Meet the Team
Mike
I grew up in Covington, GA and one of my favorite memories from childhood was riding with my grandad on Sunday’s to a little country restaurant to pick up fish for my grandmother. I can still hear Clarence say, “What’ll it be today, Mr. Jay? The catfish or the perch?”
I was finishing my freshman year in college in Birmingham and decided I wasn’t going to keep playing football and contemplated whether the career path I had chosen to pursue, Pharmacy, was really the right fit for me. I found myself sitting in Sunday school one morning and a guy randomly asked me if I sing. Before I knew it, I was singing and traveling with a college ensemble it was during that time I became sure of two things: 1) I did not want to be a Pharmacist and 2) I loved music. At the end of that school year I followed two of my friends to Nashville to audition for the school of music at Belmont University. I’ve never looked back and my life has been dedicated to music, serving artists and helping spread the message of hope and God’s love ever since.
I am passionate about people and songs that transform our hearts. There are many parts of the process that I love but perhaps the pinnacle is seeing a song go from the studio to the stage and into a moment that transcends. The moment when time stands still for a second and Truth, in the form of a melody, changes a life and offers hope.
I was nearly 6’ tall sporting a killer peach fuzz ‘stache at age 12. After all these years in the music business, not much has changed except for the texture and color of that facial hair. On any given weekend you might find me at the ballfield watching a game, doing yardwork, taking past treasures to the recycling center and if I am lucky, riding my bike. Sometimes I’m taking a family hike or just hanging out with family and friends unless of course, I am out visiting an artist at a show ☺
Katie
I was born in Baltimore, MD, but mostly grew up in Tennessee (Nashville, Memphis, Livingston). In 2007, I was living in Atlanta with a 3-hour roundtrip commute which gave me much needed time in the car to worship and talk with God. On one difficult Monday morning commute, I was praying and asking for God’s guidance on what my next career steps should be and felt God calling me into music ministry, but wasn’t sure why or how. I’m not a musician, so it didn’t make a lot of sense to me. At the time, I was managing a natural stone company – I knew how to manage a business – but I was ready for a career change. I decided to go back to school for Artist Management – it was perfect for me because it combined my love for music, managing, and ministry.
I love helping others make their vision a reality. Knowing that my artists can focus on their art while I handle the other details gives me a lot of joy. Being part of their journey in sharing the love story of Jesus through music is by far my favorite part of my job! I’m also a bit of an adrenaline junkie I would go skydiving daily if I could. I enjoy anything outdoors and on any given weekend I can often be found hiking, kayaking, or camping.
Kelcey
I grew up in Michigan, so I spent most of my childhood exploring the outdoors – going to the Great Lakes, camping, gardening, or exploring our big back yard. I remember the first time I listened to contemporary Christian music – it was a complete mindset shift. I got my hands on as many CDs as I could – reading the liner notes, following industry blogs, magazines, and Twitter accounts, and studying tour routing. What was kind of a strange hobby turned into something I could actually pursue as a career. I loved that the music industry would combine my love for people, Christian music, organization, and the church.
I am passionate about taking the gospel to new places through music, live events, and conversations. I look for opportunities to enhance discovery through Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, social media, and Pandora optimization. I love being able to catch the vision and implement it through the details, because that frees artists to spend more time crafting their art.
On a typical weekend, you can usually find me hiking, kayaking, or organizing an event with my worship team or small group.
Sarah
There’s a saying “go big or go home”. Growing up in the big state of Nebraska with big snowy winters, my 6 brothers, 5 sisters and their families at big loud family gatherings, I’d say my family never did anything small… we were a force of nature. I have always loved music and it was rare that there wasn’t a radio blaring or someone singing at the top of their lungs in my house. We would sing everything from church choir songs, 80’s hair band anthems, Broadway soundtracks and 80’s & 90’s country songs. Music is an important thread throughout our family.
When I moved to Nashville, I knew I wanted to spend my working days in and around music and artists. While I still love to sing, I have found a great joy in managing the minutia and details for artists so they can focus on their art and ministry. They say, “the devil is in the details”, but I also think when details are handled efficiently, there’s an ‘angel’ in the details! I love my work because I learn something new each day and I get to have a role in helping great artists and their music bless people around the world.
That’s not to say that I still don’t exercise my creative-side. On any given weekend, you’ll find me crafting in many mediums like paper, yarn, wood; reading a good mystery or adventure book; singing in my church choir; painting rooms, upcycling furniture pieces, gardening or playing board games with my family & friends all while still rocking out to hair-bands and 90’s country. It’s a great life.
Nick
I grew up in South Florida – North Palm Beach/Palm Beach Gardens area to be exact. From as early I can remember, I was completely fascinated by all things related to pop culture –particularly music. I spent countless hours listening to the radio, playing records, studying liner notes, and perfecting my air guitar skills. Labeling me a “music geek” would be an understatement. Like most young people, I dreamed of changing the world someday. (I’m fully aware of how overly dramatic and grandiose that sounds, but it came from a very genuine place.) I knew the power and impact that music had on my worldview and I thought that it would be amazing to be part of the process of connecting artists with an audience looking for inspiration, truth, and meaning.
I thrive on helping an artist clarify and focus their uniqueness and then collaborating with them on the way to best connect them with their desired audience. Call me crazy, but I actually like that we’re living in such a moment of extraordinary change in music business history. The “rules” are literally changing weekly, and I like the challenge of learning how to best navigate a strategic artist development path.
My family and friends tease me frequently (and rightfully so) about the number of nerdy “obsessions” I have. I’m currently fascinated by learning various magician tricks and illusions. Two years ago, I was knee-deep in collecting music mash-ups online; before that, it was comic books and graphic novels. I probably should be embarrassed, but I enjoy stuff like that way too much. My wife is a saint for putting up with me. I’m also a big football and mixed martial arts fan – so on any given weekend you’ll probably find me watching some sports event on television, listening to music or hanging out with my wife and our three sons.
1114 West Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064 | 615.665.9786 | info@propermgmt.com
COPYRIGHT © 2020 PROPER MANAGEMENT