BRUCE KALMICK

CEO & FOUNDER

Bruce Kalmick is the CEO and Founder of WHY&HOW. Bruce first embraced his entrepreneurial spirit during his childhood in Charleston, SC. “At 10 years old, I had my own little lawn mowing company,” he recalls. “I’d go door to door to sign clients, and I was eventually making 500 bucks a month. My passion was for music though. By the time I got to high school, I wasn’t the kid playing guitar in a local indie band. Instead, I was the guy offering to do the band’s marketing.”

Bruce graduated from Texas State University. In 2005, Bruce founded the booking agency, KB Talent, employing seven agents and a digital department working a 50-act client roster including Whiskey Myers. The year 2008 saw him sell KB Talent and quickly grow his Nashville footprint, signing Chase Rice and opening an office on Music Row. In addition, his first move into Alternative came with the signing of Grammy-nominated Icelandic rock band KALEO in 2014.

Bruce was a Billboard Power Player in 2018 and 2019 and has been featured in Billboard’s “40 Under 40.” Pollstar nominated Bruce for “Manager of the Year” in 2014.

In 2020, Bruce started WHY&HOW, which represents over 20 clients and has team members based in major cities across the United States.

Since 2012, Bruce has invested, led rounds, and sat on boards for RBI BASEBALL, The Recording Academy, Mizzen and Main, CANTEEN, Treaty Oak, Waterloo #9, Aba Austin, Nevr-Nevr Nashville, Julius Son Gin and more.

Outside of business, Bruce spends the bulk of his time with his wife and two children at their home in Austin, TX. “The “WHY” and the “HOW” have always been the first steps to every partnership in this business,” shared Kalmick upon the company’s launch, adding “W (Wyatt) & H (Hazel) are two very adorable redheads that call me Dad; so, it’s a perfect name for this important and timely next step.”

EDDIE KLOESEL

PARTNER, HEAD OF TOURING & SPONSORSHIPS

Eddie Kloesel is a Partner at WHY&HOW, the Head of Touring & Sponsorships, and an artist manager. Eddie has been in the music industry since 2005 and spent his first 8 years on the road handling just about anything that was thrown at him. Eddie has significant experience in tour management, production management, monitor engineering, merchandise management, and tour accounting.

In 2020, Eddie joined Bruce at WHY&HOW, bringing his wealth of experience as well as directly overseeing Chase Rice, Southall, Reid Haughton, and Whiskey Myers.

In addition to managing artists, Eddie has also worked directly with brands such as Airstream, Bespoken Spirits, High Limit Racing, Canteen, Chevrolet, Bud Light, Coors Banquet, Huk, Heydude, Miller Lite, Mountain Dew, Nascar, US Cellular, and many others.

HALIE HAMPTON MOSLEY

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | NASHVILLE

As the Chief Operating Officer, Halie serves alongside CEO Bruce Kalmick and the executive team to determine and oversee the goals and initiatives of the WHY&HOW roster and staff while managing multiple company wide projects. Striving to meet and uphold the company's strategic goals, mission, and values, Halie works closely with artists, staff, and leadership to identify, develop, and support artists and personnel with their career development and goals.

Halie is a Nashville native who began her career in the music industry in radio promotion for Arista Nashville before moving to Maverick Nashville, where she worked in management support roles for artists like Rascal Flatts and Brooks & Dunn while managing Rachel Wammack alongside Clarence Spalding.

She most recently served as the Day-to-Day Artist Manager for Diamond-selling duo Florida Georgia Line at Hit Farm Management in partnership with Full Stop Management led by Irving Azoff and Jeffrey Azoff.

CHRIS KOEGEN

GENERAL MANAGER, HEAD OF GLOBAL STRATEGY | NASHVILLE

Chris Koegen brings 15+ years of label and artist experience in both the US and International music space. Chris spent several years working in music at Amazon in the US before relocating to the UK in 2013. In 2014, he joined Big Machine to lead international operations including launching Big Machine UK as a standalone label within Universal Music, working with Taylor Swift, Cadillac Three, Thomas Rhett and more on their international strategy.

Chris re-joined Amazon in 2017, working across business development and music publishing before moving to lead the Artist Relations and Original Content strategy for the UK. He has executed nearly 100 exclusive artist content projects with the likes of Ellie Goulding, Jess Glynne, Rita Ora, Foals, Sigala, Martin Garrix, Royal Blood, Bugzy Malone, Lewis Capaldi, and many more, securing two top 5 singles in the UK charts (Ellie #1, Jess #3) and executive producing two feature length film projects (Foals, Bastille).

EVAN KAUFMANN

SENIOR VP, CREATIVE I AUSTIN

Evan Kaufmann is the Senior VP of Creative at WHY&HOW. Throughout his career, Kaufmann has seamlessly blurred the line between the music and film industries, having directed content for major musicians, creative agencies, record labels and independent studios alike. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, FastCompany, MTV, as well as top curated art/film blogs such as Short Of The Week, BoooooomTV, and FilmShortage. Evan’s unique insight and knowledge of both industries have made him a key commodity in curating and developing memorable and impactful creative content for clients and partners alike.

AVERY BON

SENIOR DIRECTOR, MARKETING | AUSTIN

Avery Bon is a Senior Director, Marketing at WHY&HOW. Avery has been in the music industry since 2012 and spent her first 4 years working jobs like Production Assistant, VIP Concierge & Tour Marketing Intern. In 2018, Avery became the Marketing Manager for Chase Rice, Kelleigh Bannen, Tyler Braden and Seaforth. Fast forward to 2020 and Avery joined Bruce at WHY&HOW, where she is currently the responsible marketing director to Chase Rice, Whiskey Myers, Kelleigh Bannen, & more.

Born and raised in Austin, TX, Avery graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Minor in Communications/Advertising from the Moody College of Communications.

Named to Nashville Briefing's 30 Under 30 - Class of 2023

MATT STUBBS

ARTIST MANAGER / MANAGER, A&R I NASHVILLE

Matt Stubbs is an Artist Manager at WHY&HOW. Matt is a native of Houston, TX and currently lives in Nashville. Matt has over 7 years of experience in the music industry and works as an Artist manager for Tyler Braden, Echosmith, Sydney Quiseng, and Cole Phillips. Matt lives his life inspired by music and constantly displays it through his hard work and dedication.

Matt graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Butler School of Music and a Business Minor from the McCombs School of Business.

HARRISON KLEIN

SENIOR MANAGER I NASHVILLE

Harrison Klein is a Senior Artist Manager at WHY&HOW based in Nashville, Tennessee. Harrison has had a variety of experiences across the music industry. He started his career as an assistant to Doc McGhee and worked his way to day-to-day responsibilities within McGhee Entertainment. Since then, Harrison has worked in digital distribution, publishing, artist development and various day-to-day roles at Red Light Management before joining the WHY&HOW team in 2021.

Harrison graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Business Marketing and Music Industry studies.

Named to Music Row Magazine's Next Big Thing - Class of 2024

AARYN CANTU

SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER | NASHVILLE

Aaryn Cantu started in the music industry in 2017 with back to back internships with Bruce Kalmick. After graduation, she was hired as a Marketing Assistant for Chase Rice, Kelleigh Bannen, Seaforth, ZZ Ward, and more. In March of 2020, the pandemic put a pause on Aaryn’s career in music and she pivoted to a role in Digital Marketing. There she expanded her skillset working with retail clients and advertising on platforms such as Google, Bing, YouTube, and TikTok. In 2022, Aaryn’s passion for music led her back to the industry as she joined the WHY&HOW Marketing team.

An Austin, TX native, Aaryn graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Media & Mass Communication with a minor in Business Administration.

BRENDAN MCCARTHY

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING MANAGER | LONDON

Hailing from Ireland with a background working in live events, Brendan’s passion for Country and Americana led him to Nashville where he worked at the distinguished Music Row PR company PLA Media, working on projects for Emmylou Harris, Lynn Anderson and as part of the team that launched The Johnny Cash Museum. During this time he ran PR for acclaimed venue Belcourt Taps, promoting nightly songwriters events which featured a who’s-who of future stars.

Since his move back across the pond he has worked in marketing, radio promotion and campaign management for a range of clients including independent label Fretsore Records. Brendan has worked with the Americana Music Association UK since 2015, joining as a member of the board in 2018.

Brendan joined WHY&HOW in February 2022 as part of the international marketing team.

OLIVIA DAHLSTROM

ARTIST & OPERATIONS MANAGER I NASHVILLE

Olivia Dahlstrom is an Artist Manager as well as the Operations Manager at WHY&HOW. Born and raised in western South Dakota, Olivia always had a passion for music, which led her to attending college in Nashville.

Olivia graduated from Belmont University with a BA in Communication Studies and a minor in Business Administration.

PATRICK FARR

ARTIST MANAGER | NASHVILLE

Patrick Farr is an Artist Manager at WHY&HOW based in Nashville, Tennessee. Patrick has over 10 years of experience in artist management and 5 years in songwriter/ producer management. He previously worked at Philymack in Los Angeles for six years in various roles. As Nick Jonas' Day-to-Day manager, Patrick was a part of a number one at Top 40 radio (Jealous), a movie that was accepted to Sundance (GOAT), and a billion dollar movie at the box office (Jumanji). He was later promoted to "Head of Talent" and oversaw a roster that included: Nick Jonas, Demi Lovato, DNCE, Bea Miller, Chord Overstreet, Adam Lambert, Iggy Azalea, among others.

Patrick started his company, Revelator, at the beginning of 2019 and managed artists, producers, and songwriters before partnering with WHY&HOW.

Patrick was born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana and graduated from Louisiana State University. He and his family spent 12 years in Los Angeles before relocating to Nashville in 2023.

RHIANNON FERRONETTI

ARTIST MANAGER | NASHVILLE

Rhiannon Ferronetti is an artist manager at WHY&HOW based in Nashville, TN. Rhiannon got her start in the music industry in live music, working at multiple historic venues such as the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom and the Ryman Auditorium. She began her career in management after moving to Nashville from Massachusetts on a whim!

At WHY&HOW, Rhiannon works with Chase Rice, Reid Haughton, and Cameron Sacky Band.

Rhiannon graduated from the University of New Haven with degrees in Music Industry and Theater Arts.

ERIC RADFORD

ARTIST MANAGER I AUSTIN

Eric Radford is an Artist Manager at WHY&HOW. Eric is passionate about developing artists and showcasing their art to share their stories. He has worked with Texas performers and producers across hip-hop, rock, house and techno. In partnership with Austin’s NPR station, KUTX, Eric produced recurring showcases as a platform for locally underserved genres and audiences. In addition to production planning, Eric has helped to secure underwriting and promotional opportunities with his network in Austin.

At WHY&HOW, Eric supports clients including Whiskey Myers and Southall.

Eric graduated from the University of Redlands with an International Business degree.

CHRIS ALEXANDER

ARTIST MANAGER I MOUNT VERNON

Chris Alexander is an Artist Manager at WHY&HOW. His career in music started in 2007 when Chris helped his good friends form the band known as Whiskey Myers. Since then, Chris has toured all over the world as Whiskey Myers' Tour Manager.

In his off time, Chris enjoys hunting and fishing and spending time with his wife Macy and their two sons.

REID ALEXANDER

Management Coordinator | Nashville

Reid Alexander is a Management Coordinator at WHY&HOW, based in Nashville, Tennessee.

He began his career in the music industry at The Caverns in Grundy County, TN, initially working on the house crew before serving as their COVID Mitigator during the pandemic. Prior to joining WHY&HOW, Reid spent four years at WME, supporting several agents and partners in their Country Music Department. Additionally, Reid has experience with booking talent, festival logistics, and as an assistant production manager.

Reid holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and a Minor in Business from Sewanee: The University of the South.

JACK APODACA

CREATIVE COORDINATOR | NASHVILLE

Jack Apodaca is a Creative Coordinator at WHY&HOW, based in Nashville, Tennessee. Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jack received a B.A. in International Relations and French from Loyola Marymount University and then attended Icon Collective College of Music where he received a certification in advanced music production and audio engineering. He spent his last years in LA working in film and television as an AD PA, before moving to Nashville to join the W&H team. Jack is excited to bring his deep passion for music to supporting and developing the great artists at W&H.