Degrees of Separation How some of the most interesting women in national television ended up in Nashville
BY KATIE KNIPPER Even as Nashville develops at a rapid PHOTOS BY DAVID DOBSON pace, we still have a long way to
go before we reach the “always on” culture of New York or Los Angeles. As Nashville’s light continues to shine a bit brighter, we have maintained a steady attraction of the top tier talent in entertainment. Musicians, actors and other recognizable personalities are excited to call Nashville home and find a greater quality of life sprinkled in with southern charm. Beyond the names we might recognize, Nashville has begun to draw in some of the most creative and hardworking people in the industry — those that typically reside on the other side of the cameras and lights. Beyond the glamour of the few minutes of content the viewers see lie sleepless nights, endless emails, and a group of some of the biggest hustlers in the industry. In a space traditionally dominated by men, more and more women are breaking through into the behindthe-scenes world of television. From PR to production, women are claiming their place and getting the job done in an extraordinary fashion. However, 15-hour days can become the norm in bigger entertainment cities, and even with the excitement that comes with them,
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long hours start to take a toll. After noticing just how many of these extraordinary women have relocated to Nashville in recent years, either continuing in their roles remotely or picking up something entirely different, it poses the question: Why here? We reached out to a few remarkable ladies in media and found plenty to talk about. Though each of these women have created vibrantly individual paths for their careers, they’ve all narrowly missed each other at some point or another. Jen started working at Oprah Winfrey Network on the day Beth left. Melissa and Bonnie both moved to Nashville on the same day, having never met. Even in decidedly different experiences, they all had similar motivations to make the jump to Music City. On one of the first mild nights transitioning Nashville into spring, these women gathered in the cozy, newly renovated mezzanine space at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel to catch up, discuss their career paths, and find similarities in their experiences.
