Kobalt promotions

29 July 2021 - Press release

Kobalt Promotes Stephanie Cox As Nashville GM 
Kobalt today announced the promotion of Stephanie Cox as general manager of the company’s Nashville office. Cox will oversee and manage Kobalt’s Nashville creative team and the office’s daily operations.

Previously, Cox was SVP, Creative where she helped build the company’s presence and roster in Nashville. Most recently she was instrumental in the signing and development of Michael Hardy (HARDY) who had multiple #1’s as a writer and having success as a recording artist for Big Loud Records.

Jeannette Perez, Chief Experience Officer of Kobalt said, “Since joining Kobalt in 2011, Stephanie has been a key player in the growth and success of Kobalt Nashville. Stephanie is known in the community to be a creative force. We’re confident her leadership will be critical in the further growth of Kobalt Nashville for our team, songwriters and partners.”

“I am thrilled to continue my career with one of the most innovative and progressive publishers in the world,” said Cox. “Getting to work with our amazing global creative staff and lead our Nashville office is an amazing opportunity and I am excited for the future.”

Cox started her career at Little Big Town Music, where she learned the art of developing songwriters and identifying career-defining songs for artists. She continued honing her skills at Reba McEntire’s Starstruck Entertainment where she was instrumental in establishing the hugely successful career of Grammy award-winning Mark D. Sanders. She went on to run the creative team at MCA Music and helped them win ASCAP’s prestigious Publisher of the Year award. After, Cox branched out to form Larga Vista Music where she achieved success with multiple #1 records with George Strait, Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, and The Band Perry. Her ability to find young talent and the tenacity needed to nurture and develop it led to her successful, long-lasting relationship with eight-time Grammy-nominee writer/artist Brandy Clark.

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Kobalt Promotes Jesse Willoughby To SVP of Business Development
Kobalt today announced the promotion of Jesse Willoughby as SVP of Business Development. Based in Nashville, Willoughby will be responsible for the strategic growth of Kobalt’s catalog via acquisitions, partnerships and high-value direct signings across all genres and markets.

Most recently, Willoughby was GM of Kobalt Nashville, where he led the development and operation of Kobalt’s Nashville business. Under Willougby's leadership, Kobalt’s Nashville footprint experienced incredible growth, securing such high profile deals and partnerships including Dierks Bentley, SMACK Songs, Little Louder Music founded by Eric Church and Arturo Buenahora, Young Guns, Ben Simonetti, Gordie Sampson and Tommy Lee James, Michael Hardy (HARDY) thru Relative Music, BOOM Music with Keith Urban and Ross Copperman. In addition, Willoughby secured deals with exciting up and coming artists such as Patrick Droney, Petey Martin, Jillian Jacqueline, Devon Gilfillian and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, among others.

Jeannette Perez, Chief Experience Officer of Kobalt said, “Jesse has been instrumental in establishing Kobalt as a top publisher in the Nashville community. We are excited for him to take on this new role where he will undoubtedly use his expertise and relationships to continue to drive Kobalt’s roster on a global level.” 

Willoughy said, “It’s been an honor to head the Nashville office for the last 5 years, I'm incredibly proud of what we were able to achieve during that time. I am looking forward to this new challenge and opportunity to further Kobalt's growth and impact on a global scale.”

Jesse Willoughby joined Kobalt in 2014 as Director of Business Development for KNR out of their LA office, growing the business significantly over the next two years with signings including Calvin Harris, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Shakira, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lukas Graham, A$AP Rocky among many others. After relocating to the Nashville office in 2015, he transitioned into the GM role of Kobalt Nashville in 2016, overseeing the day to day operations and management of Kobalt’s Nashville business.