Nashville-based industry veteran, Jeff Skaggs, has been appointed as the new Head of Milk & Honey South at Milk & Honey Music + Sports after serving as VP of Creative at Creative Nation.
Skaggs will report to Lucas Keller, CEO and Founder of Milk & Honey Music + Sports, and to Nic Warner, partner and general manager at the company, according to a press release.
In his new role, Skaggs will be responsible for talent acquisition and close collaboration with Milk & Honey’s songwriter and producer roster, as well as overseeing operations in other offices such as Los Angeles and London.
Milk & Honey notes that it has spent several years bringing prominent songwriters, producers and artists into Nashville from other markets, “not just to work with their clients, but to experience Nashville, and the great culture of story-tellers”.
In Skaggs role running Milk & Honey South, the company says that he “will continue this tradition while also building a local country and pop book of clients”.
“Jeff Skaggs is a long-time friend of ours, and friend of Nashville – we look forward to having him at the helm of Milk & Honey South as we manage and publish great writers and producers, and to continue building a great office in pop and country music,” Keller said.
“Few companies can offer a songwriter the same level of integration into markets like Los Angeles, New York, London, Sydney and beyond – and in this way, Milk & Honey will be identifying multi-hyphenate talent from Nashville who can travel.”
“Few companies can offer a songwriter the same level of integration into markets like Los Angeles, New York, London, Sydney and beyond – and in this way, Milk & Honey will be identifying multi-hyphenate talent from Nashville who can travel.”
Lucas Keller, Milk & Honey Music + Sports
Skaggs previously served as VP of Creative at Creative Nation, where he supervised the company’s creative team and guided the careers of hitmakers, producers, and artists such as Luke Laird, Barry Dean, Lori McKenna, Tyler Johnson, Bear Rinehart, Kassi Ashton, Steve Moakler, Alec Bailey, Travis Wood, Jonathan Hutcherson and Casey Brown.
He also played a pivotal role in establishing the Kobalt Nashville office, alongside Whitney Daane who he had worked with at her independent publishing company, Mighty Isis Music. There, he secured placements with artists like Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, Dierks Bentley, Lady A, Blake Shelton, Little Big Town, Kelly Clarkson and more.
“Jeff was one of my first relationships in music while he was at Kobalt working closely with David Hodges, it was such a valuable/educational relationship for me in the early years of my career. So the opportunity to work closely again and at this capacity is something I’m very excited about. Looking forward to the years ahead and feel very fortunate to have him here with us all at M&H,” Warner said.
Milk & Honey has a strong track record in Nashville, with their clients having delivered hits for artists including Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A, Maren Morris, Morgan Wallen, Rascal Flatts, Vince Gill, and more.
Skaggs’ new role at the company will also focus on running Top 5 Music publishing, a joint venture between David Hodges and Milk & Honey, which currently houses nearly 100 songwriter, producer, and artist clients.
“Jeff was one of my first relationships in music while he was at Kobalt working closely with David Hodges, it was such a valuable/educational relationship for me in the early years of my career.”
Nic Warner, Milk & Honey Music + Sports
Hodges, a multi-platinum, Grammy, and BMI award-winning writer and producer, also commented on Skaggs’ appointment, saying: “Jeff was one of the first publishers I knew in Nashville, and I was blown away by his understanding of where the industry was and where it was going. As a true song man, I could always trust his ears and his ability to find and cultivate talent. I couldn’t be happier to be working with him again in this new chapter of Milk & Honey Nashville.”
Milk & Honey Music + Sports, founded by Keller in 2014, boasts a diverse roster of clients spanning various genres and has offices in Los Angeles, London, New York, Nashville, Sydney, and Dallas. Their sports division, launched in January 2021, represents nearly 40 athletes in the NFL and MLB.
The company has achieved significant success in the publishing sector and has sold nine-figure publishing catalogs. The company has sold over a billion albums within its roster across pop, hip hop, R&B, rock, country, Latin and electronic.
Additionally, Milk & Honey Music + Sports represents clients who have achieved success with some of the biggest global hits including Dua Lipa’s track Levitating, the chart-topping hit Butter by BTS, the record-breaking collaborationDespacito by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber, as well as James Arthur’s ballad Say You Won’t Let Go.
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