(615) 997-0100 | zach@117group.com

Music is THE passion that drives Zach Farnum to work for his clients – ranging from Country Music Hall of Fame members Bobby Bare and Randy Travis to established hitmakers like David Nail and rising stars like Honey County, Drew Parker and Scooter Brown. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Nashville Association of Talent Directors, the Troubadour Society steering committee at the Country Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music and the Recording Academy. Music Icon Jerry Lee Lewis sums it up best: “His work ethic can’t be beat. Best I have ever had working with me.”

“I think I’ve packed a lot of effort into just a few years. I’m honored that people have taken chances working with me and I’m looking forward to the future. I love what I do. It’s not a job to me. It’s just life and a career and I plan on doing it forever.”

Though Zach’s primary forte is publicity, the Rhode Island native stresses that he is intrigued by many facets of the music business.

“I have a passion for connecting an artist’s brand and style across to fans and helping people connect with it. I love that we can create a brand with a human being that can literally move mountains. It amazes me that someone like Taylor Swift can walk into a hospital room and cheer up a kid dying of cancer and I love that Garth Brooks can throw ten concerts and raise a boat-load of money for a great cause. The whole concept of celebrity and what you can do with celebrity fascinates me – and helping that story to be told is what I want to be about.”

Zach began his career as a music journalist in college in Nashville where he began working for veteran publicists. Along the way, Zach would watch as other publicists and media professionals began to influence him and shape the way that he wanted to approach his craft.

What is that craft exactly? Giving the artist the avenues – and the platforms to tell their story. That’s what makes him tick. That’s what makes the 3:30am emails worth it.

“That’s the most exciting part of my job — the thought of being a catalyst for an artists’ success. It’s so much work and so much effort, and in a lot of ways there’s no strategy. There’s no one strategy that works for every artist, so it’s a lot of experimenting with new techniques and new outlets and new strategies and kind of throwing darts at a dart board and seeing what sticks.”

That feeling is the same – whether it’s a legendary act known the world over or a newcomer such as Karissa Ella or Joe Hanson.

“When you get the artist’s first big national TV debut or first Opry performance and you experience that success with them, there’s no greater feeling in the world than knowing that you helped put this new kid on the map in some way.

“We had Scooter Brown Band on the Huckabee TV show a couple years ago. That was big. That’s his audience. He reached a mass amount of his demographic and that’s a success story for him.”

“On the other side of the token, Kalie Shorr’s 2019 album Open Book was the only country record on the New York Times’ Best Albums list. That’s a huge deal for her and for us.”

Other success stories for Zach Farnum over the years has been his work in the October 2017 Jerry Lee Lewis tribute in Nashville that was part of the Skyville Live series. The evening featured performances from such “Killer” fans George Strait, Lee Ann Womack, and Chris Stapleton.” “To see major country artists paying tribute to him in a small, intimate setting was incredible. I think our team’s done a really good job of spotlighting the fact that he’s had a major, major career, not only in Rock & Roll, but also in Country.”

Another moment for which Zach Farnum is proud is his role in the Nashville tribute concert to Randy Travis in February 2017. “That will always be a pinch-me moment. It’s very humbling, because six years before that event I had no idea I’d even know Randy Travis, never mind get to work with him, you know? I think the fact … It doesn’t hit me until I’m lying in bed just reflecting on the day or reflecting on life. It doesn’t hit me that I get to work with these guys. I think it’s really important that there’s somebody beating a drum for those guys. It’s an honor. It’s an honor that they would trust me with their careers.”

So, for Zach Farnum and 117 Entertainment, that drum beat continues to resonate. It’s what keeps him spreading the word about his clients while travelling the world over, and going to work each morning. What is it like each time he sees that iconic skyline?

I just get that feeling of….home,” he says. “Nashville has become my home. Even though I wasn’t born here or raised here, it’s my home. Getting to be a part of the community here is one of the greatest feelings in the world. I couldn’t imagine my life anywhere else – or doing anything else!”