We recently connected with Carrie Lelwica and have shared our conversation below.
Carrie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
One of the nicest things that somebody has ever done for me is to refer me for a job opportunity, when they barely knew me and didn’t need to or have to.
At the same time, I was looking for a touring gig in 2019 and had been actively interviewing for a Production Assistant / VIP position with a country band. I made it to 5 rounds of interviews and, ultimately, they went with somebody internally that they knew.
The person who referred me for the other job is Todd Ortmeier. He was talking to a colleague and Touring Promoter, Brad Garrett, who was looking for a Production Assistant to work with him on the road with Justin Moore and Cody Johnson. This call came in the next day after I found out I did not get the Production Assistant / VIP position with the country band. The call I got was from Brad Garrett saying that Todd Ortmeier gave him my name and wanted to chat with me about a position with his company, Police Productions. Ultimately, I got the job, and here we are six years later! It was really thoughtful that Todd mentioned my name when he barely knew me and gave me a chance to truly soar into this role that I’m still currently in and very proud to be a part of the team at Police Productions as a Promoter Rep for Cody Johnson!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
My journey to Nashville began in college, where I worked as a Concert Coordinator while attending University of Minnesota Duluth and interned at local country radio station. A Minnesota native, I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and a dream to work in the music industry.
My decade-long career in Music City began in brand development launching the Influencer Program for apparel brand, Love Your Melon. I later hit the road, touring with Alison Krauss, Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes and more. For the last six years I have continued to work alongside Police Productions as a Promoter Rep. for Cody Johnson.
Each step in my career has led me to founding Soar Entertainment – an all-encompassing artist management and consulting firm in Nashville. Through Soar Entertainment, I work as an Artist Manager to Sean Stemaly, Sammy Arriaga & Stephen Paul. I also serve as a Day-To-Day Manager for Adam Sanders & Jenny Tolman.
Follow @CarrieLelwica + @soarentertainment | soar-entertainment.com
Services:
Soar Entertainment – Artist Management, Day-To-Day Management & Consulting
Touring Services – Promoter Rep/Production Assistant
Problem Solving:
Artist management overall is problem-solving, putting out fires and predicting problems before they arise. I think all of that can be solved through communication, teamwork and just being open minded to different perspectives.
What I am most proud of:
As far as one of the things I’m the most proud of, I’d say it is finally publicly launching Soar Entertainment in May of 2024. It’s been a long time dream of mine, and we’ve been a company for two years. I’m so excited to finally share Soar Entertainment with the world!
What I want followers/clients to know about Soar:
Soar Entertainment is an all-encompassing artist management and consulting firm that provides resources and support to our clients at every step of their career. Founded in 2022 by music industry veteran, Carrie Lelwica, our mission at Soar Entertainment is to empower artists to reach their full potential by helping them to create impactful, purposeful, and long-lasting careers.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My touring experience has been so important and influential in my career. For several years, starting in 2018, I’ve been on the road with various touring gigs and positions, including Alison Krauss, Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes & Police Productions with Cody Johnson and Justin Moore. I really believe that the tools and lessons I learned on the road paved the way for me as a Manager. Touring is such an important part of an artist business model, so it’s been a really great learning experience to be out there and be on the road. For me, I had a moment on the road in 2022 where I felt a shift. I was spending so much time in the touring space and I always said I felt like I was watering the wrong garden. The garden that was being watered was the touring garden, and the garden that wasn’t being watered was Soar Entertainment. Starting my business like that was not allowing my business to be watered enough, and you just can’t expect things to grow without spending time on it, nurturing it, and being thoughtful and intentional. After that, I scaled back a bit. It was in 2022 when I started really focusing on Soar Entertainment. We publicly launched in May of 2024 after a lot of time and getting things ready, how I wanted it to look and feel, and I think the timing of everything couldn’t have been more perfect. I’m really proud of the brand that we’ve introduced, the company that we are, and who we represent. I feel very grateful. It was a scary risk financially to walk away from different opportunities and amazing dream jobs to start my own company. However, I think it was a very important path that I took that led me to where we are today. I’m very grateful that I still have the wonderful opportunity to work with Police Productions with Cody Johnson’s tour as a Promoter Rep – that’s something that really brings joy to my heart. I’m very grateful to be a part of that team while still operating and managing artists through Soar Entertainment.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I’ve always had a foundation of friendship and trust between each client before I was ever working with the artist. Over the years, those friendships have been developed to grow and flourish. At some point in each individual partnership, there’s been a moment of like, “We should work together!” I’m very passionate about the clients that I have. I believe in them wholeheartedly, and I think that’s really important when you represent artists – to truly be a fan of their work and their art. That’s something I always hold close to me when I am taking on new clients. It’s important that we can truly be a champion and it’s not just a transaction or service. It’s something that really means more and goes deeper than that, and I truly believe in every single artist on our roster. I am very grateful to be a part of their journeys and help them soar!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soar-entertainment.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaXY-s5lV6W9AVDpP5A3Khn5rWGb1muyejc9R-vRic0cKFmQwa5LBgAV7o_aem_RRV4VLQ1uYMVOS-v9Kdn1A
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soarentertainment/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoarEntertainmentNash/
- Twitter: https://x.com/soarent
Image Credits
Carrie’s Headhshot – Randy Shaffer
Carrie & Stephen Paul Photo Credit: Evan De Stefano
Carrie, Jenny Tolman, Sammy Arriaga & Sydney Hannon – No photo credit
Cody Johnson Photo – Jay Trevino Photography
Carrie & Sean Stemaly – No photo credit
Carrie & Ashland Craft – No photo credit
Adam Sanders shoot – No photo credit
Carrie & Hunter Berry @ CMA’s – No photo credit
Cody Johnson Tour Photo – Jay Trevino Photography