Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Maddie Humbert
BNA Best Bites started because I realized how much Nashville’s food scene had changed—and how hard it was to keep up. In 2021, new restaurants seemed to be opening constantly, but there wasn’t one place where I could consistently discover what was worth trying next. I decided to start documenting my own experiences, sharing honest recommendations and highlighting everything from neighborhood favorites to new openings. Read more>>
Shannon Rizzo Levan
My story has never followed a straight path, but looking back, it is easy to see how each chapter was preparing me for the next. Nashville was an important part of that journey. It taught me how to build relationships, trust my instincts, take chances, and begin again when life called for it. Read more>>
Qiana Scales
People often see the podcast, the boutique, or me on stage with a microphone, but what they don’t always see is the journey that brought me here. I’ve never been someone who believed in waiting for the ‘perfect time.’ I’ve always believed in creating opportunities instead of waiting for them to knock. Read more>>
Matt Wurnig
I’m the creator of the popular TikTok series, 50 Dates 50 States. The series where I’ve traveled to all 50 states and have gone on a date with a different girl in each state, 3 different times. I created 50 Dates 50 States during COVID-19 back in 2020 where I went on a virtual date with a girl in each state. Read more>>
DeCarlos Askew
For as long as I can remember, music has been more than entertainment to me—it has been a way of life. I’ve always been fascinated by the stories behind albums, the creative process, and the way music can bring people together. That passion has shaped nearly every creative endeavor I’ve pursued over the last decade. Read more>>
Channa Newmann
Meet Channa Newmann | Finding Purpose One Magical Moment at a Time If you had asked me at eighteen years old what I wanted to do with my life, I wouldn’t have had an answer. In fact, I wasn’t just uncertain—I genuinely believed I didn’t have a purpose. Read more>>
Shaka D Cakes
Hi! I’m Shaka D. Cakes, and I’m a Musical Artist, Problem and overall fun guy. I was born in Corona, California, and I’m the youngest of four kids. My family has always been incredibly musical. There was always something playing in the house—Earth, Wind & Fire, Sly & the Family Stone, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, and so many others. Read more>>
Melody Fisher
Fisherly Creations started with three sisters who have always loved celebrating life’s special moments. What began as helping friends and family decorate for birthdays, baby showers, and holidays quickly turned into a passion for creating memorable experiences through balloons and event décor. Read more>>
Abigail Virginia
I was born in Springville, Alabama, where I grew up leading worship at a local church and practicing music every day. Adele was a huge inspiration to me because, like me, she had a naturally lower voice. I really found my footing after moving away to attend the University of North Alabama. Read more>>
Madaline Spinks
Zen Tiger Healing’s origin story started off a bit dramatically. Before creating this practice, I was living in Boston and training as a triathlete. One evening while training, I experienced what I now know were symptoms of ventricular tachycardia and sudden cardiac arrest. Read more>>
Ali B
I live in Laurel, Mississippi, home of HGTV’s Hometown show. I grew up doing community theater here. Fun Fact- my dad sold Ben Napier Erin’s engagement ring. So my dad jokes that he has made jewelry that has gone to The CMA’s, now I just have to get there. I started singing solos in competitions when I was 11. Read more>>
Zoe Howard
Zoe Howard is an Appalachian Indie artist from Salyersville, a small town located in Eastern Kentucky . Zoe plays guitar, percussion instruments, banjo, and many other instruments. She has performed many times on the best stages in Kentucky, known as the Mountain Arts Center, Mountain Top Media Stage, and has recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, TN. Read more>>
Holly Rachel Lena Winfree
Rachel + Winfree was born from one simple belief: data should create opportunities, not barriers. When we started in 2017, we saw that many organizations – especially small/midsize businesses, nonprofits, universities, and public agencies – had access to more data than ever before, but lacked the strategy and infrastructure to turn that information into meaningful action. Read more>>
Mac Huffington
I came to Nashville by way of Chicago to go to school. I graduated from Fisk University. Here in Nashville, I found Community. During this time, I found a lack of representation of male impersonators (studs) and Divas (biological born females) in the drag industry. This is how Mac productions was born. Read more>>
Finn Basil
Finn Basil (he/they) is a storyteller, multimedia artist, and third generation photographer. They have been actively shaping their particular combination of otherness, queerness, transness, kink, surrealism, & sparkle in the Nashville arts scene since 2009. Teddy’s current focus lies in exploring healing, processing, expression, and strengthening through art, movement and pleasure. A member of the Music City Fuckettes and an alumni of Nash Burley. Read more>>
Bridgette Tatum
From singing in nursing homes at six years old to writing one of country music’s biggest modern anthems, Bridgette Tatum’s journey has always been about one thing—telling honest stories that make people feel something. Raised in Florence, South Carolina, Bridgette found her first stage in nursing homes before moving on to churches, festivals, fairs, and community events across the Southeast. Read more>>
Ashley Rapp
If you ask me how I got here, the honest answer is… one dog at a time. I’ve been grooming for over 25 years, and at this point it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. Grooming has never just been a job to me…. it’s who I am. Read more>>
Edward Crowe
I’ve had a very interesting life. As a child, I was a visual artist using mediums such as paint on canvas, clay, and spray paint for murals and graffiti art. I went toschool for theater and visual arts in highschool, and Memphis College of art before returning to Nashville to open a recording studio called the Phoenix room on 3rd Ave., South downtown. Read more>>
Claude Davis
Incorporated Miracle in Motion in 2002 in Kentucky. Started with outdoor music show Friday and Saturday night, and Church on Sunday. 12 years we did that. Returned to Nashville, kept the ministry going on line and with personal appearances. Now, we put on fundraisers for causes that may be dear to my heart. Through it all, 2 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. Read more>>
Mike McDougal
I’ve done a little bit of everything, to be honest. When I was based in Southern California, I spent much of the early 2010s photographing the music scene. Read more>>
Andy Buckner
Growing up on a Burley tobacco farm & cattle ranch deep in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Andy spent his early childhood being a ranch hand while listening to gospel, bluegrass, southern rock, & classic country music. Andy started singing in church at the young age of 3, & joined his family band by the age of 7. Read more>>
Melissa Chera
Why I Created PRIMAFIVE™ by Body & Ballet Co. I created PRIMAFIVE because I believed women deserved a better fitness experience. After years of working out at Big Box Pilates and barre studios, I found myself asking: Why is every workout one-size-fits-all? Our bodies, goals, and schedules are all different—our workouts should be too. Read more>>
John Pineiro
Latin/American Producer here in Nashville. Have worked with many new artists in town and have had big success. Born and raised in New York City where I performed with many local artists and bands. Learned Pro Tools after seeing and going to Saturday Night Live Studios in NYC. 3 degrees in Music, where my masters in Jazz Performance (Guitar) was my latest one. Read more>>
Brandon Watson
Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Texas and started writing songs because it was the best way I knew how to tell my story. What began as a passion eventually turned into a career, but it definitely wasn’t an overnight journey. For over a decade, I worked independently. Read more>>
Nycorya Wilson
I didn’t grow up thinking I would become an author, speaker, minister, or entrepreneur. Like many people, I was simply trying to survive life while figuring out who I was and what God had called me to do. For years, I wore a smile while carrying the weight of brokenness, disappointment, and the pressure of trying to be everything for everybody else. Read more>>
Gabriel Jarman
I was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee—more specifically, in the small town of Watertown. Growing up, my brothers and I spent so much time at our grandmother’s house. She was always planning some elaborate art project or coming up with little ways to keep us busy and creative. I credit her with so much of who I am today. Read more>>
Adrian Kniffley
I grew up with both parents in a stable household and had older siblings which got me into liking hip-hop at an early age. Though I enjoyed hip-hop that was mainstream always wondered how I could put a positive twist on it. I feel like my community deserved a positive outlook in a way that they can still enjoy as hip-hop music. Read more>>
Josie
I can’t remember a time when music wasn’t part of my life. I grew up surrounded by musicians and different generations of musical influences — from my parents and uncles, who introduced me to country music, to my brothers, who are guitarists with strong rock influences, and my grandfather, who played piano and accordion during the ragtime and boogie-woogie era. Read more>>
Ken West
I started as a kid, in search of his purpose in life. My oldest brother got me started on my journey, by teaching me how to draw. I was 9 years old when I started learning from him. Read more>>
Unsecret
I’ve always admired artists who are unseen and unknown. Artists like Daft Punk and Marshmello, for example. I’ve been a producer and songwriter for a number of years, but I was interested in taking a step outside the studio and into the greater world. Read more>>
J.P. Burr
My name is J.P. Burr. I’m an independent singer/songwriter and guitarist living in Nashville, Tennessee. I grew up in Burns, Tennessee, a little town about 45 minutes west of Nashville. I don’t come from a family of musicians (exluding my late grandfather), like many famous artists do. Read more>>
John Mediana
I’ve spent 20+ years building brands as a Creative Director since MySpace. Not talking about branding, but building them. For Gary Vaynerchuk, John Crist, Adley Kinsman, Bolt Farm, and a lot of founders you’ve probably never heard of who needed the same thing everyone needs: clarity and direction. I started as the creative guy. Read more>>
Caleb Campbell
For a long time, my life looked like it was going exactly according to plan. I graduated from West Point, became an Army officer, and was drafted into the NFL, becoming just the second player ever drafted out of West Point. From the outside, it looked like I was living the dream. Read more>>
Quinn O’Donnell
“Quinn O’Donnell”, or “Moldy” as some call me, started as just writing songs therapeutically and has evolved into so much more. I wanted to play shows at age fifteen, but because I was so young and had no experience, no one would book me. Read more>>
Stephanie Dominick
I actually went to school for cosmetology and had set out to pursue a career in the hair world. Once I graduated and started interviewing at salons I randomly had an opportunity arise as an optician in a high end optical boutique in Nashville. I had no experience in optical whatsoever but took a chance on it. Read more>>
Jamie Duncan
My path to Build Nashville wasn’t a straight line, but looking back, every step pointed here. I started in the mortgage industry, which gave me a deep understanding of how people think about one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. That foundation shaped the way I approach every client relationship — with transparency, intention, and a real respect for what’s at stake. Read more>>
Dr. Jennaire Lewars, MD
My name is Dr. Jennaire Lewars also known as Dr. Jaii on social media platforms. I am a board certified Internal medicine/hospitalist physician and medical author. I was born in Kingston, Jamaica, raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and relocated to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, then the United States for my medical pursuits. Read more>>
Jineen Marie Glover
I shaved my head for my niece going through cancer and donated my hair to Children With Hair Loss in 2018. I documented my grow out and ended up becoming a proaging silver haired influencer on Instagram. Read more>>
Terrez Brown
Being the oldest child out of seven, you grow up sooner than others, and sometimes that creates a fearless leader by default, and this is something I’ve always appreciated. I’ve always been one to express my creativity every chance I get, and growing up, I would’ve never expected myself to hone in on and begin perfecting a passion-turned-hobby-turned-career choice. Read more>>
Jennifer Vazquez
That’s a great question. I’ve thought about this many times in my life. The simple answer is that my story has unfolded year after year with each life experience I’ve had. With every high and every low, it has changed the way I see the world, my community, and myself. Read more>>
Christina Bosch
I have always loved music. I can recall sifting through my parents’ vinyl collection and loving the intricacies of the cover art, reading the lyrics, and falling in love with the stories that were being told. Some of my earliest musical memories involve Billy Joel, Elton John, and Barry Manilow (my mom’s all-time favorite). Read more>>
Kevin Mahoney
I got started in music because I was drawn to songwriting as a way to tell honest stories about life. Rather than chasing trends, I gravitated toward artists whose lyrics carried emotional weight and whose songs stayed with people long after the performance. Over time, music became more than a hobby—it became a lifelong creative pursuit. Read more>>
Lainey Seitz
Although i’ve always thought of myself as a singer and musician, I never considered songwriting until I was in college. I never considered myself to be someone who could be an artist. I started writing fall of 2023 when I was going through some personal struggles, and realized it was the most effective emotional & creative outlet for me. Read more>>
