music Group was the little label that could. We just kept chugging along. We have had so much heart. We have been that label, I hope, that has done well by everybody. We’ve made friends, we’ve built relationships. We haven’t always had the biggest artists. We’ve always had Jason and his trajectory has just been so big, but for a long time we were just known as the Jason label. Within the last two to three years, we feel so proud that we’ve also become the Jimmie Allen label, the Jelly Roll label, the Lainey Wilson and Blanco Brown label. On and on.

Photo: Courtesy of Hahr

How do you think you guys were able to grow like that?

We always go back to the artists. It’s about the artists that we’ve been able to sign and promote their work and vision. That also goes back to BMG acquiring us. We had a lot of heart and a lot of soul—we probably could have continued to chug along, but when BMG acquired us, it gave us resources and more global reach. It’s given us a diversity of resources which has led to a diversity of roster.

What was an early career moment you’ve had that you’ll always remember?

Jason was up for ACM’s New Male Vocalist and Craig Morgan was too. Benny Brown, our owner at the time, had paid for everybody at the label to have a ticket to go to the awards since it was our first nomination. Every single person. Our seats were literally the very last row all the way at the top, but we were so happy to be there. Jason won and I just remember everybody standing up and holding hands. It’s so cheesy, but I feel like that’s the epitome of Broken Bow. From then to now, I feel like we’re all still arm in arm.

Photo: Courtesy of Hahr

You will be honored at MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row breakfast on Oct. 20. What is some advice you would give young women who are starting their careers?

Woman or a man, I go back to the advice that Jimmy Harnen gave me. Depending on the job you’re looking at wanting to do, don’t just send a resume and hope that someone sees you. Think as if you were doing that job and come up with ideas to present yourself in that way. Mine were silly radio promotion ideas that I was sending every week, and it took me about eight months to get noticed, but I persevered. I find that people, especially young people, are so worried about looking stupid. Luckily I’ve never cared about looking stupid. [Laughs]

What is your definition of success?

Happiness, passion, and excitement. We all get bogged down in the pattern of life, but if I ever get to a point where I’m not excited or I’m burned out, I don’t want to do this anymore. To me, my version of success would be being happy and excited still to come to work every day.

My Music Row Story: FBMM’s Jen Conger

Jen Conger

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

Jen Conger quickly moved up the ranks to become a business manager at FBMM after becoming the first female associate business manager in the firm’s history and doing so at a record pace of under 10 years. In Conger’s almost two decades of experience within the music industry, she has mentored a broad list of accomplished artists who have collectively received 17 Grammy Award wins, along with many ACM, CMA, Billboard and Golden Globe awards. She is a member of the ACM, the CMA, SOURCE, The Recording Academy and The Country Music Hall of Fame Troubadour Society, as well as an alumna of the Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) and a member of the Leadership Music’s Class of 2020.

Conger played an integral role in the development and execution of seven sold-out concerts held at Bridgestone Arena, in which the proceeds—over $4 million to date—benefited the Country Music Hall of Fame. For the last nine years, she has organized a clothing and instrument donation on behalf of her clients, with donated items totaling over $110,000 given to the W.O. Smith Music School, and in 2018, was involved in the preparation of a sold-out benefit concert in October of that year, which raised over $700,000 net for various music industry-oriented charities, including MusiCares.

Conger will be honored as part of the current class of MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row on Oct. 20. For more details about the class and the event, click here.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small town called Greensboro, Georgia. I went to high school in Athens, Georgia. My parents would drive an hour each way to take me to school there. I ended up going to college in Nashville at Vanderbilt.

Photo: Courtesy of Jen Conger

What did you study?

I studied U.S. history and English and minored in film studies. I wanted to be in film director. I got accepted to NYU, but my parents didn’t want me to go too far away. I came here and didn’t know anything about the music industry.

What did you do after graduation?

I had gotten an internship at a music video production company. They made music videos for country artists. I had been the executive assistant to one of the owners and the bookkeeper left soon after I started. I raised my hand because I was a struggling kid right out of college trying to make ends meet. I thought, “I don’t necessarily know accounting, but I’m good with math and money, so how about I try out this whole bookkeeping thing.” I just fell into it, but had a knack for it. I thought if this was something I was interested in, I needed to focus on a place that actually does this.

Is that how you ended up at FBMM?

Yes. A friend of mine let me know about a job opening at FBMM. That was 18 years ago, I’ve been here ever since. I fell into it, went back to school and got my masters in accounting, and just have been learning as I go along the way.

What did you learn right away when you fell into business management?

People need financial advisors. Unfortunately, you’re not being taught this in school. So often we have musicians who suddenly have all this fame, but the reality is that the money comes long after the fame. Having a team in place that’s being a good steward to your money is so important. So is having people on your team who know the music industry versus someone who is not well versed on royalties and touring, et cetera. It can get artists in a lot of trouble.

Photo: Courtesy of Jen Conger

Since you didn’t originally set out to be in the music industry, when did you feel like you were in the right place?

Probably two years into working at FBMM. I went out on tour with a client and loved it. I loved seeing how the bills that I was paying were reflected on tour. The video bill, the trucking bill, the bus bill… Seeing it coming together live. That’s when I realized this was going to be a career for me.

Business managers are unsung heroes of the music industry. What are some of your proudest moments that you’ve worked on behind the scenes?

We’re not in the limelight and that’s okay. We get the work done. I think sometimes we make it look too easy. We’re getting the work done so that the artist isn’t having to worry about it, but the artist isn’t seeing the mountains that we’re moving every day to get those things done.

I have one client in particular that has put on multiple shows benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame. I’ve been at the forefront of that, organizing it and haggling with vendors to try to get as much money to the Country Music Hall of Fame as possible. At the end of the night, being able to let the Hall of Fame know that we’ve got three quarters of a million dollars heading their way is pretty cool.

What advice would you give a new business manager?

The devil is in the details. It’s important to check your decimal points. (Laughs) Be accountable. When you screw up, chances are you’re going to think that it’s way worse than it actually is. There’s probably a long line of people who’ve made the same mistake, so be accountable and own it. Most importantly, learn from that mistake so you don’t repeat it. I tell new hires some of the really big faux pas that I made moving up. [Through my errors], they’re able to understand that even though I may have made a huge error, I’m still here because I learned from it and I grew from it versus trying to be defensive.

Who have been some of your mentors?

From a personal standpoint, my mother is amazing. Her sacrificing for us and being our chauffeur. (Laughs) She had cancer in her early thirties with two young kids; and she sacrificed and did what she needed to do for her family. From a personal level, I’m always trying to emulate that. I’ve got two kids and try to be a fraction of the kick ass mom that she was.

Professionally, Chuck Hull has been a great mentor. He is a tour manager for one of my artists. He’s been in the business for 40 something years. He has worked with some no names you’ve probably never heard of like Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, and John Hiatt. He has taken me under his wing for the last 20 years and has educated me about the touring world—both the historical side of things and how things have changed over time. He’s like a surrogate father to me.

Photo: Courtesy of Jen Conger

What do you think are some of the best qualities about our industry?

That it’s constantly evolving. The technology is constantly evolving. The revenue streams are constantly evolving. There’s not a cookie cutter idea of what an artist should look like anymore. It used to be cookie cutter but we’re definitely moving away from that and I think that’s a wonderful thing.

What’s a moment you’ve had that your little kid self would think is so cool?

I got a shout out at an award show when my client won Entertainer of the Year. Business managers are never in the limelight, and we’re definitely never mentioned in acceptance speeches, so that was a big deal. [Laughs] And then meeting Dolly Parton.

What is something people might not know about you?

I know a lot of film trivia. My favorite movies are Goodfellas and The Godfather: Part II. My favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard.

You will be honored at MusicRow‘s Rising Women on the Row breakfast on Oct. 20. What has your experience been like as a woman in the industry?

Being a woman in the music industry is not easy. It’s still very much a good ol’ boys club. Again, I think we’re moving away from that, which is wonderful.

As women, we have to look out for each other. I’ve seen too many times this hazing mentality of, “It wasn’t easy for me, so I’m not going to bend over backwards to help this next generation.” We need to erase that mentality from our brains because it’s not helping. It’s only making the issue worse. We have to all work with each other and cheer for each other along the way.