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ADAM EDELSTEIN Adam worked in the Royalty Department of the Warner Group in New York prior to joining BriBiz. Currently he handles financial management for a diverse range of clients, including record labels, , producers, and acts ranging from major label bands to independent singer-songwriters. He began his career in booking and promotion as an independent for Assurant Productions, a concert promotion and production company based in Nashville, TN. Adam double majored in Music Business and Finance and is experienced in A&R and Copyright Administration, as well as Licensing and Royalties. Adam currently resides in Nashville, TN.

———————————————————————————– ADAM MCCANTS Adam grew up playing music in Southern Louisiana and moved to Middle in 2003 to finish college at MTSU. He worked in record retail through school while also songwriting and doing several internships, eventually landing a job with Whizbang in 2005, where he heads the company’s licensing/publishing division.

———————————————————————————– AL ANDREWS

The Founder and Director of Porter’s Call, a ministry of counsel and support to recording artists since 2001, he attended the University of North Carolina and is a lifelong Tarheel fan. Al is the co-author of The Silence of Adam with Larry Crabb, and in the process of publishing a ’s book. He lives in Franklin with his wife Nita, and their two teenage sons, Hunter and Brent. His claim to fame is that mentioned in a footnote in the book Wild at Heart on page 51.

———————————————————————————– ALLI ROGERS

Alli launched her independent career with the release of Always Eden in 2004 and followed it up with The Day of Small Things in 2006, both to critical acclaim. She has toured with , Shawn MacDonald, Shane and Shane, Sandra McCracken, , and Ginny Owens. Her latest , entitled You and The Evening Sky released in early 2008 and was produced by Don Chaffer (Waterdeep). When not touring and recording her own music, Alli is busy reinforcing her credentials as an in-demand and most recently helped pen the Addison Road single “What Do Know Of Holy,” the title track and single for Charmaine’s new album “ Reality” as well as several other new slated to release later this year.

———————————————————————————– AMY STROUP

Creating quite a buzz from Garrison Keilor’s Praire Home Companion in 2009 noting Amy as of the ‘Top 20 Songwriters under 30’, to receiving the PeaceMusic award to releasing her 4th project of original music, to ABC and CW using her songs to capture poignant television moments, Amy’s spacious melodies, and care to lyric communicate beyond places only words can reach. Stroup has had her latest songs placed on major network TV stations from ABC’s Private Practice, Brothers & Sisters, Castle, and the CW’s One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected. She is active in the local songwriting community in Nashville, writing songs for artists, tv, and film, collaborating with Trent Dabbs, Mary Hooper and other songwriters as well as writing solo. Stroup is also active touring in the US and abroad most recently Australia. Further, she has a to use her music to inspire others to positive action as she partners with MOCHA CLUB, a non profit geared towards college student mobilization dedicated to bringing hope in Africa through education, clean water projects, food distribution.

———————————————————————————– AMY WOLTER

Amy has performed onstage herself for over two decades. Her experience is vast and varied, running the gamut from keyboardist, soloist, lead singer, songwriter and producer. Most notably, Amy was female lead singer for the Word label Fighter, performing in front of thousands. Her songwriting skills earned several top 10 CCM hits. With this multi-layered background under her feet, Amy definitely has something to offer other performers who be better. Working as a Live Music Producer, she has seen amazing transformations in the artists she’s worked with. Watching bands and singers become empowered with onstage knowledge, she enjoys taking them on the journey from good artist to great performer.

———————————————————————————– ANDY TODD

The songs and productions of Andy Dodd have been featured on that have sold over 45 million copies worldwide. Andy’s diverse list of credits includes: , , Jesse McCartney, , High School Musical 1,2 and 3, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus 1-4, The Chronicles of Narnia:Prince Caspian, The Jonas Brothers and Camp Rock. Most recently, Andy has been working with Miley Cyrus for the final season of Hannah Montana, The Jonas Bothers for their new series JONAS LA, and Demi Lovato (Camp Rock) on the end title for the film, Tinkerbell: The Lost Treasure.

———————————————————————————– APRIL HEFNER

The former editor of CCM Magazine, April Hefner worked in the business for nearly 15 years as a writer, editor and finally the director of media relations for Rocketown Records. She currently works in the Office of Communications at .

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Originally from New Jersey and currently living in Arizona, Audrey Assad isn’t your typical newcomer to the music scene. She has toured with , and . Her new CD The House You’re Building came out on July 13th and was produced by Marshall Altman (Brooke Frasier, Natasha Bettingfield, Josh Wilson). Some of her lyrical inspiration came from Assad’s love of literature and her memories of middle school; Audrey turned to favorite poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins and Francis Thompson, to the works of St. Augustine and C.S. Lewis, and to her own feelings of still not quite fitting in. Charlie Lowell from commented, “A lot of new artists come and go quickly in this business. Audrey Assad will not of those- she’s a refreshing artist- a voice comforting and challenging together. Her melodic sensibilities are infectious, and she communicates God’s caring and creative heart in a way that cuts through the day-to-day mess of life. It will be a to share the stage with Audrey, and to watch her grow as an artist over the years.”

———————————————————————————– BOB HUTCHINS

Buzzplant (www.buzzplant.com), is an Internet marketing agency targeting the faith/family market. His team was an integral part of the online campaign for Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, and The Chronicles of Narnia movie. His client/partner roster includes Time-Life, General Motors, Twentieth Century Fox, INO Records, Disney, Warner Brothers, Thomas Nelson Publishers and Zondervan. He is co-founder of The Faith-Based Marketing Association and Ground Force Network, and has been featured on , MSNBC, in , Wall Street Journal, and on various television/radio media. He is also the co-author of Faith Based Marketing.

———————————————————————————– BRETT MANNING

Brett Manning out like many singers–frustrated with the lack of results from the vocal lessons he found. After searching through several vocal coaches and methods, Brett came across a set of closely- exercises compiled by an old gentleman who taught several well-known “star” singers. He teaches voice in his Nashville studio to singers of all genres, both the undiscovered… and “the best of the best.” He is also a Judge/Mentor for the new CMT reality show, “Can You Duet.”

———————————————————————————– BUBBA SMITH

He is a seasoned business executive in the Contemporary Christian and field. His album production work has earned him a Grammy® Award and nine GMA Dove Awards. He has produced and/or executive produced over ninety record projects and has worked with artists as diverse as , , , The O’Jays, , Glen Campbell, Karen Peck & New River and Michelle Williams (of Destiny’s Child) to name a few. He has served as Executive Director of A&R for and most recently served as Vice President of Daywind Music Publishing. Bubba is currently devoting his time as a freelance producer.

———————————————————————————– CARL CARTEE

He’s a staff writer for Brentwood –Benson Music Publishing and Artist In Residence at Fellowship Church in Brentwood, TN. He is also the founder of Mighty Oak Records equipping other worship leaders. His goal is to encourage worship leaders and songwriters to dig deep with their art. His newest release, I Go, was produced by Nathan Nockels and Matt Stanfield.

———————————————————————————– CHAD CATES

A Franklin TN native, Chad is an award winning songwriter who writes for Essential Music Publishing. He has had five #1 songs and five Dove Award Nominations. Chad has for artists and groups such as , Bebo Norman, Red, Matt Wertz, Anthony Evans, Andy Davis, , Ronnie Freeman, Rebecca St James, Selah, Salvador, Sonic Flood, , , , and , including the Dove award winning songs, Everything (Avalon) and Lost(RED). He is married to Sarah. find him at www.chadcates.net.

———————————————————————————– CHRIS ERLANSON

Chris is founder and president of 168 Management – a Christian management company representing artists such as Phillips Craig and Dean, No Other Name, Micah Watson and comedian Steve McGranahan. Chris’ track record in Christian music includes eight years at INO Records working with artists like MercyMe, CeCe Winans, Darlene Zschech, Chris Rice, , , , The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and numerous others. Before moving to Nashville, Chris spent time as a buyer for a Christian bookstore, served as music director and on-air talent for various radio stations, and worked as an independent producer. To top it all off, he’s taken 8 years of lessons can’t read music.

———————————————————————————– CHRISTA WELLS

Known for the past several years unusually poignant, poetic and honest songwriting, GMA Songwriter of the Year (2006) Christa Wells is now finding her own place as an independent performing artist. Christa has written with numerous Nashville artists, writers and producers and had songs cut by artists such as , Plumb, Point of Grace, and Selah. Her songs have been hit singles, including most notably “Held” recorded by Natalie Grant, which received in both Christian and mainstream markets. Christa has just released her first solo album, “FRAME THE CLOUDS,” with guest performances by Sara Groves, Plumb, Nicole Witt, Fly Golden Eagle, and Todd Smith.Christa has led songwriting workshops for Masterpiece Ministries creative arts camp for high schoolers, since 2002.

———————————————————————————– CINDY WILT COLVILLE

Cindy Wilt Colville is a twenty-five-year veteran of the Christian . She began her music career with award-winning producer, songwriter Greg Nelson where she production managed five gold and two platinum records. also the production manager for ’s first four records. For fifteen years Cindy was a with two of Christian music’s largest publishing companies – Benson Music Publishing and then Word Music Publishing. As a creative music publisher and consultant she provides a variety of services including song catalog assessment, career consultation, songwriter development, song critique, song plugging, workshop facilitation and A&R resource for independent artists. (more)

———————————————————————————– CONOR FARLEY

Conor Farley did not go to Belmont University, but works in the music business anyway. Go figure. After stints in promotion and marketing at Provident, he settled into an A&R there as well as Word where he signed/worked with Leeland, Brandon Heath, , Me In Motion and worked on records by , W. Smith, and Point Of Grace. He came to Centricity to head up its publishing operation, serving the company’s artists by pitching songs and facilitating song writing. Conor’s hobbies include mowing, surfing, and applying the management lessons of The Office U.K.’s David Brent.

———————————————————————————– DR. DARRELL A. HARRIS

He co-founded Star Song Records in 1976 and was its President and Chief Product Architect for twenty years, serving as Executive Producer for multiple albums by , Twila , Gaithers, Petra and many others. Harris was Executive Editor of The Complete Library of Christian Worship, serves as Dean of the Chapel to the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, Trustee to the Gospel Music Trust Fund and Chief Content Officer to The Stonebridge Institute and Worshipedia.org. He also pastors a house church and writes. He resides with his wife Janet of forty-one years in Franklin, Tennessee. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.

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The Nashville-based singer/songwriter Dave Barnes is not only known for his melodic tunes, but also for his comedic story-telling abilities. Armed with his acoustic , clean-cut good looks and a knack for catchy hooks, Dave Barnes can do it all. He electrifies his audiences with his off the wall humor and he endears people with his genuine compassion for causes such as the plight of Africa through his foundation the Mocha Club.

———————————————————————————– DAVID BREEN David moved from Michigan to Nashville to pursue a career in the music business. While attending Belmont University’s music business program, David was offered a job as an assistant at a small Christian agency called the Lisa Jones Agency. He then went to work as an agent with Charles Dorris and Associates and then landed at the William Morris Agency where he spent years and then started his own agency. For the past 11+ years, The Breen Agency exclusively represents about 25 Christian artists and speakers. In June of 2010, The Breen Agency was purchased by Warner Music Nashville/Word Entertainment where David is currently the VP of Live Events and Touring.

———————————————————————————– DIANE SHEETS

Nashville-based vocal and performance coach Diane Sheets blends together the often-disconnected worlds of formal training and mainstream success. Diane has the ability to translate her knowledge of to effectively communicate with today’s mainstream artists. Her unique approach to developing commercially viable artistry while using modern voice science as her foundation is key to her teaching of good vocal technique. With more than 13 years of teaching and music industry experience, she has introduced the science of proper voice technique to commercially minded artists, public speakers, actors and vocalists worldwide including CCM artists Casting Crowns, Natalie Grant, Tenth Avenue North, and .

———————————————————————————– DON CASON

Don Cason is the Vice President of Music Services, a copyright administration company, and the Chief Creative Officer of his own newly-formed music publishing company, ClearCall Music. Cason is the former President of Word Music, having served as the senior executive of that division from 1989-2006. Among his arranging and production credits, Cason has had numerous youth choir musicals nominated for Dove Awards. Cason has also testified on behalf of Christian songwriters and publishers before the U.S. Congress on music copyright and licensing legislation. Cason resides in Brentwood, Tennessee with his wife, Dr. Nancy Cason, and son, Patrick Cason.

———————————————————————————– GUY ZABKA Graduating from Belmont University in 1992, Guy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in and religion. As a songwriter his songs have been recorded by Aaron Jeoffrey, Plus One, Joy Williams, Kristy Starling, Evidence of Mercy, Natalie Grant, Kenny Rogers, (Backstreet ) among others. He’s also had songs placed in several films, Left Behind ‘The Movie’, … and MOST, (2003 Academy Award Nominee short film) and in 2006 had a song featured in an animated European feature film entitled “Asterix”. In 2005 Guy accepted a position as Director of A&R with Centricity Music working with artists such as , , Matt Papa, Lanae Hale and Andrew Peterson.

———————————————————————————– JAYME THOMPSON Dove Award nominated songwriter Jayme Thompson lives in , TX with her husband Chris and daughters Allie and Tobie. She has had songs recorded by artists including Rachel Lampa and and has written several musicals. She volunteers as competition coordinator for the Academy. Jayme is currently the Professional Manager for Lillenas Publishing Company and Consuming Worship, a contemporary songwriting label. She also serves as catalog manager for Sunday Best Music.

———————————————————————————– JEFFREY CORNWALL

Dr. Jeff Cornwall is the inaugural recipient of the Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He also serves as the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. He has a Doctorate in Business Administration and an MBA from the University of . In the late 1980’s, Dr. Cornwall left academics to become the co-founder and President/CEO of Atlantic Behavioral Health Systems, headquartered in Raleigh, NC. ABHS operated a variety of health care facilities and programs throughout North Carolina. After nine years of rapid growth, he negotiating the sale of most of his corporations’ business interests, and returned to academics. (MORE)

———————————————————————————– JEFF BERRY

Jeff Berry is Vice President of Eaglemont Entertainment, an artist management company in partnership with Centricity Music. He manages Christian artist Lanae Hale and Matt Papa, and artist, High Valley. After 15 years as an indie artist based in , Jeff moved to Nashville to put the years of experiences as an artist to work in managing artist and furthering their careers. Jeff is a member of the Country Music Association, the Gospel Music Association, the American Society of , Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammy’s).

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Happily married to her best friend, Darrin for 22 years. They have four children (ages 12-20) and live on a little hilltop in McKinney, Texas. She is a two-time Dove Award winner and top 25 CCLI songwriter best known for recorded and made popular by Gateway Worship and , then carried to #1 in nationwide by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. Her catalog includes So Good recorded by Christ for the Nations, Dwelling Place and King of This World recorded by Gateway Worship, and many others songs circulating through the body of Christ. Jennie enjoys speaking at conferences, mentoring young artists, leading worship, and writing. She is a regular at several bible colleges and conferences and travels with New Nation Music, the ministry that she heads and founded.

———————————————————————————– JEREMY HOLLEY

Jeremy is currently serving as Vice President of Consumer & Interactive Marketing for Warner Music Nashville. In this role, he oversees all aspects of online marketing, social media and digital music strategies, as well as creative services for the entire artist roster. Prior to joining Warner in 2005, Holley served as Media Manager for Milam Results Marketing, a direct response advertising agency, where he coordinated, developed, and implemented national media campaigns for direct response radio, television, and print outlets. Holley has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Louisiana Tech University and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

———————————————————————————– JOEL LINDSEY Joel Lindsey is one of Christian music’s most prolific songwriters with over 750 songs recorded, including more than 20 #1 songs, over 50 Top 10 songs and many songs on gold and platinum selling albums. He is a ten-time Dove Award winner. In 2008, a reception was held in his honor by BMI and Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing celebrating his 15 years as an exclusive songwriter for Universal Songs/Brentwood Benson Music Publishing, a rare accomplishment in the music community. He lives in Santa Barbara, California and Nashville, Tennessee.

———————————————————————————– JON ARNOLD Jon graduated from MTSU with a music production degree and started working with local studios and . Now working at EMI Music’s Christian Music Group, his current position is Manager, Mobile Accounts and Digital Development and works with EMI’s labels and artists to help maximize their presence online and turn that presence into revenue. Basically, Jon finds ways for EMI’s artists to make money online (on computers and on cell phones) by interacting and transacting with consumers — finding places people are spending time and introducing them to an artist there. Also, he’s got a beautiful wife, and a baby on the way. He’s a music snob and loves to read, write and do nerdy things on the internet.

———————————————————————————– KAREN CLARK

Senior VP and Financial Advisor with Pinnacle Financial Partners, she is a 24-year veteran of the financial services industry. Prior to Pinnacle she was Senior VP and Market Manager for SunTrust’s Entertainment Specialty Group. Karen’s area of concentration at Pinnacle is to serve music industry and entertainment clients. Wealth Manager magazine named Karen one of 50 distinguished women in wealth management in 2008. Karen earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s in business administration from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA.

———————————————————————————– KARI SCOTT

Partner and CCO of Mad Dancer Media, Kari loves to bring order out of creative chaos and oversees an emerging multi-media company where innovative and compelling online branding, design and hosting services have allowed Kari and her team to work with a diverse client list, including music artists Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, and Jennette McCurdy (aka “Sam” from ’s “iCarly”) as well as business industries such as Capitol Records Nashville, First Tennessee Bank, Tennessee Commerce Bank and Williamson Medical Center. Mad Dancer’s Kapelle platform allows users unprecedented control over their web site content and administration (seriously, feel free to ask her about it), Kari loves being able to empower artists and companies in a unique way, and is equally happy to be living proof that you can make a living doing what you love to do.

———————————————————————————– KURK HEINECKE you’re a talking vegetable and need help with a song, Kurt Heinecke is your go-to guy. He’s been the Director of Music for Big Idea and its “VeggieTales” video series from its inception 17 years ago. His involvement includes song writing and co-writing (i.e. “The Hairbrush Song”); score composition for their videos and two feature-length movies; programming, performing, , and recording their scores and songs. Kurt’s library of work has sold over 55 million videos, , and CDs, and garnered 6 Dove Awards. Kurt’s writing and performing can also be heard on the Big Idea series, “3-2-1 Penguins”, currently airing on NBC Saturday mornings, and in the new “World of Color” at Disneyland’s California Adventure. Kurt has been a music teacher, band director, minister of , touring , and professional photographer. He and his wife, Judy, have 3 kids and live in Franklin, Tennessee.

———————————————————————————– LANG BLISS

Lang Bliss has worked as a drummer, producer, programmer, songwriter and arranger in the music industry for many years. He’s worked with Michael W. Smith, Shaun Groves, , and First Call, to name just a few. Lang learned about being onstage while touring the US and Australia doing an average of 500 shows per year over a four-year time span, as well as having toured with major artists for over 20 years. With that kind of background and Tom Jackson’s Live Music Methods under his belt, Lang has learned what works and what doesn’t work onstage. And he is passionate about helping artists through his knowledge and experience.

———————————————————————————– LANNIE J. CATES, Esq.

For nearly 20 years, his practice in Nashville has focused on the unique needs of artists and entertainment clientele including transactional matters, intellectual property and the ever-changing world of technology in the entertainment industry. Representation has included notable recording artists, record producers, songwriters, record labels, music publishers, marketing firms, web design firms and music distribution companies.

———————————————————————————– LARRY WACHOLTZ, Ph. D.

His interest in the music business came when he was lying on the beach reading a book by Clive Davis. Clive’s job entailed working around creative people and Larry was intrigued by the possibility of working in the music industry and helping these creative people to be successful. He has served as a Board Member for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science, President of Entertainment Media Research, and President of Thumbs Up Publishing. He currently teaches Survey of the Music Business which is a comprehensive survey course. He also enjoys writing books and studying entrepreneurship opportunities with the internet. He believes that there are ways for artists to become financially successful by doing their own thing.

———————————————————————————– LUKE MCELROY

Luke is the owner and founder of Orange Thread Media, a leader in concert visuals, content and multi- screen video setups. Through his leadership, Orange Thread Media’s work has been seen at various events and tours all across the country with Jeremy Camp, , Todd Agnew, Pocket Full of Rocks, , and many more! His passion for people and relationships is the driving force behind his love of training leaders on how to create excellent, innovative environments. As well as leading his team at Orange Thread Media and training leaders across the country, Luke spends his Wednesday nights at Fellowship Bible Church in Franklin, Tennessee investing in the lives of students.

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She became a household name on season six of and has continued to thrill; initially, with her critically acclaimed debut album, , and now with the release of her first book, Beyond Me. Raised in St. Louis, MO and Tulsa, OK, Melinda studied music at Belmont University. She worked as a back-up singer for stars such as Michael McDonald and slowly building the necessary confidence to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. Since her time on Idol Melinda has wowed audiences everywhere from the White House to the Musicians Hall of Fame, from the Kennedy Center to the Today Show. Only her spirit outshines her musical accomplishments, as she dedicates much of her time to working with numerous charities, especially those that center on improving the lives of children.

———————————————————————————– MICHAEL FARREN

Farren is a member of the Dove Award nominated band Pocket Full of Rocks. Their third album, More than Noise, is produced by (Chris Tomlin, Leeland). Farren wrote or co-wrote many of the songs. After of ministry across the country, Pocket Full of Rocks returns with an album that is at times vibrant and vertical, then quiet and clear. This seasoned band has been given a message that deserves to be heard over the clatter of the culture. We are called to be salt and light to a world in need, to see that our worship spurs us to action. Our worship must be More Than Noise.

———————————————————————————– MIKE HOLETON

Mike first became involved in promoting Christian in Southeast Iowa. From 1994-2004, he was involved in promoting 35+ concerts from indie artists to national tours featuring such artists as Petra, Newsboys & Jars of Clay. From 2001-2004, Mike was an announcer with an American Station in Burlington, IA. In 2004, Mike and his wife moved to Nashville and started The Covenant Artist Agency with SONICFLOOd as his initial artist. The agency continues today with SONICFLOOd, FFH, Pocket Full of Rocks and others.

———————————————————————————– MARK ADKISON Adkison began his career as an on-air personality and music director. In 1993, he moved to Nashville, TN where he joined ForeFront Records as radio promotions and publicity manager and eventually escalated to Sr. Director, National Promotion. After ForeFront dissolved into the EMI CMG Label Group, Adkison was promoted to the new position of Vice President Digital Strategy & Development establishing the innovative, new Christian music community website hearitfirst.com. In June of 2008, Mark worked with Spinnaker Media Fund I to buy HearItFirst.com, the company he founded, and spin it out as an website. The site currently has over 234,000 registered members, 188,000 visits per month and over 1.7 million page views. Mark is a board member of the Gospel Music Association.

———————————————————————————– NATALIE GRANT

She is one of Christian music’s biggest names and GMA Dove Award Female Vocalist of the Year for four consecutive years. A Curb recording artist, powerhouse vocalist, heart-gripping songwriter and charismatic performer, she’s eager to push boundaries and thus has become Christian music’s top selling Adult Contemporary female solo artist in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Recently, Grant received RIAA Gold certification of her 2005 breakthrough album, Awaken. Grant’s new album, Love Revolution, will be released on August 24th, 2010. In addition to her music, she is an outspoken advocate for victims of human trafficking. The Home Foundation, which Grant created in 2005, has raised over a quarter of a million dollars to fight the trafficking of women and children for the purpose of sexual exploitation. For further information, visit www.nataliegrant.com orwww.thehomefoundation.net

———————————————————————————– NIA ALLEN

A graduate of in Boston, MA, Nia sings background for Christian music artists, frequently performs as a featured guest on TBN’s Praise The Lord program and sings on the Women of Faith worship team. She also serves in her local church as Worship Leader. Nia hopes that her music will transcend through racial and cultural barriers, proving that worship is universal.

———————————————————————————– REBEKAH MARKOWITZ After graduating from Eastern University in 2003 with a degree in advertising, she went on to work at Roska Direct Advertising outside of Philadelphia, PA. She moved to Nashville in 2007 to become the Manager of New Media at Centricity Music. She also has done contract work in internet marketing with Inpop Records.

———————————————————————————– REGIE HAMM

He has penned over 20 #1 hits, many of them in the Christian market. His self-written song “Time Of My Life” was chosen as the finale song for a season of American Idol and it stayed at #1 for 4 months on the pop charts. He has had multiple Dove and Grammy nominations and won SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year award four times. Regie’s journey is chronicled in his new book, Angels & which was released by Tate Publishing along with his new CD – “Set It On .”

———————————————————————————– SARAH CATES

Sarah is the Strategic Programs Director for the College of Entertainment and Music Business. She connects the entertainment industry with academia by facilitating relationships between industry professionals and the students, faculty, and staff of Belmont University. She is also passionate about leadership and strategy and is pursuing her Masters of Education in Leadership and Organizational Communications at Belmont. She is happily married to Chad.

———————————————————————————– SARAH HART

Sarah is a staff songwriter for EMI CMG Music in Nashville, TN and Spirit And Song in Portland, OR. Her songs have been recorded by numerous artists such as , Robbie Seay Band, Matt Maher, 33 Miles, This Beautiful Republic, Adie Camp, and Audrey Assad. Her music has appeared in television shows and independent films. Sarah has also penned music for two musicals, and works as a songwriter and voiceover artist with the Tom Tichenor Children’s Theater in Nashville, TN. She is currently a recording artist with Spirit and Song, and has seven albums under her belt.

———————————————————————————– STACI FRENES

Staci Frenes is a singer/songwriter with five critically-acclaimed CDs whose music steadily finds its way into CCM as well as mainstream venues via radio, major network television (WB, CBS, ABC), and feature films. She collaborated with and for such CCM artists as Ginny Owens, , Nichole Nordeman and Sheila Walsh. In addition to touring nationally promoting her latest CD, Meteor Shower, Staci continues to explore and find creative licensing and publishing opportunities for her music. Staci makes her home in Northern California with her husband, Abe, their two kids and yellow lab, , and leads worship part-time at her home church, Cornerstone Fellowship, in Livermore, California. Visit Staci’s site here.

———————————————————————————– STEPHEN JAMES

Stephen is a private practice psychotherapist working primarily with men, women, and marriage issues. He is the co-author of five books, the latest is Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys. Stephen speaks frequently on the topics of marriage and relationships, sexual integrity, servant leadership, and spiritual authenticity. Stephen is a board member, Fellow, and frequent blog contributor for the Sage Hill Institute a non-profit, Christ-centered teaching & equipping organization dedicated to helping leaders. Stephen earned his masters in counseling from Mars Hill Graduate School at Western Seminary Seattle and his undergraduate degree in English from Belmont University. He lives in Nashville with his wife and their four children.

———————————————————————————– STEPHEN LEIWEKE

Working in Nashville as a producer, engineer, songwriter, independent artist development consultant and session guitarist, he has produced artists ranging from Jars of Clay, Cindy Morgan, & Margaret Becker to Fundamental Elements, Schaeffer and . He’s written songs for artists like Smalltown Poets, Joel Auge and Point Of Grace. His passion is helping new artists develop and learn about writing great songs, capturing exciting performances, and helping them learn how to be artists in today’s music business.

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He’s sold over one million albums worldwide, earned two Grammy nominations and made history as the only artist to twice win Billboard Awards for self-directed music videos. His producer resume includes the Platinum-certified (featuring the hits “Kiss Me” and “There She Goes”), three Gold-certified albums for Newsboys, and tracks for and Third Day. Steve’s career as a filmmaker includes his video for Sixpence’s “Kiss Me,” the long-form Newsboys comedy Down Under The Big Top, and the award-winning Squint: Movies From The . Steve’s debut as a feature film director/writer/producer was in 2006 with The Second Chance, an award-winning drama that was distributed theatrically by Sony Pictures Releasing. He’s currently in pre-production on his next movie, an adaptation of Donald Miller’s million-selling memoir Like Jazz. Steve lives in Nashville.

———————————————————————————– TOM DOUGLAS

Over the course of his career, a whole cast of appreciative performers have brought Tom’s discography to life, illuminating not only the work but the man behind the music too. , George Straight, Brooks & Dunn, , … and the list goes on. Lee Womack, for whom Something Worth Leaving behind was a hit single as well as an album- and book- title, sums it up: “Tom’s great at taking a snapshot of real life and putting it in a song. He’s about writing about the hardships or the beauty of the world, and in my opinion, that’s what makes a true artist.” (MORE)

———————————————————————————– TOM JACKSON

Tom Jackson is the #1 Live Music Producer in the industry. When recording, you need a . But with your live show, you need a Live Music Producer to make it the best it can be! Tom has developed the Live Music Method, an onstage method that makes your live show engaging and memorable, exceeding audiences’ expectations, creating fans for life. He’s worked with nearly every genre from rock to pop to Christian Gospel, impacting hundreds of major artists from every genre, such as Taylor Swift, Jars of Clay, Casting Crowns, NewSong, , plus a multitude of independent artists.

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A native of , Tony moved to Nashville with no completed songs and no contacts – only a backpack of in need of melody. Doors began to open when BMG signed him through their gospel division. Seven years as a staff writer there and ten years with Brentwood-Benson resulted in over 450 songs recorded in the CCM market, a Dove Award for FIND YOUR WINGS as 2007 Inspirational Song of the Year, a 2009 Dove Award nomination for Songwriter of the Year and 18 #1 songs. His songs have been recorded by: Point Of Grace, Michael W. Smith, SELAH, 4-Him, Avalon, Sandi Patty, Natalie Grant, Don Moen, Ginny Owens, , Brian Littrell, Big Daddy Weave, Pocketful of Rocks, FFH, Lincoln Brewster, Mandisa, Chris Sligh, Phil Stacey, , Nicole C. Mullen, , Building 429, , Steve Green, , Petra, Kari Jobe, , Oak Ridge Boys, Michael English, , Phillips, Craig & Dean and many others. Tony is currently a writer for Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

———————————————————————————– WARREN BARFIELD

At eighteen Warren used his dorm room as an office and booked one year of concerts. With his parents’ blessing he loaded his 1995, 4 cylinder, mint green Mustang with a suitcase and a guitar and took his songs on the road. And after more than 600 “gigs” and 200,000 miles, Warren found himself in Nashville, TN signing his first record deal. Since his in Nashville, he has released three records, had five songs top the Christian charts, received two Dove nominations, worked with legendary producers including , Mark Hammond, Marshall Altman, , and Mark Miller. He’s shared the stage with the best of CCM artists from Steven Curtis Chapman and Third Day to Toby Mac, and seen every dream he had as a fifteen year old in Spivey’s Corner, NC come true. ———————————————————————————–