What is CTM?
Founded in 1989 by Dan Raines as an entertainment management company, Creative Trust, Inc has established itself as an effective career development partner for some of the most talented artists and producers in the market over the past 20 years including Grammy award-winning platinum artists Steven Curtis Chapman and Third Day, veteran producer Brown Bannister, Michael Card, Charlie Peacock, Paul Brandt and Brandon Heath among others.
CT clients and partners have received an unprecedented number of industry and consumer awards including over 100 Grammy, Juno, Dove and literary awards and have sold over 25 million records, 22 million books, and 45 million videos.
In 2007, Creative Trust established a sister company with the express purpose of developing and marketing next generation media properties. Creative Trust Media has strategic partnerships with Ted Dekker, Steve Taylor Presents, Phil Vischer’s Jellyfish Labs, and EMI Christian Music Group. In June 2007, CTM closed a three-picture development and distribution deal with Lionsgate based on selected Ted Dekker novels. In late 2007, CTM orchestrated the acquisition of House for Lionsgate. The film is based upon the best selling novel House (by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti) and was shot in Poland. House was released in theaters domestically in November 2008.
CTM’s current projects include:
Phil Vischer’s Jellyfish Labs’ What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver
Convergence: Where Faith and Life Meet in conjunction with EMI Christian Music Group
Steve Taylor Presents Blue Like Jazz: the Movie
Who is CTM?
Dan Raines, President
Dan Raines is the founder and president of Creative Trust, Inc., In the 1990s, CT formed RBI Entertainment, a music publishing joint venture with Brown Bannister. RBI developed a catalog of songs recorded by Babyface, Garth Brooks, Cher, Diamond Rio, Amy Grant, Wynonna, and Tricia Yearwood. In 1997, RBI was awarded the Grammy Song of the Year for “Change The World,” recorded by Eric Clapton for the movie Phenomenon starring John Travolta. CT is known for producing some of the most successful concerts and events in the business, often breaking into Pollstar’s Top 100 best-selling shows for the touring industry at large. CT has also pioneered successful artist and tour partnerships with commercial and charitable sponsors including Chevrolet, World Vision, Habitat for Humanity, Prison Fellowship, Family Christian Stores, and Lifeway.
Erick Goss, Co-Managing Partner
Erick Goss joined Creative Trust in February 2008. Prior to Creative Trust, Mr. Goss was the Vice-President of Marketing at Magazines.com, the leading online provider of print magazine subscriptions. He was responsible for all revenue-generating activities including marketing, merchandising, business development, product development and call center operations. Before joining Magazines.com, Mr. Goss spent seven years working for Amazon.com performing in a number of roles including managing US and Canadian Book Buying, Marketing Data Mining, Customer Loyalty & Retention, and Books Product Management. Prior to Amazon, he served in the U.S. Navy as a naval aviator and Pentagon spokesperson. Mr. Goss graduated with honors from the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in Computer Science. He has an MBA with honors from the University of Michigan and a M.A. in International Relations with honors from Troy University. He serves as an Adjunct Professor for Internet Marketing at the Owen School of Management, Vanderbilt University.
Scott Lewis, Co-Managing Partner
Scott Lewis is the newest member of the Creative Trust Media team. He comes with many years of executive leadership and development experience and will serve as a Partner overseeing Business Development. Prior to joining Creative Trust Media, Scott served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for International Justice Mission. IJM is a Washington DC based human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression in developing countries. Before joining IJM in 2006, Mr. Lewis built a distinguished 21-year career with Young Life, a Christian organization that guides adolescents to grow in faith by providing strong, positive influences through caring adults. Mr. Lewis served Young Life as Area and Regional Director in Washington state and as Senior Campaign Director in a $14.3 million capital campaign. Mr. Lewis received a B.S. in Education from Western Washington University and has taken post-graduate coursework through Fuller Theological Seminary and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
Jeanie Kaserman, Partner, Finance and Business Affairs
Jeanie has been with Creative Trust since October 1989, after moving to Nashville from Knoxville, Tennessee. Jeanie graduated from the University of Tennessee’s College of Business as the top graduate of her class, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Highest Honors. Jeanie is an active member of Hillsboro Presbyterian Church, including service through the Benevolence Committee. Jeanie traveled to Russia in September 2002 to adopt her daughter Anna and again in 2010 to adopt her daughter Dot.
Ann Morell, Marketing Manager
Ann joined CTM in June 2009. Prior to Creative Trust she worked at TBA Global Events where she worked closely with the Senior Vice President of Client Services coordinating contracts, budgets and booking headline entertainment for events. Prior to TBA, Ann spend two years at Echomusic as a Community Development Representative managing the website, digital subscriptions and web content for Kelly Clarkson, Kanye West, Sugarland and Jason Aldean. Previously Ann worked for CAA as a contracts administrator. Ann is from Santa Rosa, CA and graduated from the Eller College of Business at the University of Arizona. Ann currently lives in East Nashville.
Melanie Bengtson Rainer, Marketing Coordinator
Melanie joined CTM in May 2009 after graduating magna cum laude from Belmont University. Melanie spent two years working in the Web team at the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and also spent a semester interning for the US Department of State in Santiago, Chile. She served as editor of Belmont’s student newspaper and captain of the speech and debate team, with whom she won 18 national individual titles in four years.
