This Week’s Disruptors 2/16/24
We’re back this week with our first DISRUPTORS class of 2024. This group is making an impact here in Music City. Get to know them all! - Zak (Founder, Nashville Briefing)
Alex Goodman
Riser House Entertainment - Sr. Director Artist Development, Label Strategy, Brand Partnerships
Alex started his career in the Chicago rap scene, before moving to Nashville, by way of artist management. After a brief stint independently managing, Alex joined the Riser House Entertainment team where he oversees the careers of LANCO, Dillion Carmichael, Meghan Patrick, Jordana Bryant and more.
Proudest moment: Proudest moment of your career: Watching our artist Dillon Carmichael open a sold out show at Bridgestone Arena for Cody Johnson! Also earning my first gold record!
Emily Harlan
Manager / Day To Day, Foundations Music
Emily joined Foundations Music in their Nashville office while completing her graduate degree at Belmont University. Over the last four years, she has provided support, development, and guidance to both artists and writers/producers growing from assistant/management coordinator to manager/day-to-day. Currently, Emily navigates day-to-day operations for Grammy-nominated breakthrough artist Noah Kahan as well as pop rock trio COIN. Additionally, Emily works with writer/producer Gabe Simon and co-manages writer/producer Carrie K alongside mentor and Foundation’s partner Drew Simmons. Simon produced Kahan’s Stick Season and extended album versions in addition to working with notable names such as Lana Del Rey, Maroon 5, and Dua Lipa. Carrie K, Emily’s most recent signing, played a vital role in drumming, production coordinating, and co-writing a bit for Kahan’s Stick Season album. Carrie recently earned her first #1 UK Rock & Metal Album for her production work with PVRIS and continues to collaborate with talents like Maren Morris, Suki Waterhouse, and Jessie Murph.
Proudest moment - Proudest moment: A recent highlight that stands out in particular is Noah Kahan’s Best New Artist Grammy nomination. Being part of his team and contributing to his astronomical ascent, characterized by global multi-platform radio #1s, sold out arena/stadium tours worldwide, platinum records, and dynamic collaborations with talents like Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, and Hozier, among others, has presented an extraordinary and cherished opportunity.
Frank Paris
Producer/Co-Founder, Working Holiday
Frank Paris connects the dots between artist projects and the creatives who bring their visuals to life. After graduating from Belmont University, alongside his business partners Chase Denton, Sarah Woods, and Anthony Modica, Frank started Working Holiday with the aim to bring together the two worlds he’d come to love, production and the music business. In a short 3 years, Working Holiday has established itself as a cutting edge media agency that provides breathtaking visual assets. At Working Holiday, Frank works closely with artists and their team to build out visual packages for their releases. He also works with the production community to hire the right creatives for each job. Frank has worked with the country’s best labels, directors, and photographers to produce content for artists such as Ruston Kelly, Megan Moroney, Jenna Davis, Carter Faith, Tanner Adell, Jessie James Decker, and Knox. Recently, Frank has been working to roll out new offerings for current and prospective clients with a focus on short form and vertical assets. Frank also looks forward to launching Working Holiday’s first dive into original content through a new concert series slated to launch in 2024.
Proudest moment: Proudest moment of your career: I’m always thrilled when one of our visuals blows up or gathers a ton of engagement for a song, showcasing the collaboration between us and an artist team. Last year, two different music videos we produced premiered on Times Square billboards, one for Carter Faith via CMT (“Man”), and another for Jenna Davis (“DiCaprio”). Both of those videos were huge productions with so many moving parts, and it was epic to see those featured on such massive stages.
Henry Brown
Artist Manager, LoyalT Management
Henry is the Nashville representative for LoyalT management where he works across a roster that includes Stephen Sanchez, Clover County, Bebe Stockwell, Berhana, slenderbodies, & more. His time working with Stephen has spanned multiple international tours, a top 10 at pop radio, & the release of his 2023 debut album Angel Face. Henry also recently started managing new signee Clover County alongside co-manager Kathryn Callahan (Medium Build, Cece Coakley, Zinadelphia.) He’s pretty damn excited about it.
Proudest moment: Proudest moment of your career: I moved to Nashville a year ago without knowing a single soul & having never once been here. I’m very proud of the community I’ve carved out since then & the incredible people I get to spend time with everyday.
Joey Russ
Artist Manager, Neon Coast
Manager to Sony Music Nashville’s Restless Road and BBR Music Group’s Dylan Schneider, Joey Russ has built a name for himself in Music City. Joey recently launched Country music trio Restless Road, leaning heavily on a fans first mentality. The band now has over 4 million followers and has been named a Hot Country Artist to watch by Spotify. Under Joey’s guidance, Dylan Schneider has been named “Country Music’s Next Rising Star” by Billboard, has over 350 million on-demand streams, and has toured with acts such as Morgan Wallen, Kane Brown, Florida Georgia Line, and more. Moving to Nashville in 2014, Joey began his career at Florida Georgia Line’s artist development and publishing company Tree Vibez Music, where he was a Creative Director. Joey teamed up with powerhouse artist manager Martha Earls and Neon Coast in 2019. He holds a Bachelor's of Business from the University of Georgia.
Proudest moment: There are so many things I'm proud of, but some of my most recent proud moments are getting to watch Restless Road sell out shows on their Last Rodeo Tour, and having Dylan Schneider's independent release "How Does It Sound" receive RIAA Gold Certification.
Josh Nachoz
Videographer
Josh Nachoz is a videographer and editor who has his creative skill in a variety of different lanes. From fine dine eating, capturing the essence of Sean Brock’s Continental restaurant to working with Soho House, sharing his creative eye to help shine light on other artists locally, and everything in between. You never quite know what vision he’ll bring to life next keeping his stature respected and highly favored.
Proudest moment: A few of my proudest moments range from working with music label TDE, and Isaiah Rashad racking over 6 million views on YouTube. I’ve also had the pleasure of collaborating with Porsche and Puma and have worked alongside WNBA player Katie Lou.
Leah Hodgkiss
Artist Manager Fly South Music Group
Leah went to Belmont University - not for music business, but enrolling in the Honors College and studying sociology. She then started her career in music publishing, working for Prescription Songs for a little over 3 years. After that, she transitioned over to artist management, coming to work at Fly South Music Group. There, she works on a variety of artists including Paramore, Rico Nasty, Friday Pilots Club, carobae and producer/writer Tyler Smyth.
Proudest moment: Paramore winning two GRAMMY’s is pretty cool! But my proudest moment is probably looking at my roster and realizing they’re not only artists I’m proud to work with, but incredible people I’m proud to be associated with.