NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess) – Kelli Haywood and Leigh Holt, industry veterans and entrepreneurs, have announced the launch of their new company, Hsquared Management, based in Nashville. The company aims to transcend genres by leveraging Haywood and Holt’s combined 25 years of industry experience. Their collaboration combines the artist rosters from their respective companies, KCH Entertainment and Maddjett. They have also revealed their first joint signing, Capitol Christian Music Group’s (CCMG) singer/songwriter Riley Clemmons.
Haywood and Holt initially met as executives at Warner Music Nashville (WMN) and have now joined forces. As female entrepreneurs, they believe that their collaboration is a natural progression, having supported each other over the years.
“We’ve leaned on each other a lot over the years,” says Haywood, “So this partnership was a very natural, easy step. Neither of us needed to change what we were doing, but it became apparent that we’re even better working together and that our combined experience and talents would be beneficial to all of our clients.”
“I am excited to launch Hsquared with Kelli because it signifies two strong teams coming together to provide amazing service to our artists and authors,” echoed Holt. “The symbolism of “H2″ for hydrogen was meaningful to us because hydrogen is the main ingredient in rocket fuel, which is how we power our artists’ careers and growth paths. And the number two signifies two strong leaders joining forces to build a formidable management company that can service the full breadth of the needs our clients have – from brand development, product launches, marketing strategies, touring, record and book deals, merchandise, podcasts, digital, and more – we are situated to build for the future.”
Haywood, with a background in radio promotion and digital media and as the VP of Brand Management at WMN, has worked with artists such as Blake Shelton, Big & Rich, Faith Hill, and many others. She was recognized in Billboard’s Top 30 Under 30 and later joined Starstruck Management Group as Marketing and Partnerships Vice President (VP). In 2019, she ventured into entertainment with KCH Entertainment, managing New York Times bestselling author and podcaster Annie F. Downs and other notable clients.
On the other hand, Holt left her role as the VP of Strategic Partnerships at WMN to launch Maddjett, a full-service agency. Maddjett’s diverse roster of clients and projects has included Hunter Hayes, Oprah’s “The Life You Want Weekend,” Pepsi MidAmerica, and many others. In 2015, Holt launched the artist management arm of Maddjett and has been influential in the industry. The company holds three Guinness Book World Records and represents artists like Lauren Daigle, Demi Leigh Tebow, Lizzie Morgan, and Megan Danielle.
