Inspiring Conversations with Jamie Kent of The BAM Group

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Kent.

Hi Jamie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I dove into the music industry full-time about 10 years ago after graduating from Babson College with a degree in entrepreneurship. I was determined to take what I had learned and forge a unique (and sustainable) path as an artist/entrepreneur.

Over the next 7 or so years, I played upwards of 1,000 shows, shared the stage with artists like Huey Lewis & News, Reba, and The Doobie Bros, and had an album debut at #16 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart.

I was able to do so by always working to pursue models outside the box to market and distribute my music independently.

Ultimately, where I saw the biggest impact was in developing strategic partnerships with brands (like Bose, Telefunken, and Durango Boots) that wanted to invest in an artist’s career and grow together in creative ways. And what began with a focus on my music, gradually shifted to me helping these brands craft activations, produce concerts, and broker other artist endorsement deals.

One of those concerts involved a crazy idea with my friends at Bose, where we decided to rent a riverboat in Austin TX, and throw a concert during SXSW to show off their sound systems, and showcase my favorite artists coming out of Nashville. After receiving 10,000+ RSVPs for 100 spots on the boat, I realized we might be onto something!

So I created the “New Nashville Live” brand as a platform to showcase rising talent from the 615, on various national stages. As that grew, I realized I probably needed a company to oversee this new business that was emerging alongside my music career. So I launched Band Ambassador Media Group (BAM), and the second chapter of my story began to unfold.

BAM continued to grow and was poised to really explode in 2020. But you know, 2020. So sidelined by the pandemic, I began to ask myself, how can I utilize both my voice as an artist and this marketing company, I’ve built to still have an impact during this crazy time? As I watched all my friends cancel tours and the panic start to set in, I felt like I was uniquely positioned to help.

So right at the start of the pandemic, I brought a group of talented folks together and we produced the People Supporting Artists Telethon to raise money for MusiCares and their COVID-19 artist relief fund. Through that, I connected with the fine folks at the ANR Foundation, who had launched a Smokefree Music Cities initiative to try and end smoking in music venues/bars across the country.

It just so happened that this was an issue close to my heart as an artist who battles asthma, and someone that just lost a family member to smoking. So we began brainstorming the possibilities here in Nashville, and pretty soon another chapter of my story started to be written.

Still, on a “musical pause” with the pandemic, this advocacy work felt especially inspiring during a time otherwise full of doubt. I kept thinking, “how are people still smoking in venues/bars in TN right now? This is nuts”. So I launched Musicians for a Smokefree Nashville, and began building a coalition of artists, songwriters, business, and public health partners with the goal of creating smoke-free workplaces for ALL Tennesseans.

Quickly I realized this was something that resonated with a lot of people, and pretty soon the coalition went from a few members to 50+ in a year. We also realized this was a statewide problem, in need of a statewide solution, so we became Musicians for a Smokefree Tennessee.

My network of working-class artists was strong, and I was able to rally their support in a powerful and fun way. At the same time, I had all the resources from my marketing company that I could deploy to craft a compelling campaign that turned a lot of heads. It was almost as if all the work I had been doing over the last decade was coming together in a surprising and beautiful way.

Once our coalition hit the 1-year mark, we realized there was an opportunity to present a bill at the state level that would give cities in TN the ability to make this change locally (they haven’t been able to up until now).

So with the support of the coalition and its partners, I began learning all I could about citizen lobbying and what it takes to create change via policy. Before I knew it, I had gone from artist to lobbyist and was working the halls of our Capitol building trying to pass a bill. And guess what? This spring, we did just that!

So that brings me to the present moment, where I find myself an artist, a lobbyist, and the owner of a marketing company with a focus on innovating advocacy. It’s been quite the winding road with all sorts of stops and turns, but I’m pretty sure I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As an artist and entrepreneur, I feel like the most consistent obstacle I’ve battled over the years is likely my own self-doubt. It’s easy to wonder if you’re actually talented enough, if it’s all worth the sacrifice for your family, or if you’re being too selfish.

So to fight that, I’ve tried to maintain pretty consistently 6 months “gut checks” to keep perspective and maintain as much self-awareness as possible. These usually consist of me asking myself:

1. Am I growing?
2. Is my business growing?
3. Is this making a positive impact on people’s lives?
3. Do I still love it?

If it checks those boxes, I double down and forge on.

I’ve always reminded myself, “every wall is a door”. And there sure have been a lot of walls, but that also means there’s been a lot of doors. And they’ve led to some amazing and unexpected places.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The BAM Group?
The BAM Group is a creative agency focused on innovating advocacy. Our primary work/experience is focused on advocating for the creative working class, and for public health; though we are always open to a new challenge. We craft campaigns that take on big issues with bold ideas, and ultimately work to make the world a better place.

We design creative, we craft strategy, we implement campaigns, and we engage decision-makers on real solutions. Our work includes graphic design, videography, custom music production, communications strategy, event planning, and coalition building. We’ve worked on campaigns that have raised tons of money for the TN music community. We’ve worked on campaigns to create smoke-free workplaces for all Tennesseans.

We’ve produced events for 100 people, and events for 10,000 people. And most recently, our work has supported advocacy that led to legislation passed in the TN General Assembly. We believe there is a huge opportunity to push the creative boundaries of advocacy, create conversation, and drive real change on the issues that are most important to Tennesseans right now.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I also have the honor of sitting on the Board of Directors for the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville.

This amazing organization is one of the only nonprofits in the area working to create an ecosystem to support our creative working class. ABC provides direct services, key opportunities, and education to the creative community to help them master the business of art.

There is a huge need for a support system for our creative working class in TN, and ABC is working hard to help create that.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jamiekent.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamieskent
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamiekentmusic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamieskent
• Other: www.thebamgroup.net

Image Credits
Carly Rae, Jason Myers, Allison Morgan, Derrick Lee, Nate Clayton, and Curtis Wayne Millard