Kustelski ETIX CEO

Joe Kustelski, who helped shape the early strategy for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, and has more recently been a principal in the ETIX Rockhouse Partners team here, has been named ETIX CEO. Release here.

Rockhouse to run State Fair

Start-up Rockhouse Partners will run the Tennessee State Fair this year, according to the Tennessean, online this afternoon. Rockhouse is the music- and entertainment-oriented venture launched by several alumni of Echomusic, as reported by VNC. Rockhouse principal Chrysty Fortner might be in charge, as she directs festivals for Rockhouse.

Rockhouse names first clients

Rockhouse Partners, the new interactive agency formed by former Echomusic execs, said in a release today its initial clients include C3 Presents (Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Music Festival); Lance Armstrong and the RadioShack Pro Cycling Team, Next BIG Nashville and Tennessee State Fair, and Nashville interactive agency Redpepper. Rockhouse says its target clients are sponsorship brokers, live entertainment properties, brands and their agencies, sports entities, advertising and marketing firms, and media companies. VNC's earlier story on Rockhouse.

Entrepreneur Center Search update

Nashville Technology Council CEO Tod Fetherling tells VNC that Entrepreneur Center supporters have done well enough, already, to surpass their initial $200K target for raising money to enable the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce-linked EC to proceed with hiring its first executive director. Further, said Fetherling, there's now a strong field of candidates and someone could well be in-place by late January, and possibly announced even sooner. Fetherling said that Janet Miller has led the fundraising, with Fetherling and EC Project Manager Joe Kustelski also contributing to the effort.

Rockhouse launch

Nashville Entrepreneur Center (NEC) Project Manager Joe Kustelski and former colleagues at Echomedia (now part of Ticketmaster, and mostly in LA) have a new venture, Rockhouse Partners, that's focused on data-driven brand and marketing supporting for sports, music, entertainment venues, sponsors, et al. The VNC story's here.