About THG Management

As a singer and actress, Cathy Nakos’ personal experiences in the entertainment industry have empowered her to develop new entertainers, songwriters, and actors. Known for 'thinking outside the box,' she has been deeply involved in every aspect of the music business, offering exceptional artist management services. Additionally, she collaborates with music supervisors, directors, and producers to successfully place artists’ songs in films, television, and video games. Nakos is also a partner in Catamara Entertainment, LLC, which is under contract to Executive Produce/Produce 15 films over the next five years.

For the past five years, Cathy has worked with The Holland Group, managing and co-managing both North American and International artists at various levels, including Mallory Johnson, who won the 2019 ECMA Country Album of the Year. As an actress, songwriter, and singer, she showcases her talents in the new film INTO THE WILDERNESS. Mallory’s current album is produced by Kent Wells, renowned for his work with Dolly Parton. She is currently nominated for several awards at the 2022 ECMA Awards, has won the Music NL video of the year, and is recognized as one of the top 8 Sirius XM country artists in association with the 2022 CCMA Awards.

In 2013, Cathy co-produced two television shows with Producer Edie Hand: Holiday Memories, a Thanksgiving special, and a Christmas special featuring performances from music legends like Charley Pride, Ronnie Milsap, Andy Griggs, Jimmy Fortune, and Buddy Jewell. Before diving into artist management services, Cathy served as an Executive Vice President and consultant for the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association for over 20 years. She contracted numerous entertainers, including Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Bobby Vinton, and Kenny Rogers, for large fundraising events, which provided her with a unique perspective on music industry representation as both a buyer and producer. As a skilled fundraiser, Cathy successfully raised and managed over $40 million during her tenure. As an officer of the board for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, she produced and directed events, including honorary roasts for actors and sports celebrities, raising millions for the organization over 12 years. As a talent, Cathy promoted multiple television and radio commercials, receiving a Cleo Award for The Bullock Advertising Agency for a Salvation Army Christmas radio spot. She also made numerous television appearances on talk shows and showcased her musical talent on various occasions. As part of her extensive career growth strategies, she has written copy for WSGN radio and is accredited to facilitate motivational workshops, offering counseling services and training to corporations and organizations.

Cathy is teaming up with Don Most, aka Ralph Mouth from 'Happy Days,' and Tamara Trexler as an Executive Producer on the TOMMY JOHN baseball story (untitled), set to be filmed in Nashville in 2022.

Her honors include the Bronze Hope Chest Award from the Multiple Sclerosis Society, as well as several Outstanding Division and Regional Director Awards from the American Heart Association. She has been recognized in Who’s Who in American Women and the International Who’s Who of Intellectuals, among other accolades. Cathy has also served on the Board of Governors for the American Biographical Institute Research Association and received the YWCA Outstanding Executive Women in San Antonio Award, alongside several Outstanding Development and Communications Awards from the AHA Texas.

In addition, she is an advisory board member of Film-Com and has spent four years serving as Executive Committee Secretary on the Film Nashville Board. Cathy has a strong commitment to supporting individuals with Autism through Kulture City and individuals with Down Syndrome through The Pujols Family Foundation. Her extensive board service includes the Rotary International Board of Directors, the Harlingen Country Playhouse, the National Society of Heart Association Professionals, American Women in Radio and Television, and several Chamber of Commerce boards across various cities. She has been active in multiple organizations such as the Reno Advertising Club, Soroptimist International, Zonta International, and the Birmingham Ballet League, among others.

Tracie Hitz moved to Nashville to start Hitz & Branding, where she offers comprehensive artist management services and assists clients in shaping their personal and professional brands through the power of storytelling. Having collaborated with major organizations such as the NCAA and UNICEF, Hitz provides valuable insight to a diverse range of small businesses, from artists to nonprofits and surf coaches. Her team specializes in creating integrated marketing and branding plans, ensuring effective implementation of essential elements like graphics, videos, websites, email campaigns, social media, public relations, content capture, event planning, sponsorship sales, fundraising, and merchandising management.

Hitz chose Nashville as her business base after falling in love with the city while organizing her inaugural Women’s Final Four in Music City during her time as Director of Business Operations at the NCAA. In October 2013, she took on this pivotal role, overseeing external operations for the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, which helped secure a sell-out crowd at Bridgestone Arena for the first-time-hosted 2014 Women’s Final Four. The following year, she directed the sales team to achieve the highest attendance at a Women’s Final Four since 2010, coordinating with over 150 staff and committee members to launch the first-ever combined championship, crowning champions from Divisions I, II, and III in the same arena in 2016. This success included back-to-back sellouts in Dallas and Columbus in 2017 and 2018, with the latter achieving the largest overall attendance at the Women’s Basketball Championship since 2004. Throughout her career, Hitz has implemented innovative initiatives to engage fans, industry professionals, coaches, and former players, while gaining extensive media attention through creative storytelling in women’s basketball. Notably, her efforts earned recognition on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 Plays for the inaugural Dribble to Work Day in 2015, which won a 2016 NACMA award and was a finalist for the National Sports Forum's 2016 Sammy Awards.

Prior to her NCAA tenure, Hitz served as Chief Marketing Officer at Old Hat Creative for 3.5 years, where she developed career growth strategies that transformed the company from offering design, video, and web services into a full-service creative sports agency focused on branding within the professional and college sports sectors. Under her leadership, the company experienced a doubling of annual revenue, driven by exceptional customer service, foresight into industry trends, and collaboration with over 100 collegiate and pro teams to develop strategic sales and marketing plans that generated significant revenue across multiple sports. Hitz also played a crucial role in donor relations and fundraising initiatives, notably creating the James Justice Slam Dunk Social Campaign for Martin Methodist College's 5’9 basketball player who won the 2012 State Farm Slam Dunk Contest.

Hitz’s journey began with 13 years at Northwestern University, where she served as the associate athletic director of the Sales and Marketing Department. Her contributions during this time led to record-setting season ticket sales and single-game attendance across all admission-charging sports, culminating in the achievement of nine national marketing awards in seven years. Since starting as a Marketing Assistant in 1997, her initiatives included the Wildcat Kids' Club, Women’s Sports Weekend, the Sports Marketing Club, and various engagement programs benefiting former student-athletes. Hitz adeptly adapted to evolving marketing technologies, playing a key role in launching NUsports.com and producing gameday content for Ryan Field.

A frequent presenter at conventions and symposiums nationwide, Tracie shares her expertise on topics such as marketing, sales, female initiatives, and professional development. She launched a career development blog in 2012 to complement her coaching efforts, managed The Migala Report business journal from 2010 to 2014, and initiated the WBBMarketing blog last fall. In 2011, she developed the NACMA Online Library to promote best practices among college marketing administrators.

Since 2000, Hitz has been an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) and was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2008. Following her board term, she was invited by Kurt Esser, Senior Associate Athletic Director at New Mexico, to offer guidance during his presidency in 2011. The following year, Jamie DiLoreto from Boston College continued this collaboration during his presidency, and Hitz was subsequently asked to assist Greg Herring from Northern Illinois University during his term, ending in 2013.

Since 2007, Hitz has contributed as a teaching assistant, guest lecturer, and thesis advisor in Northwestern University's Master’s of Sports Administration program. She is also an active panelist at various sports symposiums and conventions across the nation. As a member of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), Women in Sports and Events (WISE), and the Association of Women in Sports Media (AWSM), she possesses a unique and engaging presence in the sports industry. During her time at NU, she contributed to gamedays in the Stadium Suites Department for the Chicago Bears and managed marketing efforts for the Chicago Fire. In 1997, she completed her bachelor's degree in Communication (Journalism) from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, followed by a master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University in 2003. While at Truman State, she gained hands-on experience in the Sports Information Office, assisting with media relations for soccer and track, alongside summer internships as a sports writer for the Peoria Journal Star, covering a variety of local sports events.