Music business majors Caylee North and Alessandra Alegre saw the need for an outlet to make Music Row accessible to Belmont students while still working on their degree.
Bear House Writer Management is Belmont’s very own student-operated writer management program. The organization acts as an avenue for ambitious student-songwriters to hone their skills and to give students interested in management a one-on-one experience working with songwriters.
“I wanted a way for the best writers to be set above other Belmont writers…it’s so hard to find talent here because everyone is talented, and I just wanted it to be easier for the industry to find talented writers,” said North, the president and founder.
The management team at Bear House is dedicated to meeting songwriters where they are and helping them grow in their craft. One of its objectives is to “see Belmont writers reach their greatest potential at Belmont,” she said.
The group, which launched in the spring, hopes to create a real-world experience for students before graduation.
Each writer is assigned a manager with whom they work closely. Creative director Kristoff Hart, a junior music business major, described the Bear House model as being different from that of the typical publishing company.
The manager’s job involves, “helping to develop the writers we have, helping them to grow in their writing, and constantly meeting with different professionals on Music Row so that I can kind of get a feel for the industry and bring that back to the writers so they know where they need to be going with their writing,” he said.
Though it is a songwriter’s management group by description, they are searching for all types of expertise, whether that be in writing, management, marketing or publicity, North said.
“We’re taking up people who want to work hard and are really excited about a long term commitment to music and working in the industry,” she said.
Although Bear House is an organization just getting on its feet, the founding members are hopeful for its future. “We hope for Bear House to develop into something that’s just as connected to Nashville as it is to Belmont,” vice president Alessandra Alegre said.
Applications for Bear House Writer Management is Belmont are open until Sept. 24. More information can be found on their BruinLink page.
This article was written by Jackie Zeisloft and Paula Ramirez.