2025 Impact 50 Honoree: Jason Owen

JASON OWEN
CEO
The Sandbox

CONCERT THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE?: “Billie Eilish, for obvious reasons.☺️”

Jason Owen, CEO of The Sandbox, is having a banner year for an executive long accustomed to banner years. For starters, the Charleston, South Carolina-based exec recently landed one of the biggest superstars on the planet — which, when announced in late March, caught many in the industry off guard.

“We were thrilled to welcome two of the most prolific artists and songwriters of this generation to the Sandbox management roster this year with Billie Eilish and Finneas,” Owen said of adding the superstar siblings to a growing list of clients.

Eilish, who was still in touring cycle with her wildly successful “Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour” when the news broke, has had one of the industry’s most meteoric rises of the last decade. It’s included armfuls of Grammys, massive arena treks, documentaries, Oscar-winning songs, and legions of adoring fans (124 million on Instagram). Her tour, with limited box-office reports submitted so far, is among the Top 25 tours on Pollstar’s 2025 Worldwide Tours chart with a gross of more than $30 million.

Though Owen didn’t go into details about the deal, when asked about a show that changed his life, Owen said “Billie Eilish, for obvious reasons” with a happy face emoji. Perhaps, the deal was sealed or inspired by one of her incredible performances?

Owen, who launched his management company with Shania Twain in 2010 as his first management client after working with her for eight years at Universal Music Nashville, has built an estimable roster. This now includes Kelsea Ballerini, Kacey Musgraves, Faith Hill, Kate Hudson and Little Big Town as well as newer signings Audrey McGraw and Baby Nova.

Ballerini’s explosion over the last year, Owen says, is immensely gratifying: “She’s another incredible artist development story for The Sandbox. Over the past year, Kelsea released the most critically acclaimed album of her career, sold out her first-ever arena tour and served as a coach on NBC’s ‘The Voice.’ Her accomplishments earned her a coveted Entertainer of the Year nomination by the Academy of Country Music, the first of her career. She has so much on the horizon, including stepping into some incredible acting roles in film/TV.”
As if that weren’t enough, this week Sandbox is announcing it is co-managing the luminous talent that is the great Brandi Carlile, whose most recent work, Who Believes In Angels? is a collaborative album that dropped in April with the living legend Elton John.

Perhaps helping to draw artists to Sandbox is its recently launched Sandbox Studios, which produces film, television and theater projects and which the company says is “rooted in music, history and Southern culture.”

This includes such projects as the 2023 documentary “June,” about June Carter Cash, which was nominated for a Grammy; the acclaimed theater production “Shucked,” an original music comedy with music by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally; Wynonna Judd’s “Between Hell and Hallelujah;” and primetime music drama “Monarch,” with Susan Sarandon, Trace Adkins, Anna Friel and Beth Ditto, among other screen projects.

While not quite an EGOT, with Owen sharing in Grammy, Emmy and Tony wins with his artists and productions, the CEO indicates that Sandbox is about to get much deeper into production, but isn’t quite ready to reveal all the details.

“We launched Sandbox Studios to develop and produce content rooted in stories from the heartland,” he says. “Much more to come on that.”
Owen is resolute in his company’s commitment to sustainability when asked about how changing political conditions are impacting the live business. “Sandbox is committed to enforcing sustainable practices across all facets of our business,” he says. “That is a non-negotiable for us.”

Looking ahead, Owen is ecstatic about the music one of his artists is currently creating. “The new music that Kacey Musgraves is making is truly magic,” he says, “and we cannot wait to share it with the world.”