Young Entertainment Professionals

We were lucky enough to get an hour with two of the busiest, most hard working young songwriters in town - Mary Kutter & Brian Alexander! Together, this team is navigating the TikTok world, sync opportunities, and potential publishing deals. And they really figured it out! Sometimes all it takes is a little slide into the dm’s…

We're kicking off our 5th season with an amazing content creator, comedian, author, actress, and entrepreneur - Kierra Lewis! In this episode we talk about what it's like making new friends in Nashville, getting banned from TikTok, and being "delusional." 

This episode was pre-recorded earlier this month at one of our live YEP Edu Panels, which took place at HOME: Nashville’s first and only 24/7 community for music and media production. They were generous enough to host some of our educational panels this year and we were immensely impressed by the space. Part 2 of our live recording features Libby O, who is our host of the YEP podcast and her own podcast The Libby O Show. We’ve also got our YEP Director of Events Zak Kuhn on the mic, you may know him from the Nashville Briefing and of course The Zak Kuhn Show. This panel also features Matt Burrill from In The Round a podcast and weekly show series at Live Oak, and Tamone Bacon from The State of Black Music which is tied to the new Museum of African American Music on 5th and Broadway. Special thanks to Caroline Hodson for moderating this live recording!

This episode was pre-recorded earlier this month at one of our live YEP Edu Panels, which took place at HOME: Nashville’s first and only 24/7 community for music and media production. They were generous enough to host some of our educational panels this year and we were immensely impressed by the space. Part 1 of our live recording features Libby O, who is our host of the YEP podcast and her own podcast The Libby O Show. We’ve also got our YEP Director of Events Zak Kuhn on the mic, you may know him from the Nashville Briefing and of course The Zak Kuhn Show. This panel also features Matt Burrill from In The Round a podcast and weekly show series at Live Oak, and Tamone Bacon from The State of Black Music which is tied to the new Museum of African American Music on 5th and Broadway. Special thanks to Caroline Hodson for moderating this live recording! 

Celebrity Makeup Artist Katrina Brooks may have grown up in a small town in New Hampshire, but she knew she was meant to work in the glamorous world of film and entertainment. She moved across country to Los Angeles to attend the Makeup Designory in 2010 and has been working as a freelance makeup artist for the last decade in both Los Angeles and Nashville. Whether she is getting a Presidential Candidate ready for live television or a Country Music star for the red carpet, she brings her positive, energetic spirit to every job. Although she mainly works in beauty and grooming, she has extensive training in Special Effects and loves to get her hands dirty for film and television. She excels with period piece hair and makeup and enjoys working with other creatives to bring every team’s vision to life.

Lexy Burke is a TikTok personality known for giving back to the Nashville community through her viral account, The Serial Tipper. She is also the CEO of Ranch Hands Nashville’s Original Cowboylesque and the Nashville Original Bachelorette House along with her husband and artist Austin Burke. She began her career as a videographer and award-winning filmmaker straight out of college. She has been seen on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Ellen, Dr Oz, GMA, and NBC Nightly News.

Nora Collins brings a confident and youthful originality to country music – a style she describes as “fun, flirty, relatable and honest.”  The Wisconsin native has been performing since she was a teenager, playing over 200 self booked shows a year and picking up multiple Best of Milwaukee awards as female vocalist and best acoustic musician. She moved to Nashville in 2016 after securing a songwriting and artist development deal with MV2 Entertainment. She released her new EP in November 2018 with producer Marshall Altman (Natasha Bedingfield, Amy Grant, Frankie Ballard, Eric Paslay). The first single from that project, “Who Knows Who,” gained attention from CMT and Radio Disney. Her current single “Plain Jane” features backing vocals by Vince Gill. Her music has already gained the attention of Billboard, Rolling Stone Country, CMT, Radio Disney, Taste of Country & more. ] Nora has opened many shows for acts such as Tim McGraw, Dustin Lynch, Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, & Jon Pardi, just to name a few. She recently released her latest single “Vegas” and had her first billboard advertisement in Nashville. She is currently in the studio with Forest Glenn Whitehood( K. Ballerini) working on her next project!

Cooper Smith is a director and videographer based in Nashville, TN! In this episode we chat about his work with Sam Hunt, Connor Smith, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and more! Cooper shares his best advice on building relationships in the industry, how YEP influenced his career thus far, and why taking every opportunity is grow your craft is so important. 

Matt Zahn is the Director of Digital Marketing at Morris Higham Management. Matt shares his background in marketing within the live production industry, how to bounce back from career changes and what he enjoys most about the country music community! 

From starting his own introduction into the music industry at age 13, Trevor Perkins knew that pursuing a music industry career was something he knew he wanted to pursue as soon as he fell into it. From Tabor, IA - the young entrepreneur never thought about the different aspects of the music industry. Throughout the early years of journalism, Trevor shared many conversations with award-winning musicians including Russell Dickerson, Chris Lane, Allie Colleen, Spencer Crandall, and many additional across genres. In 2018, Trevor decided to start a different path within the industry - public relations. Coming from a country music realm, Trevor's first client signed to his firm (formally Longarrow Publicity) was a hip-hop artist. Shortly after, Trevor's roster continued to grow across genres and states. In 2019, Trevor decided to rebrand his company to add a personal touch - Perkins Publicity. Since rebranding, Trevor's secured placement for clients in People Magazine, CMT, Popdust, Billboard, Rolling Stone, ET Tonight, and many additional outlets and publications. With a full plan of continuing to flourish within the industry, Trevor's developing many additional projects that will be announced very soon.

Ben Hutto is an Artist Manager at Triple 8 Management in Nashville, TN. We chat about his day-to-day managing Judah & The Lion, and more! 

Sarah Beth Perry is the Founder and CEO of With the Band, a fan engagement platform founded in 2017 that strives to develop a community for fans and artists to feel a part of something bigger than themselves.

In only 3 years, Perry has grown With the Band from an idea in her dorm room to captivating packed out arenas with her creative and collaborative fan projects and meetups. Some of her most notable experiences include her fan engagement activations at the Jonas Brothers’ highly-anticipated HAPPINESS BEGINS TOUR and Kacey Musgraves’ OH WHAT A WORLD TOUR sold-out concert in Nashville, TN. Sarah Beth serves as the Co-Director of Events on the YEP Board. 

Charlene Bryant was formerly a Digital Account Manager for Sony/RCA Inspiration, who recently ventured out to start her own artist management company, Riveter Management Inc. She is passionate about helping artists and her company motto is to treat every client like a VIP.

During her matriculation at Belmont University, she has garnered internships with all three major labels and landed her first paying gig after college, managing a live music venue. After two years of increased record attendance at the venue, she pivoted and began working at a record label and is now an entrepreneur. She currently resides in Los Angeles after leaving Nashville, where she was a transplant from Canton, Ohio.

Charlene is a results-driven professional that understands and appreciates the importance of relationships in the music industry. She holds a Business Administration degree in music business from Belmont University and served on the board of Women’s Music Business Association for 3 year recently presiding as Vice President in 2019."

In this new episode we welcome two of our very own YEP Nashville Board Members Maddy Sundquist (Co-Director of Education) and Stephen Denninger (Director of Events)! Maddy and Stephen share their expertise in management, publishing, and music tech over a fireside chat in Stephen's backyard! You'll also hear their thoughts on navigating the job board and advice for those looking to pursue a career in entertainment amidst the pandemic. Most recently, Maddy and Stephen have contributed to the YEP community to our virtual panel series, Coast to Couch: Young Hustlers of the Music Biz! Replay all videos on our Facebook page by searching YEP Nashville.

Artist Stephen Day joins us on the podcast to talk performing at YEP Rewinds, connecting with other industry professionals through the organization, and how his manager has influenced his work ethic and artist growth.

On his third project Stephen Day is joining the arena of bedroom pop. With his new EP Original Songs and Sound, slated for November 20, Day shows the listener a new side of his sensibilities. The five new songs he made alone in the confines of his Nashville bedroom are made in a way that lend to his crooner vocal fans have come to love. With tastes of Frank Ocean, John Mayer, and classic influence Day says, "It feels like these songs stand out from my other projects in a way that feels a little more edgy and direct."

The 24 year old Georgia native released his first EP Undergrad Romance and the Moses in Me back in 2016 with a viral start. His track "If You Were the Rain" gained mass appeal among his first fans pushing him to chart on Spotify's Global viral playlist peaking at number two. Then in October of 2019 he released his first full length album Guess I'm Grown Now with lead singles like "Dancing in the Street," "For Life (Take You Out, Treat You Right)" and "Twenty Two and Some Change." He's been seen online on the homepage of Parade Magazine, and other outlets like Celeb Mix, and Stage Right Secrets. Now claiming Nashville, TN his hometown Day has taken it by storm. In 2019 he played Lightning 100's Live on the Green along with selling out famed Mercy Lounge. Fans across the US and the world have also developed a strong affinity for the singer. His catalog has now seen close to 29 Million streams. Prior to COVID he was set to sell out his first headline tour after playing the Wanderland Festival in Manila, Philippines. Now with the world in a continuous frame of uncertainty, one thing you can depend on is Stephen Day's ability to move forward one song at a time.

Steve Moakler is a country music singer/songwriter with Pennsylvania roots. Over a decade after relocation to Nashville from the Pittsburgh home he memorably captured on his album Steel Town (released on CN Records in March 2017), he has toured alongside such acts as Old Dominion, Willie Nelson, Dan + Shay, And Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Moakler – whose songwriting credits include cuts by Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Ben Rector, Reba McIntire and More – was inspired by life changes to craft his sixth studio album, Blue Jeans, produced by Luke Laird and Nick Lobel which was released on CN Records in January 2020. The album features the title track and lead song “Blue Jeans,” as well as tracks “Push,” “How Have We Never,” and “’72 Winnebago,” all available now!

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana there is no shortage of flavor for Meaux. She is a fierce woman with an infectious spirit that radiates even more from the stage. She started singing at a young age and grew up in dance studios throughout Louisiana training with the best choreographers and vocal coaches she could find. She then moved to Nashville, TN after graduating high school to pursue her music and entertainment career at the next level. She studied at Belmont University for a short two years before being asked to join one of the hottest country bands, A Thousand Horses, as their featured touring background vocalist. Since being with the band, she has traveled across the country and internationally performing in front of thousands of people. She has been on stages with headliners Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, and Brett Eldredge to name a few and graced TV screens such as the Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and the CMT Awards. She has also been seen dancing for one of the biggest superstars, Beyonce, at the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime show as well as been a featured dancer in the Honey franchise films on Netflix. Needless to say her talents have been spread across the entertainment industry through countless mediums. She now continues her pursuit in Los Angeles, California where she continues to perform weekly as well as writing and recording her own original music.

Lexie Deeb is a Director of Advertising & Branding for Secret Road Music Services, where they represent a roster of publishing artists/writers and she pitches music to creative agencies and brands for advertising placement in North America, as well as for video games. She began her career at Secret Road on the Film & TV side, and also coordinated Secret Road’s inaugural Creative Labs Hawaii Songwriting Camp in 2016. With prior internships ranging from ASCAP to WRLT/Lightning 100 to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, she has tapped into a role that allows her to have a hand in marrying music to picture. She has licensed music to a variety of brands, including Dell, Honda, Samsung, Ralph Lauren, AT&T, Mazda, and Dignity Health, to name a few.

Emily Hackett is the rare songwriter who doesn’t just pour her heart into her lyrics—she inspires every listener to reach a deeper honesty in their own lives. With her stunningly detailed storytelling, the Nashville-based artist sheds light on the liabilities of being human, transforming the most painful feelings into something glorious.

It’s exactly that alchemy that found Hackett named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2019. That announcement followed the release of By the Sun: a five-track EP that marked the first half of Hackett’s debut album, hailed by Rolling Stone as a “smart meeting-point between early-Aughts pop, country’s current genre playfulness and the one-name women of the Nineties.” Her followup EP, By The Moon, centers on more emotionally thorny material, revealing the full scope of Hackett’s artistry.

Each song spotlights radiant vocal presence and vibrant musicality that Hackett’s honed her entire life. Growing up outside Atlanta, she realized her passion for music as a little girl—thanks largely to her father, a former rock critic. Hackett found breakout success with “Take My Hand (The Wedding Song)”: a ballad she wrote, recorded with Parachute front-man, then saw shoot to #4 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart directly upon release.

As Hackett’s songwriting expands, so does her sound, as made apparent in her 2020 single releases, “Hangovers and Heartbreak” and “My Version of a Love Song,” leading up to an awaited new EP release of the same title later this year. The lyrics, remain as forthright as ever, and in turn, the music lending itself closer to her acoustic-rock upbringing. Hackett continues to make it clear that she will not be confined to a genre. She intends on reaching the heart strings of whoever’s headphones she can sneak into.

Julie Greenberg is a music touring agent at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). She is based in the Nashville office and works alongside many of the world’s leading musicians including Koffee, Lianne La Havas, Bren Joy, John Tucker, Chaz Cardigan, Tay Keith, Astrid S, j.Ember, Lindsey Lomis and more.

Songwriter/Artist Thomas Finchum talks former career as an Olympic Swimmer and what led him to pursue a career in music. He shares the story behind "Kissing A Girl," for LoCash and songs making up his self-titled EP.

Hummon’s drive is what makes him stand out from the rest. He emphasizes the hard work that goes into each of his songs. The lyrics come straight from the heart, while the production and vocals are true to him. Hummon’s sincerity is one that makes his artistry stand out; growing up, he learned from his father that this is the most important tool of success.

Country artist Drew Baldridge shares his career journey, touring advice, and stories behind his latest releases including, "Middle Of Nowhere Kids."

Futureshirts' Senior Account Manager, Mallary Birdsong, shares her expertise on the topic of artist merchandise. Your favorite t-shirt, vinyl or other memorandum from the best live show you’ve ever been to, helps the creators thrive in doing what they love. We talk about conceptualizing the vision for an artist’s merch selection dependent on their brand, budget, and fan engagement goals all according to the Futureshirts company model.

Meet the Director of Creative/A&R at River House Artists, Zebb Luster. He is the founder of YNOT Wednesdays Songwriter Spotlight, sponsored by Futureshirts and Regions Bank, a songwriter round created to give music talent a platform to share their originals. He is also the co-owner of YNOT Lifestyle Brand, an apparel company with a purpose to inspire people to overcome life’s obstacles. In this episode, you’ll hear more about the mission and his personal tie to both YNOT ventures, and how he became the artist manager for Jordan Rowe & Chrissy Metz.

Session musician and producer, Derek Wells has worked with household names like Dolly Parton, Steven Tyler, and Josh Turner – his most recent project involved producing Maren Morris’ latest album, GIRL. This is a great episode about navigating industry relationships as it pertains to client projects, preparing for an audition, and why a well-crafted song is the foundation of the creative process.

This episode features Bryant Urich and Josh Cross. We talk about Bryant's background in documentary films, music and why he started a company (TrustAccelerator) that creates content mostly podcasts, for businesses who want to elevate their voice. We also talk about career strategy, our favorite Netflix shows, podcasts all in a 20 min recording in the Netflix Studio at PodX.