Messina Touring Group Looks To The Future: ‘As Things Are Changing, We Adapt’

The only job Haley McCollister has ever had has been at Messina Touring Group. Since joining the company’s ticketing department at 22 years old, she’s worked her way up and now serves as president of MTG’s Nashville office.

“The more he believed in me, the more I believed in myself,” McCollister says.

McCollister notes that many of her MTG colleagues have been with the company since they started their first jobs out of college. This is due to company founder Louis Messina’s strong belief in each employee, with McCollister likening his support to how he strengthens his relationships with his artists.

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Aside from McCollister, key members of the next generation at MTG include senior vp Sara Winter, vp of touring Keena Cheatham and vp Rachel Powers.

As the company continues to support its promoters, Messina has been passing more responsibilities onto his fellow teammates and providing them opportunities to foster their own artists. MTG maintains a small artist roster, wanting to provide all its attention to each client rather than having each person focus on multiple acts.

“We’re not out there chasing everything,” McCollister says. “To keep it this way, we have to grow very slowly. To find the ‘right’ artist for us to grow with starts with someone being extremely passionate about them and feeling it’s the right fit. And Louis is really supportive of us.”

McCollister and her colleagues fell in love with Phoebe Bridgers while she was opening for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour and began discussions about bringing her into the fold. Messina came on board, and Bridgers is now promoted by MTG.

As the company looks ahead to its next quarter-­century, the team members feel they’re operating in a way they hope to be able to sustain.

“For the next 25 years, it’s going to look similar to what we’ve already done,” McCollister says. “As the business continues to change, that doesn’t impact how we operate, because we’ve always operated unique to each individual artist. As things are changing, we adapt with them and are continuing to deliver long-term success.”