Conversations with Renee Collins Cobb

Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Collins Cobb.

Hi Renee, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.

I grew up in Eastern Kentucky where my parents nurtured a love of film, music, and business in our home.  I come from a long line of Appalachian musicians who were barn dance performers, radio stars, and championship instrumentalists. Kentucky Explorer Magazine featured our family’s history in September 2000 with a headline that read “Collins Family Was Important Part of ‘Golden Age’ of Country Music” as my grandfather and great grandfather left a rich legacy.

I describe my life in three different eras thus far. The first 25 years were spent with an intensive focus on the study of music, theory, and history along with an appreciation, fascination, and curiosity about Hollywood movies. This included a full music scholarship to the University of Kentucky graduating with a Music Education and Performance degree.

The next 25 years were balanced with an intensive focus on all things business. My father had worked as an executive for a Fortune 500 company and along with fostering this deep love for music in my soul, I had the unique opportunity to watch what the values of hard work, determination, planning and preparation, loyalty, research, voracious reading, leadership development, and goal orientation.

I honestly had experienced burnout from the intensive focus in my music studies and had started to break from it, while utilizing my trade at church and for my pleasure. This era included the acquisition of a Master’s Degree in Executive Human Resource Development from Xavier University, a wonderful position as an Organizational Effectiveness Director at a Fortune 500 Company, WW Grainger, a pause to start a family when I could no longer wait to do so, and as a result, the start of my own consulting business and a love of entrepreneurship that would provide for work/life balance to raise my son by working for myself and at my own pace.

So that brings me to the next era – the next 10 years and if you are doing the math, that would be from 50-60 – a time in which I decided to re-engage my love for music and film with my love for business and entrepreneurship in a way that would change my life for the better in a very profound and unexpected way.

The end of a 25-year marriage and with my son entering college – the time was right for the incorporation and integration of all passions and disciplines in and of my life – music, business, and film with a reconnection with a boyfriend from my teenage years. This era saw an evolution of a friendship with someone that began 35 years ago as fellow music students at the University of Kentucky. We had not seen each other for that long either as we both were raising our separate families and also pausing our musical lives as a result. It was a “match made in musical heaven” some say – but I have named this chapter of my life “Working in Concert” with my husband Warren Cobb.

Renee Cobb is currently “working in concert” as a dynamic keynote speaker, consultant, business strategist, Executive Producer, documentary filmmaker, and radio show/podcast host. Believing now that ALL business is SHOW BUSINESS, instead of compartmentalizing the disciplines of business, music, and film – She has a passion for creating and integrating the disciplines and experiences in which artists in any field can unleash their full potential. She also engages and connects those on the stage with those in the audience in a way that is both memorable and meaningful.

Renee is the Co-President and Co-Owner of Listen Locally, LLC with her husband Warren. Listen Locally is a consulting, media, and broadcasting group. Renee is also a keynote speaker and thought leader on the topics of inclusive leadership, leadership development, unconscious bias, team development, work/life balance, mission statement writing, and creating a sense of belonging in the workplace.

She is a partner and Executive VP for Dreamland Entertainment Group, based out of Nashville, TN. Dreamland Entertainment Group is a record label, management, video production, and tour support service organization where she and Warren have been the Executive Producer for four album projects as part of Overtones LIVE “Working in Concert” Album and LIVE performance production.

She and her husband Warren are co-owners and partners of The Scribe TV aka TSTV.

She also serves as the Co-Executive Founder/President of Room 17 Productions with her husband Warren, a nonprofit organization that promotes music education through storytelling, oral history, live performance, and preservation of aging recordings. She is the Media and Marketing Manager for a non-profit organization Project Ricochet and serves as a DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) Community Action Board Member for NPR station WUKY, based out of Lexington, KY.

She is the host and executive producer with her husband, Warren, of Overtones LIVE, a radio show/ podcast telling the stories of Kentucky through singing, songwriting, and live performance. The current home of Overtones LIVE is at NashHouse Southern Spoon and Saloon in downtown Nashville where OTL performances are filmed live before an ever-appreciative audience enjoying artists who are originally from Kentucky and are now working as full-time performers in Nashville. The show is sponsored by Listen Locally Kentucky and Listen Locally Tennessee. The filmed performances then go live on the Overtones LIVE YouTube Channel which has been nationally and internationally recognized.

She is also the co-host and co-executive Producer of WUKY’s “The Ricochet Effect” NPR Podcast with Dr. Abeni El-Emin, the founder of Project Ricochet. The podcast focuses on community issues and ways to improve the social determinants of health (SDOH). The podcast highlights community leaders, community issues, and community initiatives while discussing urban topics and minority culture in Central Kentucky.

She is the host and executive producer with her husband of Gray Matters, a podcast about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as well as the topic of unconscious bias and the science of the brain when our decisions lead to choices that are subconsciously creating advantage for someone and disadvantage for others.

Through their work with their non-profit organization Room 17 Productions, Warren and Renee are the project managers of five oral history projects at The University of Kentucky with topics ranging from musicians, educators, diversity, championship sports teams, The History of the UK Cheerleading Squad, Women in STEM, and Women of Color in Medicine. The non-profit 501c3 also produces documentary film projects in alignment with the oral history projects as well as Tribute Concerts honoring some of Kentucky’s most celebrated local musicians who have made a great impact through generational influences to facilitate the passing down of their music, mostly from the 70s and 80s as well as their mentorship, advice, and stories to younger aspiring musicians in the area.

Renee was named Remarkable Woman of Kentucky 2023 by Nexstar Media Group as part of their annual initiative during International Womens Month in March to recognize the influence that women have had on public policy, social progress, and the quality of life, celebrate local women that inspire, lead, and forge the way for other women.

She was brought to Hollywood last April to meet the other 111 Remarkable Women who were being recognized across the country and it was at that time, that she saw that Hollywood sign for the first time and immediately was transported to that first era of her life where her parents had nurtured the love of film in her own life. This reveal while being driven to the location where the awards show would take place was a moment where she broke out in tears and had a full appreciation for the exact moment she saw the sign with full awareness and recognition about what that moment meant and what it could become to her in the future.

She is now realizing the fruits of a lot of great efforts that have been put forth by her and her husband Warren as they have “worked in concert” with artists, venues, business owners, educators, event managers, videographers, sound engineers, food trucks, and broadcast stations to bring music fans the best of what the states of Kentucky and Tennessee offer and reminds everyone every week the words of Hans Christian Anderson who said, “When Words Fail, Music Speaks”.

Music has spoken to them again and again and most recently the video production and perfect performance by The Goodwin Brothers on Overtones LIVE was awarded Best Live/Streamed Performance of 2023 by The Hollywood Independent Music Awards. In addition, they have been awarded:

Josie Music Awards- Media Company of the Year for Audio and Visual Excellence 2022, Josie Music Awards 2023 Nominated for Concert Series of the Year, Music Organization of the Year, Videographers of the Year, Album of the Year with D Boone Pittman and the Fugitives, and EP of the Year with The Goodwin Brothers. Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards – Best Documentary Film/Movie/Short Film of the Year 2023. Lexington Music Awards – Music Business of the Year 2020 and 2023. Lexington Music Awards – Overtones LIVE for Critics Choice 2022.

Renee and Warren reside in the Lexington area and work in the Nashville area and to say that they have an impact on the local music scene there would be a gross understatement. Their passion for local independent musicians and artists is the foundation of their businesses and the roles they play in organizations. That passion, in turn, has led to the development and presentation of Overtones LIVE, a radio show in Lexington that is recorded live at NashHouse Southern Spoon and Saloon featuring the live local independent artist that transforms the stage into a magical experience for the audience then travels to the airwaves through several broadcast partners stations, many of them being community radio stations.

“The definition of the word ‘overtones’,” Renee explains, “is a musical tone which is a part of the harmonic series above a fundamental note, and may be heard with it. So, we try to accomplish just that – a show that not only features an artist but also lends a platform to the stories that relate to the actual songs and songwriters themselves – that may also be heard with the song.”

The “overtone” of presenting these shows is what snowballed into partnering with a variety of other organizations and artists as they bring a whole new meaning to the phrase “working in concert”.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Covid most obviously presented the biggest challenge and obstacles as productions of all shows ceased for a time, however, we were able to combat and address those obstacles in a variety of ways with Zoom productions as well as re-purposing of shows that were designed to feature The Women of Kentucky Music, The Bands of the Bluegrass, Kentucky Artists Working in Concert in Nashville, Tribute Concert Films.

The other way we were able to integrate back into society was as a direct result of not being able to have more than 1 person in the radio studio as that was the way we did the shows up until that time. We were able to “work in concert” with a venue that wanted to explore having Overtones becoming a LIVE show that could be filmed and recorded on a big stage that allowed artists to spread out during a time when only 25% capacity was allowed in a venue at any time, this allowed for a small, but enthusiastic audience that could again spread out across the facility while watching the production of a live show for later broadcast on radio and YouTube.

I will share with you that the biggest obstacle I have had to overcome is being a “person of hearing loss” as during that second 25 years of my life, I experienced a total hearing loss in my right ear that would in ordinary cases be prohibitive to doing what someone in my many roles normally does but I have been surrounded by support and the resources needed to facilitate the stage show, to take all of the audio and produce it into video and in many cases to run a soundboard in a radio studio. These things may be considered as overcoming obstacles.

I have overcome debilitating stage fright that was present for the first 50 of my years and through the encouragement of my parents, my son, and my husband, that has been a big obstacle I have overcome.

The final fear I had was LIVE radio which is something I met head-on as a goal for 2023 and after working with a mentor host in Adam Banks, I am now entirely comfortable with live radio after only 4 sessions with co-hosting wIt fact, it has helped me get out of “fully scripted” mode so I may feel more comfortable talking “off the cuff” as some would say.

I wouldn’t be fully honest and authentic if I didn’t say I have faced bias, sexism, ageism, misogyny, and ableism along the way but I have been well-equipped with strategies, love, and support from those who “work in concert” to re-pave that road into a more smooth journey. Sometimes when people like us and other artists -help other artists with and through difficult moments and challenges like domestic abuse, food insecurity, diversity and inclusion efforts, creating a sense of belonging, bullying, stalking, harassment or with other social issues, or even when they are a musician with an unsupportive partner that doesn’t want them to do music, the person who helps often becomes a target.

I have always said that when people throw bricks at you, pick those bricks up and build an empire. That is what we try to do with a lot of positive self-talk, a lot of vision, and a lot of bravery and courage to stand up for others in these times. We hope by our actions and attitudes, we help people do the same for others.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I would say what I am most proud of is saying yes to my husband when he asked me to marry him. That decision has been the best decision I have ever made in my life and that, in essence, is what may set us apart from others is that “Working in concert” is not just about the work that we do, but it is the way we live our life and honor our marriage.

I love my husband, my son and my parents so much and I hope that in all that I do – that I honor the role they have all “played” in my life at various times. My parent’s love of film, music, and business was my foundational learning. My son has been the structure of a house- the reason why I do what I do as his Mother.  My husband is the roof of the structure, providing vision, guidance, and a lot of love in helping me to address my fears and challenges and to look up to see the proper direction and alignment. The way he elevates me to others through the work that I do, inside and outside of music, film, and business – is something I will always see as God-sent.

I think another thing that sets me apart is that in all that I do, I continually pack my bags and take a trip back to what is important. So I call that the ability to put the “periscope” up at appropriate times and look back at what has been accomplished to date with the involvement of music, film, and business in my own life. When we have that introspection and perspective, the portions seem much more in alignment.

I am also a person of great faith and many times what sets me apart from success or failure is a simple moment to pause, reflect, and know that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good work – as God PREPARED US IN ADVANCE for US TO DO”.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?

We are on all social media platforms and one way they can support us is to simply like, follow, and share the work that we do as much as possible because in the end, that helps people support the work of the local independent musician in the generation and the evolution of their career(s).

We are always looking for opportunities to “work in concert” with others and in ways we may not have even thought about before. We are interested in being connectors but also opportunities to be connected as well – relationships and the building of them is such an important component of working in film, music, business, and broadcasting.

We would also enjoy opportunities to expand the reach of our show to other community radio stations in the Nashville and Tennessee area

Contact Info:

• Website: www.overtoneslive.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/overtoneslive/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/overtoneslive
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneedcollins/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@overtoneslive8084/videos
• Other: https://www.dreamland.one/