Artist entrepreneurs Jen Vogus, Valerie Michelle Wilhite Ramírez, Shaparak Malek-Morvai and Amanda McCadams receive top awards.
The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Periscope Pitch + Artist Entrepreneur Showcase held at OZ Arts Nashville on September 3. The event was the culmination of this year’s Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training, a year-long intensive business development curriculum and mentorship program for local artists of all disciplines.
The evening began with the Artist Entrepreneur Showcase in which artists displayed their work and creative business plans to the public. Attendees browsed artists’ tables, engaged in conversation about their work, and networked with business leaders, community members, and fellow creative entrepreneurs, opening the door to future collaboration and support. Following the showcase, eight artists pitched their creative business plans live on stage in the Periscope Pitch hosted by Kirsten Jacobson, attorney, improviser, and Chair of the Arts & Business Council Board of Directors.
Jacobson announced the Arts & Business Council’s year-long 20th anniversary celebration. With more than an estimated 100,000 artists and creative businesses served, and over $4 million in pro bono support provided over the last two decades, ABC will be launching new programming and special events throughout the year that will honor this legacy while looking ahead to the organization’s next 20 years of service. Attendees were encouraged to sign up for the newsletter to follow the campaign and stay connected to what’s next.
Stephen Francescon, Government & Community Relations Manager at Piedmont Natural Gas, spoke about the importance of empowering artists to transform their careers, and encouraged attendees to donate to the Periscope Scholarship Fund.
After each artist’s pitch, a panel of three expert judges asked questions and provided feedback. The pitches were scored on business acumen, artistic excellence, and presentation effectiveness. This year’s panel included: Elizabeth Williams, Owner/Creative Director, New Hat Projects; Eric Cook, Director, So+Co Community Initiatives; and Shannon Sanders, Executive Director of Creative, BMI.
The audience also helped select the winners by voting digitally for both their favorite business pitch and their favorite showcase display. While the scores were tallied, the audience was treated to a live performance by musical artist and Periscope 2024 alum Bryan Ruby. Ultimately, four artists were awarded a combined total of over $10,000 in cash and prizes!
Jen Vogus (Visual Arts, Photography) won the night’s highest honor, the Piedmont Natural Gas Pitch Perfect Award, receiving $2,500 cash plus prizes. Jen Vogus is a Nashville-based photographer, educator, and disability parent-advocate. Rooted in her personal experience with her son’s rare genetic disorder that limits his speech, Jen discovered that photography is a powerful communication tool—bridging the gap between her son and the wider world. As founder and executive director of AbleVoices, she harnesses the power of photography to amplify the voices of youth and adults with disabilities as a means for self-expression, creativity, social connection, and work-based learning, all while fostering more inclusive communities.
Since 2019, she has grown AbleVoices, from a grassroots initiative to a recognized nonprofit partner in Middle Tennessee, empowering participants to share their perspective. Jen is honored and excited to share AbleVoices’ mission and plans for scaling the 501(c)(3) organization to further unite artistry with advocacy, education, and meaningful social impact.
Valerie Michelle Wilhite Ramírez (Silversmith, Jewelry Design) earned the Fifth Third Bank Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, receiving $2,000 cash plus prizes. Valerie M. Wilhite Ramírez is a Colombian-American metalsmith and founder of Montealegre Atelier, a jewelry studio devoted to handcrafted work and ethical sourcing. Formerly a scholar of the Medieval Mediterranean, she taught in the U.S., Paris, Barcelona, and the Caribbean before moving to Colombia in 2018 to train in high jewelry and traditional techniques like filigrana momposina. Valerie often uses emeralds she sources from a miner and his son who facets them. Using stones and precious metals she creates pieces that convey strength and power with a nod to pre-modern aesthetics. Now in Tennessee, she creates each piece by hand using ancient methods—sand casting, wax carving, and fabrication. Montealegre means “happy hill,” honoring both her Andean and Appalachian roots.
Shaparak Malek-Morvai (Culinary Arts, Music) received the BAM Group Community Choice Award for receiving the most audience votes in support of her business pitch, receiving $1,500 cash plus prizes. Born in Montpellier, France, and raised in Nashville since the age of five, Shaparak Malek-Morvai (she/her) is a Nashvillian with a passion for music and food. An MTSU alumna, with a bachelor’s degree and an MBA, and recently graduated with her Doctorate in Education from Western Kentucky University. Her career has spanned the music and food industries, leading her to create LHYME, a feature blog connecting nostalgia with food and music that shares the stories of musicians worldwide and recipes inspired by their tastes.
She created LHYME by blending the words “lime” and “rhyme,” symbolizing the fusion of food and music. The name also honors her Persian heritage, as dried limes are a staple in Persian cuisine, while “rhyme” reflects her connection to music.
Amanda McCadams (Culinary Arts) earned the Southwest Airlines Best in Showcase Award for her impactful display showcasing her creative business, receiving $1,500 cash plus prizes. Amanda’s display highlighted her company Panache Candy Incorporated, a handcrafted confectionery brand known for its unique flavors, artistic designs, and commitment to sustainability. Born and raised in Tennessee, she calls Nashville home but considers the world her backyard. With undergrad degrees in photography and Spanish, plus a master’s in photography, she has spent her life exploring creativity in all its forms.
With a focus on artistry, sustainability, and quality, Panache Candy uses only high-quality ingredients, free from artificial colorings and additives, and eco-friendly packaging—proving indulgence can be both beautiful and responsible.
In addition to cash prizes, all four winners received a one-month coworking membership from Center615 and a round-trip flight voucher for two from Southwest Airlines to further their creative business.
The entire 2025 Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training cohort was honored at a graduation ceremony to close the event. They are (listed alphabetically by first name): Amanda McCadams (Culinary Arts), Amanda Woods (Visual Art, Painting), Anna Wise (Visual Art, Painting), Blaine Steiner (Visual Art, Glass), Brian Myers (Film/Television), Clif Koufman (Film/Television, Music), Cresa Lenox (Literary Arts, Multi-Disciplinary), Dee Hammonds (Drama/Theatre/Performance Art, Music), Haniyfa Muhammad Branka (Visual Art), Jen Vogus (Visual Art, Photography), Jim Willis (Visual Art, Painting), Joshua Jackson (Drama/Theatre/Performance Art, Dance, Film/Television), Joshua Lewis (Visual Art), Katharine “KW” Poole (Drama/Theatre/Performance Art, Literary Arts, Music), Lexa Herron (Residential Design), Lyn Stevens (Visual Art, Photography), Nicole Wilson (Public Art/Creative Placemaking, Visual Art), Rebecca Stone (Visual Art, Photography), Shaparak Malek-Morvai (Culinary Art, Music), :ShenShen210: (Visual Art, Painting), Susie Campion (Visual Art, Painting), Todd Herzberg (Visual Art, Printmaking), and Valerie Michelle Wilhite Ramírez (Silversmith, Jewelry Design).
Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training is a program of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville originally created in partnership with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Metro Arts: Nashville’s Office of Arts + Culture, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Mayor’s Office of Economic & Community Development. Periscope is presented by Amazon, with program support provided by the BAM Group, Fifth Third Bank, Piedmont Natural Gas, Southwest Airlines, Center 615 and the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. Additional operating support for the Arts & Business Council is provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission, Metro Arts, Ingram Charities, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, NWI Nashville, HCA Healthcare Foundation, Mike Curb Foundation/Curb Records, The Village Real Estate Advised Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, & Public Policy.
*Event Photography by Tiffany Bessire.