Nashville’s Not Just Country 2025

Nashville’s Not Just Country is a proclamation to the city that made us.

A special editorial series in partnership with Pinnacle Financial Partners

In a city that is growing exponentially, this special series was created to focus on those helping to ensure community is made better as we climb. Our first edition of Nashville’s Not Just Country, we curated a list of people we knew were doing amazing work in the city. This year, we placed the selection process in the hands of our readers, allowing them to share people they felt needed to be celebrated for their service and community work. People working in front of and behind the scenes to expand the narrative on how we live, work, and experience Nashville.

Jada Thompson was our featured writer and a talented, emerging voice in this city. She thoughtfully delved into each of the nominees’ stories through interviews, research, and the glowing written recommendations we received through the nomination process.

The shoot was held in the gorgeous home of Nashville’s favorite DJ and Founder of the g2Experience, Gary Steven Whitlow. It was the perfect blend of modern meets African American culture from the thoughtful tribal design pieces, bold but simplistic color palettes, to the beautiful artwork and lighting fixtures. The home was also designed by HGTV favorite and Nashville local Laureen Maak.

Capturing the visuals was none other than LeXander Bryant, a true artist and photographer who is one of the easiest creatives to work with. LeXander was able to gain an accurate assessment of what we were looking for and delivered seamlessly. Emmanuel LeGrair was also on hand to help shape the shoot’s creative direction as only he can. A stylist and creator of The Commonwealth, Emmanuel brought his eye for design to provide the added elevation we needed. Joel Williams of Music City Dreams Media, was our videographer and had the opportunity to bring out the good vibes that were flowing during the shoot.

We also had a special collaboration with Imogene + Willie. A Nashville-based apparel brand located in 12 South and known for its natural sustainability efforts. Each of our featured nominees was styled in an Imogene + Willie look, including their featured Cotton Project T-shirts. A project for the brand, mission years in the making, built on an inspired goal: creating garments that cover as little ground. Each t-shirt featured was crafted within a 400-mile radius of the brand’s home in Nashville.

As you can see, our goal is to always bring you a look into Nashville in a thoughtful, visually appealing way that just makes you smile. We hope you enjoy.