JOEY CANYON

Founder and CEO

Trailing Joey Canyon’s four decades of storied accomplishments in the country music and entertainment industries comes his greatest country music compilation to date.

Singing at the age of eight and playing the guitar at 11, Joey Canyon began performing professionally in 1973, quickly earning featured billing in numerous NFL Video compilations in 1993 alongside the likes of Hank Williams JR, George Strait, Lorrie Morgan, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Reba MacIntire, Clint Black and Wynonna Judd. He’s performed everywhere from the world famous Palomino Club in North Hollywood, local bars, his church, Mile High Stadium and Coors Field. Joey also contributed to a number of popular television series, national commercials, Viacom and PBS productions.

In preparation for his role as CEO of Canyon Star Network, his production work and business acumen through the 80’s to the present, is wide ranging and extensive: assistant director, lighting, sound, assistant cameraman, production coordinator, and location coordinator. In the late 80’s, Mr. Canyon started his own production services company called Independent Production Services, servicing the film, television, and sports industry as Assistant Director, assistant Cameraman, lighting, sound (Nagra), and Production coordinator, and working for such popular television series as Father Dowling mysteries, Americas Most Wanted, 8 years with NFL films, national commercials, documentaries, PBS, Viacom, among others. In 1990 Mr. Canyon also executive produced, produced, co-directed, scripted, storyboarded, edited, and starred in his own music video “Take My Money”, shot with Arriflex 35mm cameras and an 18-man crew, which later became the Most Added Country Music Video nationwide at top country music nightclubs for three consecutive months.

Joey Canyon – Youtube

Earlier in his career, Joey performed with his band Both Barrels, with upbeat solos and duets leading him to some of the most noted recording studios in America. Prior to this, he was recruited as a backup singer produced by legendary Cliffie Stone following his first stage performances at the world-renowned Palomino Club in North Hollywood.

Joey was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Santa Clarita Valley, the eldest of six siblings raised of modest means. His musical influences span country’s Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins, Vern Gosden and Alan Jackson to Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

In 2012, Joey’s career soared with the release of his album “Canyon Country”, which yielded him a #1 hit nationally with his original hit “Lonely Love” on the Independent Network chart, it stayed at #1 for 6 weeks in a row! Joey also had a hit for the Christmas season in 2012 with his cover of “Colorado Christmas” which went to #7 on the top ten.

In 2012, Joey was nominated in 7 different categories from the Independent Music Network and New Music Weekly, which include “Artist of the Year”, “Best Song”, “Breakout Artist of the Year”, and “Crossover Artist of the Year” The awards were presented in Los Angeles and Nashville in 2013. Joey won National Radio Hit’s “Favorite Country Male Artist” of the year for 2016. His current single “I Can’t Start Loving You Again” has skyrocketed to #1 on the National Radio Hits and Independent Music Network charts and is doing very well on other national charts throughout the USA. Joey also won 2017 “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” from New Music Weekly. Independent Music Awards 2019 “Entertainer of the Year”. His latest album release “Rhythm of Livin” has produced 3 #1 hits, and brings his total to 7 #1’s!

Joey’s current and critically acclaimed country music television variety series “The Joey Canyon Show” premiered on the RFD-TV network in January of 2016. Joey is the creator, Executive Producer, and host of the show. The weekly show, which originated in Denver, Colorado “Where the Music Meets the Mountains”, features A-list country music legends and star interviews from Nashville. Artists who have appeared on the show include: Pam Tillis, Highway 101, Doug Stone, TG Sheppard and a whole lot more. The show will continue with its third season in 2021, and will move its filming location to Nashville, where it will be aired on the much anticipated global “Canyon Star Network”.

His music talents are recognized across the country and beyond through the years, and he continues to come out on top in releasing real, traditional country music!

Multiple Awards

CAROLYN CRAWFORD

Senior Strategic Media Advisor

Versatile, financially-astute Senior Executive with 20+ years of experience across multiple industries including media, technology, telecommunications, consulting services and banking in mid-sized to Fortune 100 companies. Innovative, critical thinker with proven success driving long-term growth through pioneering product/programming development initiatives, content acquisition, and strategic partnerships. Passionate leader skilled at building, motivating, and facilitating talented, cross-functional teams and developing effective leaders. Known as a persuasive communicator, an accomplished negotiator and collaborative business partner. Expertise encompasses start-ups, turnarounds, restructurings and high-growth settings. First direct-broadcast satellite company executive to earn CABLEFAX Magazine’s Most Powerful Women in Cable (2013).

Core Strengths

Education

KELLY KANTZ

President

Canyon Star Network’s president is Kelly Kantz-Ferguson. She brings more than a quarter century of experience in strategic and operational leadership, personnel management, sales and marketing, public relations, and strategy design along with expertise in American digital cable and satellite broadcasting. She further brings advanced knowledge in broadcast infrastructure, standards and archiving, programming schedule management, program screening and packaging, along with revenue optimization.

Prior to joining Canyon Star Network, Kelly also is the owner of Kantz Media from Dec. 2019 to present. Kelly was the former Vice President of Programming and Marketing at Centerpost Media | Youtoo America | BizTV | BizTalkRadio |Youtoo America GO | Bizvod from June 2016-January 2020.

Kelly also worked as Senior Vice President of Programming at RFD-TV, a leading cable channel serving rural America, where she optimized productivity and performance through diligent oversight of daily operations for more than 50 employees. In this role, Kelly developed and implemented strategies that grew programming revenue from $5M to more than $8M. She is recognized for her people skills along with her innate ability to formulate realistic financial forecasts and oversee complex projects through to their successful completion.

At RFD-TV, Kelly was solely responsible for the sale and management of network time slot buys to programmers, rural radio programming sales, and the company’s programming grid. She worked closely with news producers to get stories on-air while building the company’s impressive programming pipeline. She also acted as a liaison with the company’s owner/founder, keeping senior executives abreast of expectations and requests. Having joined RFD-TV’s parent company, Rural Media Group, Inc., as General Manager, her stellar performance helped her quickly ascend the ladder to General Manager/Vice President/Programming and ultimately Senior Vice President of Programming.

ALAN MCLAUGHLIN

Chief Operating Officer, Director

Mr. McLaughlin was a co-founder of Network Creative Group, LLC and served as the Chief Operating Officer for BlueHighways TV, a nationally distributed cable television network focusing on American roots music from 2003 – 2017. He managed all day-to-day financial, programming, production and business operations including Affiliate Relations and Business Affairs. Mr. McLaughlin has managed production departments for several independent cable networks and production facilities and has more than thirty years of distinguished production credits to his name, managing hundreds of hours of live and recorded television programs on the local and national level. Mr. McLaughlin has worked in all facets of television production and management from his years as a Production Manager at a PBS affiliate to managing 14 hours a day of live television simultaneously at a shopping channel and WB affiliate, to running a nationally distributed cable/satellite network.

SEAN HEBERLING

CFO, Director

Mr. Heberling is the founder and CEO of Marion Street Capital, a boutique investment firm he started in 2001. Mr. Heberling has over 20 years’ experience at a variety of investment and consulting firms including Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, and Navigant Consulting. Mr. Heberling is also an Adjunct Professor at Villanova University, and he sits on the Boards of several for-profit and non-profit organizations, including the CFA Society of Philadelphia and the Global Interdependence Center. While at BNY Mellon, Mr. Heberling helped lay the groundwork for growth in his division from $2B to $18B in assets. While at Sailfish Partners, Mr. Heberling helped launch a $100MM hedge fund within this $2.5B firm.