Jason Owen, CEO of The Sandbox, has had an extraordinary year, landing superstar Billie Eilish and FINNEAS—surprising many in the biz—and then inking Brandi Carlile (in tandem with Phantom Management’s Catherine Carlile).

Not everyone was surprised, especially those who’d been watching the South Caroline-based exec put points on the board since the 2010 launch of his shop with country-crossover legend Shania Twain as his first client (having become her manager after working with her for eight years at UMG Nashville, where he served as SVP). 15 years later, the company’s roster also includes Kelsea Ballerini, Kacey Musgraves and Kate Hudson, among others.

Created to focus on PR and marketing, The Sandbox has since grown to include a touring division, a digital-marketing department led by Lucia Kaminsky, and a staff that includes President Jake Basden, COO Jordan Manekin and several top-notch day-to-day operatives. Sandbox Succession, meanwhile, manages the estates of legends Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Roy Orbison.

And Owen has expanded well beyond the confines of artist management; the savvy and well-liked exec is making impressive moves into film and TV production and has seen success with the Tony Award-winning musical Shucked. What will he and Team Sandbox dig up next?