AMY SMITH HEINZ

Managing Partner, Wilderness Music

Amy began her music industry career in 1990 at Eleven Eleven Sound recording studio in Nashville, where she met and worked alongside many prominent Music Row executives for the better part of four years. From this first step, Amy set her path on the publishing and song plugging side of the business. After two years of successfully securing cuts for Stewart Harris and country superstar Waylon Jennings, she went to work with the legendary Harlan Howard, joining Harlan Howard Songs as its Creative Director.

Amy's strengths lie in her ability to match great songs with great artists. She has placed songs with such stellar country artists Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, Mark Wills, JoDee Messina, Chely Wright, Lonestar, Lee Ann Womack, Clay Walker, Collin Raye, Travis Tritt, Tim Mcgraw, Tori Baxley, Gretchen Wilson and others.

In 1999, Amy began to branch out into different genres of music, including pop. She worked with Denise Rich and Ric Wake, famed producer of Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Ricky Martin. She opened the Nashville division of New York-based company Notation Nashville and signed songwriters Greg Barnhill and Jim Daddario to the company. With Amy on board, Notation Nashville quickly flourished and within six months, had a #1 song in Mexico and cuts by Cyndi Thomson, Lonestar, The Clark Family Experience, Mindy McCready, Jolie Edwards, Sons of the Desert and more.

By 2002, Amy had enough drive and success under her belt to take the next step-her dream of running her own independent publishing company. As fate would have it, the forward thinking Amy had purchased the rights to the name "Wilderness Music" in 1997 from her former employer, supporter and best friend Harlan Howard. His respect for the budding entrepreneur led him to sell her the naming rights for just $1.00. Within months, Amy had a single out that she co-published with Waylon Jennings and what would become Wilderness Music was underway, setting the groundwork for Smith Heinz to completely step out on her own.

Now, in 2009 Amy is busy securing copyrights for Wilderness Music to ensure the continued success of her company's legacy. She and songwriter Greg Barnhill have begun to create an empire obtaining cuts by Joanna Cotten, Jo Dee Messina, Chicago, Aaron Neville, The Subdudes, Marc Broussard, Sarah Buxton, and internationally with Martin Kesici (Germany), Peter Ryan (Australia), and Soshy (France). Amy and Greg have begun working with new artist Paisley Van Patten on production and publishing. There is much stuff bubbling under...

Most recently, Smith Heinz opened an artist management division of Wilderness Music. She not only is instrumental in generating income for an artist, but also keeps that money in the hands of the artist.

While not in the studio or pitching songs, Amy enjoys fundraising for different schools and charities all over the world. Wilderness Music has helped to raise awareness and money for everything from JTI organ transplantation and donor awareness to music in schools in Oregon, Florida and in between.