Dierks Bentley’s Tour Manager Built a Water Brand to Save Music

Dierks Bentley’s Tour Manager Built a Water Brand to Save Music

Chris Thacker is the co-founder and CEO of Stage Water, a canned water brand built for the live music community. He is also a longtime tour manager for Dierks Bentley and has spent decades behind the scenes of the music industry leading teams, solving problems, and keeping major tours moving. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Chris Thacker shares how Stage Water launched, how the company became the official water of CMA Fest, and what most people do not understand about starting a beverage brand. We talk about the real business behind canned water, beverage distribution, co-packing, funding a startup, raising capital, giving equity to investors, building a brand with purpose, and why Stage Water gives back to the creative community. Chris also breaks down what he learned from years on the road with Dierks Bentley, how leadership changes when you are responsible for people, and why building something meaningful requires patience, risk, humility, and belief. This conversation is for entrepreneurs, founders, music industry professionals, artists, managers, creators, and anyone trying to build a business that actually stands for something. Watch more episodes of The Stephan Hogan Podcast for conversations on business, leadership, creativity, faith, ambition, failure, music, and the human stories behind success.verage Brand, Watch This https://www.countrypolitannashville.com https://www.studiobank.com/ https://stagewater.com/ https://www.simonsaysnashville.com/ Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

The Lost Art of Reinventing Yourself - Ben Montague

At some point, the dream changes. Ben Montague started as a musician chasing songs, shows, and the artist life. Then he found himself driving through the night after gigs, windows down just to stay awake, so he could open his guitar shop the next morning. That was the crossroads. Today, Ben owns Carter Vintage Guitars and Norman’s Rare Guitars. But the real story is not about guitars. It is about being able to shift gears and follow a new dream.  In this episode, Ben opens up about music, business, private equity, family pressure, acquiring Carter Vintage and Norman’s Rare Guitars, and the emotional cost of building something meaningful. This one is for musicians, creatives, founders, business owners, guitar lovers, and anyone who knows they may be standing at a turning point.  Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

When the Dream Becomes a Business

https://www.gofundme.com/f/stephanhoganpodcast Stephan sits down with Mitchell Tenpenny for a real conversation about fatherhood, grief, losing a parent, anger, therapy, phones, social media, AI, fake validation, human connection, and why live music still matters in a world full of content. Mitchell Tenpenny is known for songs like Drunk Me, Truth About You, At the End of a Bar, and his latest chapter as an artist, husband, and soon-to-be father. Mitchell Tenpenny is a multi-platinum country artist, songwriter, and performer with one of the most recognizable voices in modern country music. But this conversation goes far beyond the songs. Mitchell Tenpenny opens up about becoming a father, losing his dad, trying to be present, and the strange weight that comes with chasing something you love. He talks honestly about anxiety, performing live, protecting his voice, and the mental side of walking on stage when thousands of people are expecting you to deliver. Stephan Hogan and Mitchell Tenpenny also talk about what happens when the dream starts working. The number one songs, the pressure to keep going, the expectations, the business, and the moment the thing you love can start to feel like something you have to keep alive. At the center of the conversation is a question a lot of people eventually face: What do you do when the thing you love starts to feel heavy? Toward the end, Mitchell Tenpenny dives deeper into songwriting, Nashville, country music, why some writers get caught trying to impress other writers, and why the best songs are usually the ones that feel honest, simple, and human. Subscribe to The Stephan Hogan Podcast for more conversations with artists, songwriters, music executives, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders shaping the future of music, business, and culture. Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

Inside the Music Business Playbook - Kent Earls

Kent Earls is one of the music executives behind the scenes helping shape the songs, songwriters, artists, and careers people are talking about in Nashville. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Kent Earls sits down with Stephan to talk about the business behind the hits, from his time as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville to becoming partner at Verse 2 Music, the publishing company built with Kane Brown in partnership with Sony Music Publishing. We talk about Ella Langley, Joybeth Taylor, Verse 2 Music, Kane Brown, Sony Music Publishing Nashville, Nashville music publishing, songwriter development, artist development, creative partnerships, and how leverage is really built in the music business. But this conversation is bigger than country music. Kent shares what artists, songwriters, creatives, entrepreneurs, executives, and decision makers need to understand about trusting your gut, owning your value, choosing the right partners, building relationships, and creating long-term leverage before the deal ever happens. This is an inside look at how high-level music executives think, how publishing companies bet on talent, and how careers are built behind the scenes in Nashville. Topics covered: Kent Earls, Ella Langley, Joybeth Taylor, Verse 2 Music, Kane Brown, Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville, Nashville music business, music publishing, songwriter development, artist development, music executive, country music, creative entrepreneurship, business leverage, strategic partnerships, trusting your gut, and building value. Subscribe to The Stephan Hogan Podcast for more conversations with artists, songwriters, music executives, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders shaping the future of music, business, and culture. Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

The Truth Behind 20 Years of Fame - Jake Owen

Jake Owen has lived a lot of life since “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” The songs. The tours. The success. The public highs. The private lows. The reinvention. And all the things people search for when they want to understand the man behind the music: Jake Owen songs, Jake Owen tour, Jake Owen music, Jake Owen age, Jake Owen married, and yes, even Barefoot Blue Jean Night lyrics. But this conversation is about the part you do not always see. It is about what happens when bitterness starts taking up space in your life. When success does not heal what you thought it would. When the music business gives you so much of what you prayed for, but you still have to decide what kind of man you are going to become. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Jake Owen talks about letting go, staying grounded, faith, fatherhood, fame, country music, and learning how to stop carrying things that only make life heavier. From “Anywhere With You” and “Beachin’” to “Best Thing Since Backroads,” Jake has built the kind of career most artists dream about. But 20 years after fame, the real story might not be the hits. It might be the healing. Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: Subscribe for more blueprints on creative wealth. https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production