15th Anniversary Celebration
Event Details
Dates: Wednesday, November 9th - Friday, November 11th
Location: The Graduate Hotel - Nashville, TN
Overview: When Wedgwood launched 15 years ago, we would never have guessed that we'd have opportunities to support over 100 recording artists who are being heard by over 20 millions monthly listeners on Spotify in 2022. We've also formed a dynamic, faith-fueled community of patrons and artists. Now, what does the future of investing in entertainment look like? Join us in Nashville for a Wedgwood birthday celebration with our visionary founders and set sights on the next wave of strategic investment in music, film, TV, theatre, publishing, and platforms.
The Schedule
Wednesday, November 9th: “Wedgwood @ 15” @ The Graduate Hotel
101 20th Ave N. | Nashville, TN 37203
5:00PM to 6:00PM Opening Night Reception (White Limozeen Restaurant)
6:00PM to 6:15PM Welcome and Introductions
6:15PM to 7:30PM Dinner
8:00PM to 10:00PM Drinks, Dessert & Live Music
Thursday, November 10th (Day): Panels & Presentations@ The Belcourt
2102 Belcourt Ave | Nashville, TN 37212
9:00AM to 10:15AM Session #1 (Investing in Theatre)
10:30AM to NOON Session #2 (Investing in Film & TV)
NOON to 1:15PM Lunch Break
1:30PM to 3:00PM Session #3 (Emerging Platforms for Distribution)
3:15PM to 4:30PM Session #4: (Case Study – The Wingfeather Saga)
Thursday, November 10th (Evening): “Wedgwood @ 20 - the Next Five years” @ The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
2020 Belmont Blvd. | Nashville, TN 37212
***The most convenient garage will be the South Garage and the best GPS address to use is 1521 Compton Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212. Click for map
5:45PM Bus will leave the hotel for The Fisher Center
6:00PM to 7:00PM Reception (The Grand Foyer)
7:00PM to 8:00PM Dinner (Paisley Ballroom)
8:00PM to 9:30PM Music Showcase featuring: (Paisley Ballroom)
Sam Ashworth + Ruby Amanfu
Charlie Peacock + Jac Thompson
Friday, November 11th: “Where Do We Go From Here” @ The Graduate Hotel
101 20th Ave N. | Nashville, TN 37203
7:00AM to 8:30AM Breakfast (Hippodrome Ballroom + Terrace)
8:30AM to 10:30AM Concluding Session (Hippodrome Ballroom + Terrace)
“The Future of Investing & Patronage”
Theatre Session Panelists + Presenters
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Kelley Nicole Girod was recently appointed Director of New Work at the world famous Apollo theater. In addition Kelley continues to serve as Executive Director of OBIE award-winning 'The Fire This Time Festival' which she founded in 2009. Kelley Nicole Girod is also an award-winning playwright (2021 Sundance IDP Grant Recipient, Atlantic Launch New Play Commission 2019, Sheen Center Fellow 2019, Stein and Liberace Fellow 2007, John Golden Fellow 2008) whose work has been developed/presented at Atlantic Theater Company, Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, The Fire This Time Festival, Harlem 9, Primary Stages, Project Y, Poetic Theater Productions, Classical Theater of Harlem, Frigid NYC, Planet Connections Theater Festival, The Field, Dixon Place, and Stanford University’s TAPS Program. She is a 2020 nominee of the prestigious Paul Robeson Award. Kelley has also served as a guest lecturer at Yale School for Drama, Stanford University’s Theater Department, and Cal State, Fullerton. Kelley has also held the positions of Programming Associate at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, and served as Producing Director at The Billie Holiday Theater from 2014-2015. In addition, Kelley is Editor of The Fire This Time Festival’s first anthology of plays published with Bloomsbury UK/Methuen Drama titled “25 Plays from The Fire This Time Festival, A Decade of Recognition, Resistance, Rebirth and Black Theater.” Kelley is a 2008 Graduate of Columbia's MFA Playwriting Program.
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Wayne Kirkpatrick penned 52 songs with his brother Karey for the rousing Broadway musical comedy, Something’s Rotten. This Shakespearean satire garnered 10 Tony nominations in 2015 and continues to be performed around the world. Wayne’s adaptation of Mrs. Doubtfire the Musical premiered on Broadway during the pandemic and has just opened on British stages.
Many know Wayne Kirkpatrick from his 1996 Grammy Award winning song of the year, “Change the World”, recorded by Babyface and Eric Clapton. Wayne has had over 200 songs recorded in the last 30 years. He has enjoyed Pop, Country, R&B, and CCM success with songs such as:
“Every Heartbeat” and “Good For Me” by Amy Grant, “Place In This World” by Michael W. Smith as well as recordings by Don Henley, Wynonna, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Tyler Hilton, Gabe Dixon, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Joe Cocker, Garth Brooks, and Bonnie Raitt. He has produced and written three Little Big Town records, yielding such top ten hits as “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “A Little More You” and “Little White Church”.
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Bruce D. Long has produced on Broadway, Off-Broadway and on London’s West End where his affiliated productions have garnered four Tony Awards and two Oliver Awards while collecting 15 Tony Award nominations and eight Olivier Award nominations.He is the new Executive Director of CITA, an original member of the Artist Formation Group with the Brehm Center at Fuller Theological Seminary, a Theatre Liaison with Wedgwood Circle, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Alabama School of the Arts and has been a member of The Broadway League the national trade association for the Broadway industry.He is a graduate of University of Mobile, Regent University (2019 Alumnus of the Year) and the Commercial Theatre Institute’s Advanced Program for Commercial Producers and Managers as well as the CTI-O’Neil Theater Center Summer Producing Intensive working directly with playwrights in the National Playwrights Conference and the National Music Theater Conference.
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A. S. “Pete” Peterson is the author of the Revolutionary War adventure The Fiddler’s Gun and its sequel Fiddler’s Green as well as a numerous of short stories. As a playwright he has published the Civil War musical The Battle of Franklin (first produced by Studio Tenn in 2016 and revived in 2017), a critically-acclaimed stage adaptation of Frankenstein (produced by Studio Tenn in 2018, winner of the First Night Honor for Outstanding Original Work), and The Hiding Place (finalist for Best New Production, 2020 Houston Theater Awards), which received its world premier production from A. D. Players in 2019. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Nashville where he is the Executive Director of the Rabbit Room, Managing Editor of Rabbit Room Press, and Artistic Director of Rabbit Room Theatre
Emerging Platforms for Distribution Panelists (Part I)
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Rich Peluso is the Executive Vice President and Head of AFFIRM Films, AFFIRM Television and AFFIRM Originals, divisions of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) focused on the development, production, acquisition, distribution and marketing of faith-based and inspirational films and television content.
AFFIRM content spans a wide range of genres and budgets and enjoy the various global distribution platforms at SPE including theatrical, television, streaming, non-theatrical exhibition and home entertainment.
Peluso reports to Steve Bersch, President, ScreenGems/Sony Pictures.
Peluso works with writers, directors and independent producers at various stages of production from concept and script, through production and completion, to produce and distribute quality entertainment that inspires, uplifts, challenges and captivates.
Recent films he has worked on include SHOW ME THE FATHER, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, OVERCOMER, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, SOUL SURFER, RISEN, MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN, COURAGEOUS, FIREPROOF, WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL, MOMS’ NIGHT OUT, ALL SAINTS, THE STAR, PAUL APOSTLE OF CHRIST and #1 box office hit WAR ROOM. Upcoming projects include 3 features and 3 TV series premiering on the Pure Flix service, and FOREMAN, the life story of George Foreman hitting theaters worldwide March 31, 2023.
Peluso has led AFFIRM Films since its inception in 2007 and launched AFFIRM Television in January 2020 and AFFIRM Originals in 2021. Over the last 14 years AFFIRM Films has earned 6 coveted A+ CinemaScore© ratings (SOUL SURFER, COURAGEOUS, WAR ROOM, MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN, OVERCOMER and SHOW ME THE FATHER) and exceeded $650 million in worldwide box-office making it the largest and most successful faith-based film studio in the world.
Prior to joining Sony Pictures Entertainment, Peluso served 15 years at EMI Christian Music Group/EMI Music (now known as Capitol Christian/Universal Music) as the president of EMI CMG. He was also president of The Safe Side Company, a children’s entertainment company founded by John Walsh (Host of America’s Most Wanted) and Julie Clark (Founder of The Baby Einstein Company).
He lives in Leiper’s Fork, TN with his wife and commutes to his office at Sony Pictures in Culver City, CA.
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Erick Goss is the CEO and Co-Founder of Minno, a Nashville-based media and technology company focused on serving Christian kids and families through an ad-free subscription-video-on-demand platform, parent resource blog and children’s book publishing program, anchored by the best-selling Laugh and Learn Bible for Kids.
Erick earned a reputation as an innovator in digital marketing at a little company called, Amazon, where he was instrumental in launching Amazon’s first e-book and print-on-demand businesses, Amazon’s Visa Card, and the now-famous Super Saver Shipping program, and he later served as Chief Marketing Officer at Magazines.com.
This expertise, coupled with his passion for ministry, led Erick to co-found Creative Trust Ventures—where he ran JellyTelly and launched the best-selling video series “Buck Denver Asks...What’s in the Bible?” — a success that led him to create Minno.
Erick began his career in the U.S. Navy, where he served as a helicopter pilot and later as a spokesperson at the Pentagon. But it was the the U.S. Naval Academy that was the foundation of his journey, preparing him for leadership in the military and in the private sector.
In addition to Minno, he is an Adjunct Professor for Digital Marketing at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. And, he and his wife, and their three daughters live in Nashville where they are active in their local church. Goss is also involved with the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work.
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Erik Petrik was born and raised hunting, fishing, and skiing in Colorado. At 18 he traded the Colorado Rockies for Hollywood, California. With below average acting skills but a penchant for good decision making behind the camera, Erik became an assistant to British director, Peter Hunt and learned the craft of film making & story telling. He worked on—and even appeared in— films, a few MTV music videos, and an HBO TV series. Erik later returned to the University of Colorado Boulder to study film under Stan Brakhage and received a BA in Literature and Film.
While at CU Boulder, Petrik developed an interest in Christianity and decided to pursue his faith as a graduate student at Dallas Seminary. He earned his ThM as well as the role of Director of Spiritual Formation at DTS which allowed Erik to refine his story telling skills as a writer, teacher, and speaker. After nearly ten years in Dallas, Erik moved his family to Vail, Colorado in 2000 where he served as the Senior Pastor of The Vail Church. Erik’s pastoral talent rivaled those of his acting skills so in 2006, he stepped away from the pastorate and into the role of Chief Creative officer for a public software company (PGI-NSYE).
He started and led the company’s brand and creative studio in Austin, Tx. From 2006 until the company sold in 2016, Erik’s studio wrote, produced, & directed hundreds of commercials, documentaries, and short films. In 2020 Erik joined Christianity Today as their Chief Creative officer and Executive Producer for CT Media. The most significant information about Erik is that he’s been married to Kelli for 34 years and raised five kids who are mature adults. Erik and Kelli live in a cabin in the woods near Edwards, Colorado.
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Jordan Harmon is Co-Founder of Angel Studios, the leading alternative to Hollywood telling stories that amplify light. Distributing crowdfunded hits like THE CHOSEN, WINGFEATHER SAGA, the TUTTLE TWINS, and DRY BAR COMEDY, Angel is empowering creators to fund and distribute their own content using the Community Video on Demand, or CVOD model. CVOD creates engaged communities around each entertainment project that keeps fans engaged for the long haul.
Prior to Angel, Harmon served as co-founder and VP of Marketing at Cove, a professional home security system with the price and convenience of do-it-yourself technology. Beginning his career as one of the founders of Status King—a Facebook app that reached over 400,000 active users within 12 months—he learned to identify consumers with SEO. Harmon then moved to FamilyLink.com where he helped pioneer the online family history industry. Harmon also brought his SEO expertise to bear on behalf of Boostability, American Promotions, and VidAngel, where he was a co-founder and later Chief Marketing Officer.
Emerging Platforms for Distribution Panelists (Part II)
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Allison Trowbridge is the founder and CEO of Copper (www.copperbooks.com), a social platform that connects authors and readers in meaningful community around books. She's also the host of "Pub Date," a podcast that interviews authors during their book launches. Allison published her own book, “Twenty-Two: Letters to a Young Woman Searching for Meaning” in 2017 with HarperCollins while completing her MBA at the University of Oxford. She became passionate about publishing after witnessing a handful of books ignite the global anti-slavery movement, where she worked for nearly a decade leading marketing, fundraising, and international campaigns at Not For Sale, the Freedom Fund, and as a partner at an impact investment fund, Just Business.ription text goes here
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After a decade producing TV documentaries, Pascal founded Noiser, an award-winning podcast network with an audience of over 7 million monthly listeners. Pascal is an expert in the podcast landscape, with a detailed knowledge of production, distribution and monetisation.
Bristol based Noiser is a podcast production company which, in just over a year since it started, has regularly topped the podcast charts internationally and recently signed a first look deal with Spotify’s Parcast.
Noiser was set up in 2020 by Pascal Hughes, whose background is making history television programmes at the BBC and for American networks such as Discovery and National Geographic.
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Greg Lutze is a mixed-race Asian American artist with interests in a variety of creative pursuits including design, photography, music, painting, fragrance and fashion.
Greg is the Co-Founder of VSCO, a membership of creative tools, education, and community that has been named Apple’s “App of the Year,” Google Play’s “Best Apps” and Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in Social Media.” Currently, his focus lies in Plaza, a platform of collaborative spaces for research and ideation, and Table, a celebration of contemporary Asian and Pacific Islander artists.
He is a member of Gold House, a non-profit collective of Asian & Pacific Islander founders, creative voices, and leaders; a venture partner at Hidden, investing in the future of creative work; and a mentor at Praxis Labs, a creative engine supporting innovators motivated to love their neighbors and renew culture.
Greg serves as an advisor to creative startups Self & Chroma.
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Christopher Priebe has over 20 years of innovation on the Internet with an emphasis on safety, community and discipleship. He created an early community for Trinity Western University one year before Facebook. Then helped his brother build Club Penguin to over 300 million users with a focus on safety. His innovations in safety led to the creation of the largest chat filter technology company, protecting over 1 trillion human interactions a year from bullying, hate and abuse. Having sold that to Microsoft in 2021 he is now creating a new platform for interactive fanfiction. Here he hopes to transform a generation through meaningful storytelling around brands kids love.
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Mark has been involved in the production of graphic novels, young adult fiction, computer games, concerts, documentaries and films. Through his endeavors he has worked closely with artists as diverse as Michael W. Smith, Bono and The Fray. Mark has worked with entertainment companies such as Walden Media, Electronic Arts, Disney and Roadside Attractions, addressing issues including human trafficking, animal cruelty, global poverty and restorative justice. He launched a joint venture called Cave Capital, through which he has served as an executive or associate producer on several films, including Waiting for the Miracle to Come, which stars Willie Nelson and is executive produced by Bono and Wim Wenders. Cave was an investor in Martin Scorsese's Silence, based on a Japanese novel of the persecution of Christians in the early 17th century. Through another startup, More Productions, he served as producer of an off Broadway production of Babette's Feast, and as a producing partner of the only concert held annually in Central Park, Global Citizen.
The Wingfeather Saga (a case study)
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Recording artist, songwriter, producer, filmmaker, publisher and award-winning author of The Wingfeather Saga, Andrew Peterson’s is also founder and president of The Rabbit Room, which has published thirty books to date and fosters community and spiritual formation through music, story and art. Recently launching the film and TV production company, Shining Isle Productions, to produce an animated film based on his bestselling books, his The Warden and the Wolf King (2014) won Children’s Book of the Year in 2015 from WORLD Magazine.
Known for songs like “Dancing In The Minefields,” “Be Kind To Yourself,” "Is He Worthy,” "Don't You Want To Thank Someone," “The Silence Of God,” "Nothing To Say," “You'll Find Your Way” and more, Peterson has also been named “one of the foremost singer/songwriters around” and has received multiple “best album of the year” nods from critics along with three Dove Award nominations.
Drawing capacity crowds at venues around the world, including numerous sold-out events at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, his annual Christmas tour celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019 with an all new recording of the bestselling album, Behold the Lamb of God.
Married for over 25 years to his wife Jamie, with whom they have three children, Andrew keeps bees, builds dry stack stone walls, gardens, draws and sleeps in his spare time.
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Chris is a creator of family and faith-infused entertainment and spent over a decade producing 16 movies for the venerated VeggieTales franchise. His career in animation began with Max Lucado’s “You Are Special” direct-to-video special. He is also creator of the acclaimed “Slugs & Bugs Show” with Brentwood Studios and RightNow Media. Chris is passionate about creating content that will serve families with stories of truth and beauty. He lives in Franklin, TN with his wife and six kids. His company is currently producing season one of The Wingfeather Saga animated series, in partnership with Angel Studios. Wingfeather Saga Season 1 Releases Winter 2022-23.
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Began his career by leading VeggieTales live events and tours. Brock has advised and produced content for leading children’s educational brands, has launched businesses, and holds a Masters degree from Victoria University in Wellington New Zealand where he researched the roles of strategic relationships amongst technology startups. For the past 10+ years, he has served as Partner at Brentwood Studios where he has advised clients in the areas of strategy, partnerships, and product development and serves as Co-creator and Executive Producer of new media properties including Michael W Smith's children's brand Nurturing Steps and The Slugs & Bugs Show. In 2021 he began serving as COO and EP for The Wingfeather Saga animated series with Shining Isle Productions, and in partnership with Angel Studios. Wingfeather Saga Season 1 Releases Winter 2022-23.
Music Lineup for Thursday Night
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RUBY AMANFU is a Ghana-born recording artist, music producer, and Grammy, Soul Train, and BET Award-nominated songwriter. Her accolades include co-writing the Grammy-nominated songs "Hard Place" for the artist H.E.R. and "A Beautiful Noise" for artists Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile. Amanfu is a songwriter and music producer for the ABC hit series QUEENS and has written the songs "Hear Me," "Until My Final Breath," and "Tomorrow's Another Day" for Brandy and "Love Still Finds Us" for Naturi Naughton. Outside of her music career, Amanfu is an actress (Nashville), the current president of the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy (NARAS), and an Artist ambassador for the beauty brand No.7.
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In 2020, SAM ASHWORTH was nominated for Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Album of the Year – the fruit of his collaboration with H.E.R., including the breakout Top-40 hit, "Hard Place." The following year, Sam received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations in the Best Original Song category for "Speak Now" from One Night In Miami. Along with co-writer Leslie Odom Jr., Sam took home the Critics' Choice Award for Best Song. In 2022, Sam was back at the Grammys with a nomination for Best Song Written For Visual Media. Additional credits include Fortnite (Gaming), Black-ish (Network Television), Tommy Hilfiger (Ad Campaign), and The Photograph (Film Drama). Sam's music is represented by the Universal Music Publishing Group.
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CHARLIE PEACOCK is a songwriter/composer, producer, recording artist, and a former executive and A&R director for Sony/ATV Music Publishing and EMI Music. Charlie is responsible for developing and producing the Grammy Award-winning Americana-Folk duo The Civil Wars and the Modern Rock band Switchfoot. He has produced a wide range of music for film and television, including A Walk To Remember, Chris Cornell's "Misery Chain" from the soundtrack of Twelve Years a Slave, and "Hush," the title theme to the AMC drama, Turn: Washington's Spies, featuring Joy Williams and The National's Matt Berninger. Charlie is a co-founder of Wedgwood Circle, Art House America, and the founder/director emeritus of the Commercial Music Program at the School of Music, Lipscomb University. He is currently developing the series, REDBONE, a western drama represented by the Creative Artists Agency.
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JAC THOMPSON is a Nashville-based, independent singer/songwriter releasing her self-titled E.P. in 2023. Thompson's "ethereal Americana" sound (Glide Magazine), co-produced by Thompson and Logan Matheny, blurs the line between digital sound design and manipulated acoustic instruments, creating a unique soundscape beneath Thompson’s self-assured vocal. Inspired by the likes of Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Randy Newman, Jac Thompson takes center stage as she debuts on the Nashville scene.
In anticipation of Thompson's debut E.P., listen to the singles: "Will And Testament" & "Pull My Chute”