Nashville-based DZL has hired veteran music and performance industry official Brent Hyams as general manager of its Cannery Row.
Previously, Hyams served as senior marketing manager for the Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry. He also spent 17 years with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, rising to the level of chief operating officer. At TPAC, Hyams managed a staff of more than 60 people, directing daily operations, sponsorships, ticketing and technical production.
While acting as executive vice president and general manager at TPAC, Hyams led the refurbishment of historic concert venue War Memorial Auditorium.
After his time at TPAC, Hyams launched a studio for nationally touring artists, securing a music rehearsal facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a graduate of the 2016 class of Leadership Music.
Brent Hyams
Hyams will oversee Cannery Row’s four venues, while also leading general operations within the multi-building complex, which dates to 1883.
The hiring comes as preparations are underway for upgrades to the SoBro facility, to start in June. The venue businesses, under DZL ownership, will reopen for live music usage this summer. No official announcement has been made regarding venue names.
New York City-based global real estate company Thor Equities Group paid $32 million for the Cannery Row complex in October 2019, with DZL, which owns the nearby Cummins Station, an equity investor. Thereafter, DZL bought the property from Thor and owns it in full.
The 110,000-square-foot main building is home to live music venues Cannery Ballroom, Mercy Lounge, The High Watt and One, which will close at May’s end. As noted, the spaces will be reused for live music, with details forthcoming.
“Protecting Cannery Row is a passion project I really believe in,” Zach Liff, DZL owner, says in the a release. “It’s important to keep it thriving as an independent music venue for years to come, and now Brent is on board to spearhead that effort.
“Brent is an accomplished industry professional and a proven leader in the Nashville market,” Liff says. “I’m confident in his ability to ensure the music venues inside Cannery Row are exceptionally well-run, they stay connected to the community, and they are true to their history.”
The Cannery Row buildings were originally constructed as a flour mill facility, and the property got its name from Dale Foods, which operated at the site in the 1950s.
This article first ran via our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
