Spring 2024 OM Interns!!!

By Miriam DeYoung

Here at Olivia Management, we’re so fortunate to have an amazing team of interns each semester that help operations run as smoothly as they do. This semester we have four lovely interns from Belmont University and we’re so excited for you to meet them!

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Nick is getting his MBA at Belmont University, he went to undergrad at NYU to get a music tech degree. His favorite artist is Frost Children and he met Willie Nelson and Morgan Freeman across the street from his dads house.

Miriam is a junior songwriting major at Belmont University. Her favorite artist is Lizzy McAlpine and she’s flown in a helicopter. This is Miriam’s second semester as an intern at OM.

Grace is a senior music business major at Belmont University. Her favorite artist is Frank Ocean and she’s a dual citizen of Australia. Grace is also a returning OM intern who we’re so excited to have back

Tyler is a senior music business major at Belmont University. His favorite artist is Bruce Springsteen and he owns 14 guitars.

Intern Wrap-Up: Ivan Grimblat

by Ivan Grimblat

I met Erin on a Zoom call thanks to my artist management class at Berklee, which taught me virtually nothing, but proved to be extremely useful. She was invited as a guest to talk to us (students) about her experience and how she had started her own company, Olivia Management. I was instantly drawn in and after she mentioned that she was looking for interns for her company, I decided to ask her where to apply and submitted my application.

It didn’t work out the first time, I guess there were more suitable candidates at the time, and I lacked the experience. I remember when I got the email saying they decided to move forward with other candidates, I got very dissapointed. By that time, I had probably applied to over 100 entry-level jobs within the music industry and about 50 music-related internships without any luck. They were all looking for someone with experience.

Even though I was frustrated, I decided to keep trying and started harassing Grace via email, reminding her that I was still looking for an internship in case they were looking for someone for the upcoming term. Until one lucky day, I got an email from Grace, offering me an internship for the summer.

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to not only start the internship at Olivia Management, but another one, simultaneously. I also got offered another internship for the upcoming term, thanks to the experience I’ve gathered during the past three months.

Looking back at my experience working at Olivia Management, I have to say, I’ve learned a ton. However, it isn’t what I’ve learned these past few months that I treasure the most from this internship, but the way I’ve connected with the people I’ve met through this opportunity.

I’ll always remember Olivia Management as the place that opened the doors of the music industry for me and also as a really fun place that introduced me to an amazing group of people.

Special thanks to Erin, Merk, Grace, Maddy, Mallory & Evan for making this such a valuable experience, hope you all stick around!

Intern Wrap-Up: Evan Gilbreath

In April of 2023, I sat next to my broken radiator in the smallest dorm room (not even fit for a broom closet, if we’re being honest) staring at my computer and biting my nails prior to the daunting Zoom interview. Earlier that afternoon, as the crisp spring showers of London beat down on the canopy of my local Underground Station, I stood by the turnstiles waiting for the rain to pass and pondered if I would ever feel involved in the Nashville music scene again after being abroad. It was quite dramatic, I know, and the gloomy weather didn’t help my spiraling thoughts. However, I couldn’t help but feel disconnected from school, peers, and most importantly, the career field I loved.

But as I spoke with Grace Carey-Hill on the interview I soon felt at peace because I remembered how vibrant and kind some of the people in the Nashville music industry can be. It’s not everyday that you happen across a company like Olivia Management: a women-run artist management firm succeeding and representing iconic artists that add greatly to the musical fabric of Nashville.

Artist management was something I never pictured myself doing, but as I continued my college career, I knew I needed to broaden my horizons. Working with the amazing women of this company, along with the other interns, has led me to greatly consider artist management as a future career. The people at this company have taught me how to girl-boss (girl-bossing is purely a state of mind) my way through challenging tasks, embrace creativity, and most importantly, grab some good Mexican food together when the day’s plans goes awry. This field changes every day and you never know the obstacles you might run into. Olivia Management is committed to excellence, honesty, integrity, and genuine connection, and I don’t think there is any other group of people who illustrates these values as much as Erin, Grace, Mackenzie, and Maddy.

So, as my days at OM continue to dwindle down, I reflect on how grateful I am that I was able to gain these experiences. I am more confident in my future and I know that these amazing people have my back. These are the parts of college that I will never forget.

Cheers,

Evan

Fall 2022 Intern Wrap Up

Our Fall 2022 interns were truly one of a kind and we already miss them dearly. We asked them to tell us one thing they learned with us this semester. Jacob will be interning with us again next semester, but here’s what Cole, Anna, and Juils had to say as their internship came to an end!

“I learned that there are really so many moving parts when it comes to artist management, like touring, booking shows, music videos, releasing music, merch, etc. Managing artists as a whole has a lot of organization that has to come with it! Something more out of my comfort zone that I specifically enjoyed was learning how to edit videos and photos for social media.”

— Anna Sampson

“At Olivia, I’ve learned what it looks like when a company has a healthy culture that values the people rather than solely valuing the work that they produce. Erin, Merk, Grace, and Maddy have all reflected this quality and have shown that they value each other and us interns as more than just a team member!”

— Cole Bishop

“This semester I learned how much of a difference it makes when you truly care about the artists you manage. Here at Olivia, the team has a great relationship with every single one of our artists and it’s so clear to see how much of an impact that has on the artist’s success.”

— Juils Cervizzi

Holiday Season at OM

by: Cole Bishop

Halloween has just come to an end and we are now officially moving into the holiday season. Here at OM, the holiday spirit is already in the air with our Christmas tree standing tall in the office while our newly repaired SONOS speaker (after many hours of hard work fixing) plays the new Christmas music of our amazing artists! We’re excited to share with you some of the new shows and projects that our artists have going on for the holiday season!

Hush Kids

Hush Kids has already released two Christmas singles over this past month! Be sure to check out their fantastic versions of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “It’s Christmas” on all streaming platforms!

Jill Andrews

Jill is going on her first ever tour of the UK this month! She’ll be playing at a new venue almost every day in Glasgow, Manchester, London, Birmingham, and many more great cities from November 4th until November 19th. Be sure to snag a ticket before it’s too late! Get your tickets here!

The Sewing Club

NEW RELEASE ALERT! The Sewing Club will be releasing “Hard Candy Christmas” on November 11th. We’re so excited for you all to hear this amazing song! Stay tuned on their socials here!

Street Corner Symphony

We’re also pumped to say that Street Corner Symphony will be playing at Franklin Theater on December 20th! We know they’re going to put on a great show and we hope you all get a chance to make it! Ticket link here!

We hope you all get a chance to enjoy all of the cool things that our artists are doing this holiday season!

Intern Wrap Up: Hannah Loomis

By Hannah Loomis

I first met Mackenzie and Grace at Belmont’s Curb College Internship Fair in the fall of 2021. From our first conversation, I just knew that I had to apply for an internship at Olivia Management. They were so much fun to chat with, even over Zoom, and I could tell that they really enjoyed the work they were doing. I vividly remember getting the email notification from Mackenzie that I was being offered the internship. I was at Belmont, walking to class with a friend. I thoroughly embarrassed myself by squealing loudly and jumping up and down.

From my first staff meeting and work day with Olivia Management, I knew that I was going to love my time interning here. At OM, we start each staff meeting by affirming another team member and then ourselves. It’s so refreshing, and made me feel valued and seen as a member of the team from day one. Not to mention, the energy in the office is amazing. We work hard, but also have a great time cracking jokes, getting to know each other, and listening to Harry’s House. To this day, I am so inspired each time I come into work. It is a blessing to be surrounded by powerful, hardworking women who are forces to be reckoned with in our industry. I could not have asked for a better team to look up to.

I have grown so much throughout the two semesters I’ve interned at Olivia Management. My knowledge of the music industry has increased tenfold, and my skillset has expanded tremendously. Getting to learn from Erin and the rest of the Olivia Management team has been an honor and a privilege. I’ve experienced so many wonderful things during my time here as well. I attended two release parties for our lovely artists, got to celebrate OM’s 10th anniversary, and spent some time in the studio observing. I’ve had several one on one meetings with Erin, who so graciously prioritizes making herself accessible to us interns. I have wanted to pursue artist management as a career since my sophomore year of college, and I’m now more confident than ever about that decision. It is the truly the most magical feeling.

I begin my senior year in about two weeks, and that is both terrifying and exciting. However, I’m entering this year feeling absolutely elated to learn more about what the music industry has to offer. I’m definitely sad to leave Olivia Management, but I will carry the things I’ve learned with me for the rest of my career. I’m so thankful for Erin, Mackenzie, Grace, and Maddy and all that they’ve helped me achieve here. I am thrilled to see what the future holds!

Airtable: The Spreadsheet-Database Hybrid You Should Be Using

By Devin Renspie

In times where technology is allowing more employees and companies to work from home (and a pandemic is forcing this remote form of working), it’s especially important that employers implement organized online databases so that every employee is on the same page, no matter where they are working from. This semester, I am interning with Olivia Management remotely, and I feel I owe a lot of my ability to work efficiently while away from the office to the time that my supervisors have spent creating ‘bases’ that contain all the information relevant to our artists and our processes in Airtable. Combined with Asana, another software we use, I am able to jump right into whatever task is thrown my way.

What is Airtable?

As the title suggests, Airtable is a software that combines features of spreadsheets and databases. I like to think of it as a more-intuitive version of Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. In addition to creating records with just words and numbers, Airtable allows users to implement fields with features such as file attachments, checkboxes, drop-downs, and more. Moreover, users can make it so records can be grouped by different criteria and even linked within other records. The best part is, Airtable has apps for every device and supports real-time collaboration and commenting, meaning you can keep the rest of your team or your devices organized anytime, anywhere.

A quick look at the variety of field options that Airtable supports.

How Olivia Management Uses Airtable

At Olivia Management, we have multiple bases to organize information that we need to manage our artists’ various accounts and aspects of their careers. For example, we have a base dedicated to all their (and our!) social media logins, which is by far the most helpful base we have, in my opinion. Other useful bases we have include a catalog of our artists’ releases, a database of all our artists’ upcoming tour dates, and industry contacts that we have obtained over the years.

Get Started With It!

Now that I’ve shared a bit about how Airtable has helped us stay organized, I implore you to think about what kind of bases would help you or your company stay on top of what you do. If you’re not yet totally convinced that you’d benefit from such a tool, Airtable has a free version that contains all of the essential features I covered in this article! Although subscription plans include features like greater storage space, more aesthetic options, and tiered access to bases and records, the free version is a good option if you or your company are just looking for a way to create user-friendly spreadsheets and databases that are synced in real-time.

You can sign up for an Airtable account here!

Intern Wrap Up: Finishing the Semester Strong

By Emma Martin

I can’t believe this semester is over! I have had so much fun interning at Olivia Management these past few months and have learned so much. Working with everyone at the company has been such an honor and a great learning experience. This was my first internship and I couldn’t have asked for a better company to begin my journey at.

What I Have Learned

One thing I have learned is that there are a ton of moving parts when it comes to managing artists, but the hard work is worth it. My favorite thing about this internship was working with everyone on releasing Jill Andrew’s album, “Thirties”. I loved seeing the beginning stages of marketing, press, planning her tour and then watching the album go out into the world. I think there’s something truly rewarding about starting a project from the beginning and then seeing the finished product be successful. I have learned so much about myself and how passionate I am about the projects I work on, especially when it’s for this lovely company.

Future Goals

I am so grateful that I am going to be interning here this summer! Hoping this summer brings new lessons that I will continue to learn more about scheduling tours, album press, marketing, and helping artists stay connected with their fans during this time of uncertainty.

Shoutout to the Olivia Management team

 This company and everyone here have allowed me to grow in ways I never thought I could and I can’t thank them enough for their support. I will take everything you all have taught me and remember it for future internships, jobs and just life in general. Erin, Maggie, and Mackenzie THANK YOU for everything you have done for me. Looking forward to continuing my experience here this summer! 

Happy 8th Birthday Olivia Management!

Eight years ago today, Erin Anderson founded her artist management company Olivia Management! The company has come a long way from when it first started, and it has grown so much over the years. Since she has started the company, she has helped grow the careers of many artists and left her mark in this corner of the music industry.

An article by Forbes says that about 80% of small businesses fail and about only half of them survive past 5 years. Olivia Management has made it to its 8th birthday and that is something to celebrate! Our current roster is something to be proud of, and Erin has cultivated a crew of good humans that make great music.

In the past year, multiple artists have released new albums.  Jill Andrews released her album Thirties, successfully ran a weeks worth of live streams spanning her entire catalog, and plans to go on tour in support of her new record in the fall of this year. Ruthie Collins, signed to Curb Records, just released her new album Cold Comfort to much critical acclaim, including mentions from Billboard and American Songwriter. Derek Webb released his album Targets in February, and has run several different series of online shows, as well as launched a Patreon. Smooth Hound Smith released their album Dog in a Manger in the summer of 2019 and just finished an incredibly fruitful European tour that wrapped up right before the pandemic hit. Hush Kids’ highlight of the past year was hitting the road for their first tour, which ended with an invite to perform on the Cayamo cruise this past February. It has been a very busy, but successful, year at Olivia Management.

When asking Erin about her proudest accomplishments in the past 8 years of Olivia Management, she responded:

“I would have to say having an artist nominated for a Grammy or having an artist play the Ryman and Red Rocks, or having an artist win an Americana Award (because all of those things were highlights for SURE), but honestly, it’s that I’ve gotten to be a part of so many amazing records. Especially right now, when music is so important to us all to get through this time, I am so proud of the music we’ve helped bring into the world.”

Here’s to 8 more years of success and 8 more after that! 

How I Balance School and an Internship

by Emma Martin

The new year motto is always “New year, New Me!” but we all know that’s easier said than done. Going into the year of everything new: a new decade, new classes, a new internship, I had to find the balance between being a full-time student and having an internship for the first time. It has been such a rewarding experience but that does not go without struggling a little. Here are a few practices that have helped me navigate my new normal and some that I need to work on!

Time Management 

I am learning more about myself each day as I juggle my classes and interning at an artist management company. This is the first time I am having to focus my energy on two completely different settings that are equally important to me. I manage my time by being 100% present while I am interning and only thinking about what I can do to help Olivia Management. While I am in my classes, I try my best to focus and learn as much as I can. When I am not in class or at the office, I am studying and putting my energy towards school and extra-curricular activities. 

Organization 

Staying organized really helps me when I have a lot on my plate. I write everything down in my calendar and I list my tasks that I need to get done in order of priority. This is something that I have always done as a student and now I am doing it for my internship. It helps me organize my thoughts, so I don’t feel so overwhelmed. For me, it’s the best feeling in the world to be able to cross things off of a list. I also take some time every weekend to sit down and plan out my week. I usually look at what assignments are due that week and schedule time for when I am going to get assignments done. 

Struggles

Of course, I try my best to be on top of everything and accomplish my goals, but it hasn’t been easy. Something that has been difficult for me is knowing when to transition from being in the college environment to being in the workplace and vice versa. I am only interning at the office two days a week, but I find it hard to switch my mind back to student mode when I walk out the door to go back to campus. I am still figuring out how to dedicate myself 100% to school and Olivia Management and still be able to succeed at both.

The Support 

Everyone at Olivia Management has been extremely supportive and kind. They’ve helped me feel like I am more than capable of succeeding at being a good intern and student. My friends have also been a huge help in reminding me that I can still have fun and make mistakes as both a college student and an intern.