This Week’s Disruptors 9/21/2023
This weeks DISRUPTORS are in! Get to know them all!
- Zak Kuhn (Founder, Nashville Briefing)
Belinda Ligotino
Community Manager / jump.global
Nashville, TN
Bio: Belinda is an Upstate NY native living life in Nashville. She started her career with the non profit Women in Music which led her to work at the tech company EVA under her friend and mentor Channing Moreland. At EVA, Belinda worked on the Entertainment Relations team where she started a diversity initiative to bring more opportunities for minorities in the corporate event world. Most recently, she worked with artist development/management company AmpliFLY where she helped develop artists such as Ian McConnell and Ryan Necci and the Buffalo Gospel. During this time she helped launch their digital development section of the company (Ignite) getting to work with amazing artists such as Hannah Ellis and Kelsey Hart. She currently works at jump.global where she spends her days advocating for music industry executives to get their voices and passions heard around the world. Her job is to understand her clients vision and help find opportunities that speak to their why. Belinda is working with jump.global on their first conference dedicated to developing a person’s first and last name rather than their job title. Outside of work, you can find her at 6one5 Jiu-Jitsu having the best time becoming a stronger human.
Proudest moment: So many things to be proud of but overall I'm most proud of learning how to prioritize myself when it matters.
Benji Amaefule
A&R Manager / Warner Chappell Music
Nashville, TN
Bio: Benji began his career in country music at Cox Media’s KKBQ Houston developing social media content for artists and events. Previously, he also served as Head of Artist and Label Partnerships for Country Central. Due to his personal passion for country music, he cultivated his own brand, TheBenjiChord, where he interviewed artists and writers while covering new releases coming out of Music Row. This led to joining the creative team at Warner Chappell Nashville where he currently supports their roster of writers and artists as A&R Manager. Outside of music you can find Benji traveling, collecting guitars, and searching for the best gym in Nashville.
Proudest moment: Watching my friends/writers get celebrated for their first number one song (Dylan Marlowe, Joe Fox and Jimi Bell) for Jon Pardi’s “Last Night Lonely”. It was a special moment early into my career here that meant even more after getting to know the guys involved and the paths they each took to achieve success in music.
Jeff Cherry
Artist Manager / Founder, Hudson Hill Mgmt
Nashville, TN
Bio: Jeff Cherry is the founder of Hudson Hill Mgmt, an artist management company based in Nashville, TN. He currently focuses his energy working alongside independent rising country artist Spencer Crandall. Crandall acclaims include over 300 million streams, 2 Sirius XM Highway #1's, and over 12,000 tickets sold on the most recent Western Tour. He is currently expanding his roster.
Proudest Moment: Last year felt like such a payoff for so many hours of hard work for Spencer and me. To score two Sirius XM Highway #1's, have Spencer make his Grand Ole Opry Debut, and sell out 11 shows of his 26 date headlining tour was very meaningful, especially as an independent artist. Definitely our proudest moments to date.
Marissa Smith
Agent / UTA
Nashville, TN
Bio: Marissa Smith is an agent in UTA’s booming music division. With a series of recent key accomplishments, Smith has solidified herself as a one-to-watch with a passion for discovering and nurturing exceptional artists. Smith’s roster includes artists such as GAYLE, JP Saxe, JVKE, Jaden Hossler, Amanda Shires, Fancy Hagood, Zandi Holup and more. With a dedication to creating positive change, Smith also serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including She Is The Music, Tennessee Alliance for Kids, and as the Philanthropy Chair of UTA PROUD, the agency’s LGBTQIA+ inclusion group.
Proudest moment: Watching GAYLE open up Taylor Swift’s first night of the Era’s tour. GAYLE was the first artist I ever signed, so to close my eyes and think about seeing GAYLE perform at The Basement’s New Faces Night in January 2020, and then open them and watch her play in front of tens of thousands at State Farm Stadium in March 2023 was very special to say the least.
Mick Bodie
Photographer / Videographer
Nashville, TN
Bio: Mick's sights were set on Nashville from the moment he heard the song “Whiskey Lullaby” as a kid. After years of playing gigs as the guitarist in a country duo, he discovered a love for capturing the moments artists create on stage through a lens. He moved from his hometown of Washington, D.C. to Nashville in early 2021 and jumped right into the creative scene. He built a brand by shooting writer's rounds and photo sessions for emerging artists in his home studio. He quickly transitioned to shooting tour content and has been on the road with artists like Faren Rachels, Lauren Weintraub, Ashland Craft, and most recently Ashley Cooke. Mick focuses his content on capturing the unique personalities of each artist, working to produce photos and videos that showcase who they are as much as the music they create.
Proudest moment: Honestly, this is a tough one to answer. Being welcomed by this city and this community is all I could have hoped for. But, having the chance to shoot Ashley Cooke at Bridgestone Arena this summer as she was opening for Luke Bryan was an absolute bucket list experience.
Shannon Woodworth
Director, Digital Marketing / UMG Nashville
Nashville, TN
Bio: Shannon Woodworth moved to Nashville 8 years ago after pursuing her B.A. in Music Industry and M.B.A. with a marketing concentration from the University of New Haven. She would ice cupcakes in the mornings to pay the bills while she pounded the pavement of Music Row with her resume each afternoon. Her first industry role was at a digital-focused agency. After working a few months at the front desk, she began overseeing a roster of over eighty clients, which led her to fully pursue a long-term career serving talent across the social landscape. Working with brands and agencies to tap into social campaigns for the talent she represents, Shannon has been at the forefront of pioneering a unique sliver of the digital space here in Nashville that will likely pave the way for how social collaborations look moving forward.
Proudest Moment: In 2021, I successfully launched the biggest initiative of my professional career, Parade of Trees; a collection of artist-decorated Christmas trees in a walkable experience at a local resort. Each artist had a package tied to their portion of the initiative and fans could bid on them. All the funds raised went to First Responders Children’s Foundation, which provides scholarships and mental health services to the children of first responders. 2022 was its second annual year and this year, we are working on plans for what it can look like.
