Kick-off Talent 2025 with an electrifying session that draws lessons from Nashville's renowned music industry. Join a panel of insiders, including Kylen Sharpe, Jenni Tackett, Shawn McSpadden, and country music artist Walker Montgomery, as they unveil the secrets to discovering, developing, and sustaining world-class talent. Experience a blend of thought-provoking insights and live music performances that showcase how the principles of mentorship, skill-building, and perseverance apply to your organization’s talent strategy. Let Music City show you how to hit the right notes in workforce development!
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Kylen Sharpe
Agent
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
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Kylen Sharpe is an Agent in the Music department at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Sharpe is based in the Nashville office and works with such artists as Tim McGraw, Billy Currington, Shaboozey, Niko Moon, Danae Hays, Aaron Watson, Tyler Braden and developing clients Walker Montgomery, Clayton Mullen and Reid Haughton. She is also responsible for booking fairs, festivals and rodeos throughout the mid-South for CAA's entire country roster including Keith Urban, Jelly Roll, Zac Brown Band, Sam Hunt, Cody Johnson and others.
Sharpe began her career at APA and joined CAA in 2010.
Sharpe sits on the board (and serves as Vice Chair) at Monroe Harding and serves as a mentor, helping a young people transition out of the foster care system and in to adulthood. She also serves as a mentor inside CAA working with a group of developing women in the support staff. In 2015, Sharpe won the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s Rookie of the Year award. In 2018, she was featured as an “Agent to Watch” in Variety’s music issue.
Sharpe graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a degree in Microbiology.
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Jenni Tackett
Artist Management
Range Media Partners
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Graduating from Belmont University in 2003 with a Music Business degree - I started my career at Stiff Entertainment working with Allison Krauss & Union Station during the Oh Brother Where Art Though phenomenon. From there I went on to Greg Hill Entertainment. While at GHE, I worked with several manager and artists (Phil Vassar, Rodney Atkins, Jamie O’Neal) and eventually partnered with Shawn McSpadden to move into a Day to Day Management role across his roster
While working in day to day management role with Shawn we represented artists in both Country and Christian Music. Greg Hill Entertainment eventually forged a partnership with Red Light Management and we became the Nashville office for RLM. Shawn and I were with Red Light for 16 years where we oversaw the careers of Third Day (garnering several gold and platinum records, Grammy awards, Dove Awards), Kip Moore (4 #1 songs at Country Radio, double platinum songs, international tours), Switchfoot and many others.
In 2023 I joined Range Media Partners and moved to full Artist Management. Today I currently manage Girl Named Tom (2021 winners of The Voice, signed to Republic), and Walker Montgomery.
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Shawn McSpadden
Managing Partner
Range Media Partners
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Shawn McSpadden was born in Ft. Worth Texas but considers Nashville home. Shawn attended Franklin Road Academy, where he played football and baseball, helping win two state championships, was captain of the football team, and President of his senior class.
College life started at Liberty University, followed by a transfer to Belmont University in the Fall of 1988. While attending Belmont, Shawn and his father Gary McSpadden started McSpadden Music Group where he was able to develop and publish artists and writers.
McSpadden Music Group grew quickly and became McSpadden-Smith Music with a full-scale management company as well as a catalog of over 20 staff songwriters and over 3,500 copyrights. Songs published by McSpadden - Smith Music were recorded by artists such as Faith Hill, Vince Gill, She Daisy, Earth Wind and Fire, Amy Grant and many others. The catalog contained over 30 #1 chart topping songs in both the Country and Christian Billboard charts. In 1998 McSpadden - Smith was purchased by Music and Media International and Shawn took over as VP/GM of Word Music publishing.
During his time as VP/GM for Word Music Publishing he also added the title of Senior VP of Artist and Repertoire for Word/Warner Bros. Records where he worked with Randy Travis, Sixpence None the Richer, MuteMath and Robert Randolph, among others. In 2004 Shawn left Word/ Warner Bros. Records to team up with Greg Hill at Greg Hill Management and began managing artists in both the Country and Christian industry.
In 2006 the company became a part of Red Light Management where he worked alongside Coran Capshaw to develop the Nashville office and roster.
In 2023 after many years at Red Light Management Shawn became Managing Partner at Range Media Partners in Nashville Tennessee. Range Media Partners is a diverse company representing talent in Film/TV, Music, Sports and Influencers with offices in Santa Monica, Nashville, New York and London.
Shawn has served on the board of Music for the Soul, Belle Meade Plantation, the Gospel Music Association and NARAS. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Academy of Country Music and is Chairman of the board for the Academy’s Lifting Lives. He completed Leadership Music in 2001 and is involved with Habitat for Humanity along with other charities.
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Walker Montgomery
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Chosen as an "Artist to Watch" by Country Now, Music Mayhem Magazine, Sounds Like Nashville, The Boot and others, Walker Montgomery knows a thing or two about family tradition, but is also striving to build his own legacy. The son of John Michael Montgomery and nephew of Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery was raised away from the spotlight in Nicholasville, Kentucky, but moved to Nashville and is carving a path all his own on today’s country scene. Walker made his Grand Ole Opry debut late last year and his pedigree is matched only by his passion for real country music, and he’s already put his classically-inspired, honey-bourbon vocal to use on a self-penned debut hit (“Simple Town,” over 5.2 Million Spotify streams). His romantic power-ballad, “She Don’t Know,” (featured on the 2022 RUST EP) has garnered the new artist over 20 million streams worldwide, in addition to his other story-building singles, the high-energy “Out of Nowhere” and good-time filled “Bad Day To Be A Beer.” Walker has previously released singles from his ep WORK TO DO, the title track, “Lonely for A Livin,’” “Tired of You" and "Never Again One More Time,” as well as a collaboration version of "Never Again One More Time,” with Randy Rogers. Walker’s current release “I Love The Way You Love Me” has garnered more than 30 MILLION views on his TikTok page. His latest EP produced by Bart Butler will release early next year.
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Nick Schacht, SHRM-SCP
Chief Commercial Officer
SHRM
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Nick Schacht is a highly experienced executive with more than three decades of experience in professional services, education, and corporate learning and development. He has a history of driving product innovation, growth and profitability and he has led organizations operating worldwide.
Nick is Chief Commercial Officer for SHRM, the world’s largest HR professional society. Before joining SHRM, Nick was the founder and CEO of KnowCyber, a learning and development company focused on improving the cybersecurity-related skills of people in all types of organizations worldwide. Prior to KnowCyber, Nick was President and Chief Operating Officer for PetroSkills, a provider of training and development services to the worldwide petroleum industry. Prior to that, he was CEO and President of Learning Tree International, a publicly traded provider of IT and management learning and development. Nick was also the President of Global Learning Systems, a start-up focused on e-Learning and digital content. He served in a variety of capacities at ESI International, culminating in his role as President when ESI was sold to the Institute for International Research (IIR) and then as Group President for the Americas for IIR. He has been a Research Fellow at the Logistics Management Institute, and began his career as a U.S. Navy Supply Officer, on the headquarters staff of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
Nick graduated with honors from the U.S. Naval Academy, and holds Master’s degrees in Administration from the University of Maryland University College, and Information Systems Technology from The George Washington University.