HG

Holly Gleason

Nashville, TN USA
http://www.hollygleason.com
30 Years Experience

Professional Experience

Starting as a country and black music writer for THE MIAMI HERALD, I was on the road with Neil Young at 19, at "The Tonight Show" w Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, tableside with Lou Reed and after hours-ing with Sam Kinison... Learning to not be swayed by the sparkle, but to seek humanity and the story in the glitter and momentum. Life shapes the wildly creative, getting their stories is my gift. I am also good at coaxing balking celebrities into strong pictures and trusting the media process. Photographers, authors, movie and tv stars, designers, and yes, musicians are far more interesting than their hubris and marketing suggest. That applies to executives and regular people as well. It's all in how you ask and see it.

Expertise

Editor 15 YearsWriter 30 YearsOther, Specify 21 Years

Specialty

Books & Literature 15 YearsLifestyle 28 YearsMusic 30 Years

Industries

Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines 28 YearsNewspaper - Local/Regional 30 YearsOther 23 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (10+)
  • PASTE (10+)
  • THE PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS (10+)
  • LONE STAR MUSIC (10+)
  • NoDepression.com (10+)
  • Engine145.com (10+)
  • HITS (10+)
  • Huffington Post (6-10)
  • THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (6-10)
  • CMA Close-Up (6-10)
  • Offbeat (3-5)
  • OXFORD AMERICAN (3-5)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • Lee Ann Womack (10+)
  • David Nail (6-10)
  • DualTone Records (3-5)
  • LET US IN: Women + Cancer Fund (3-5)
  • Reviver Records (3-5)
  • Big Machine Records (1-2)

Awards

Alpha Epsilon Rho, college journalism honors society 2009 Most Played Song, Broadcast Music, Inc 2009 Wish I Wrote That Song, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame both for "Better As A Memory," which I co-wrote

Associations

ASJA, American Society of Journalists + Authors NARAS National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences

Other Work History

West Coast freelancer ROLLING STONE 87-90; contributing editor AMERICAN SONGWRITER; features editor, then Nashville Bureau Chief HITS. Written for NY TIMES, MIAMI HERALD, MUSICIAN, CREEM, SPIN, CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, HARPERS BAZAAR, INTERVIEW, SATURDAY EVENING POST, FT LAUDERDALE SUN SENTINEL, PLAYBOY, FRETS, BILLBOARD, ROCK & SOUL, YM, BAM, SOUTHERN, NASHVILLE SCENE, pop critic PALM BEACH POST. Artist Development: 10 years w Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn; 8 years w Lee Ann Womack, Patty Loveless; 5 years w John Prine; projects w Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Asleep at the Wheel, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Todd Snider, Montgomery Gentry, Marshall Chapman, Matraca Berg. Head of Media/Artist Development, Sony-Nashville, working closely w Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dolly Parton + Waylon Jennings.

Foreign Language Skills

I speak "celebrity," which is tougher than you'd think.

Computer Skills

word, word perfect

References

Wendy Pearl, Sr VP, Country Music Association Joyce Reingold, Publisher, Palm Beach Daily News Roy Trakin, Features Editor, HITS.

General

For God & Country
(The New York Times 4/16/2006)
Short think piece on the role of God and organized religion on mainstream country music. Both a marketing reality AND a truth of who the genre speaks to, the trend was/is embraced by Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, as well as fading stars Alabama, Randy Travis and Diamond Rio.
Hunger Games: Bettye LaVette
(RELIX 12/1/2012)
Major profile of Detroit almost star Bettye LaVette, coming into prominence as she approaches 70. A triumph over "buzzard luck," it's a story of resilience, soul and how powerful the drive of music can be...
Children of the Revolution
(The Los Angeles Times 2/20/2011)
The children of Nashville's "Great Credibility Scare of the 80s" are now making music of their own. Fiercely independent, wildly creative, Justin Townes Earle, Chelsea Crowell, Colin Gilmore, Savanna and Dustin Welch are blazing their own paths, while refusing to trade on their famous parents (Steve Earle, Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Kevin Welch)... and what they're creating stands on its own merits.
HITS DIALOGUE: Scott Robinson
(HITS 12/1/2012)
Indie label owner Scott Robinson has quietly built a roots giant that's won 6 Grammys over 11 nominations, topped 4 charts and sold several million records, a few thousand at a time. But after being home to June Carter Cash, Brett Dennen and Guy Clark, his punk/folk handmade trio the Lumineers is on the verge of global success, a #1 pop hit and possibly millions of albums sold. This is his story.
Nashville Insider: Pawns in the Publicity Game
(THe HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 11/1/2012)
With ABC's drama "Nashville" heating up primetime, a lot of folks are curious as to how accurate the weekly series is about matters of the music business. Every week, "Nashville Insider" looks at some facet of the show to check the veracity of the players.