Don Cusic

I often think about the seemingly small decisions in life that lead to much bigger things. It was the Spring of 1986 and I was a year out of college, working for very little money at my first official music biz gig. I knew this was a dead-end job. All my life I dreamed of working in the music biz, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d be doing. I’ve never been a dedicated networker, but I knew that was going to be a crucial skill. So one day, I decided to call my former professor at MTSU, Don Cusic. Of all the teachers in the RIM program, I got the impression that Don had his finger on the pulse of Music Row, and could give me a job lead. In fact he did – RCA was looking for someone in business affairs. I got an interview with Ric Pepin. It didn’t lead to a job immediately, but Ric thought enough of me to refer me to the Product Management and PR departments when they were looking to hire an assistant. After many stressful interviews, I got the job! Doubling my salary, even. Today I acknowledge that if Don hadn’t given me that job lead, so many things in my life might have not happened. From meeting and working with my future business partner, Erin Morris Huttlinger, to meeting and working with music icon Vince Gill and his manager Larry Fitzgerald. IOUBig Don. Thanks for all you do.