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WeWork has announced an all-star panel of celebrity judges to participate in the Nashville Creator Awards, taking place on September 13 at Marathon Music Works.
Famed actor and investor Ashton Kutcher will be joined by his Sound Ventures partner, Guy Oseary, in addition to superstar duo Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line, and members of the Maverick Nashville entertainment group.
"I love a competition that supports entrepreneurs, startups, non-profits, and musicians who want to change the world and make it better," Kutcher says. "I also love Nashville and am thrilled to play a part in honoring talented and impactful creators in this community."
Having had over a decade of success in investing in the startup world with companies such as Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify, Kutcher and Oseary are natural partners for WeWork's Nashville Creator Awards. The Creator Awards is a major global initiative established in 2017 by WeWork to recognize and reward the creators of the worldacross all industries and all stages of growthby committing funding to entrepreneurs, small businesses, growing companies, nonprofits, performing artists, and more.
"WeWork is one of my favorite companies in the world. From the moment I set foot in my first WeWork, I was impressed and inspired by the community and support system that they are building within the workplace," Oseary says. "Initiatives like the Creator Awards celebrate that community, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it."
Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of superstar duo Florida Georgia Linecurrently leading the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with their record-breaking collaboration, "Meant to Be" with Bebe Rexhawill be featured judges at the Nashville Creator Awards, as well. As Billboard's first-ever "Trailblazer Award" recipients, Hubbard and Kelley have successfully launched Old Camp Peach Pecan Whiskey, as well as FGL HOUSE, meet + greet, Tree Vibez Music, and Tribe Kelley, making them a great fit to round out the judging panel.
The Maverick Nashville teammade up of Chief Zaruk, Seth England, and Clarence Spaldinghas also joined on in support of this exciting event.
"Nashville is growing very fast. Country music is at the heart of this city, but I also believe it can one day be a center for business innovation, which is why I'm very excited to be supporting the startup community here at the Nashville Creator Awards," England says. "We are happy to see the people of this region being recognized and celebrated for their entrepreneurial minds," adds Spaulding.
Finalists are chosen from a pool of thousands of applicants from across the Eastern United States, Puerto Rico, and Ontario. (The Peach Truck, a Nashville-based peach distribution company, and Nashville musician Melanie Faye, have been selected as finalists for the Nashville Creator Awards, chosen from a pool of more than 1,700 applicants.) At the event, they will pitch their idea, business model, and/or organization before a live audience, competing for funding, with prizes ranging from $18,000 to $360,000.
Since March 2017, WeWork has hosted more than 27,000 attendees and given away millions of dollars to nearly 200 winners across 11 Creator Awards Regional Semi-Final events around the globe, plus one Global Finals event in New York City in January 2018.
The event will be a celebration of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity, with attendees having the opportunity to shop local member and non-member products at the pop-up market and make connections at the job fair in partnership with Jobbio. In addition to the pitching, the second half of the evening will feature the announcement of the winners and live musical performances, followed by a celebration into the night.
For more information and to RSVP, visit nashvillersvp.splashthat.com.