STAFF

BIG EARS FESTIVAL EMPLOYS A FULL-TIME STAFF DEDICATED TO ORGANIZING AND PRODUCING ITS MARQUEE, ANNUAL FESTIVAL AS WELL AS A BEVY OF OTHER EVENTS AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

ASHLEY CAPPS // EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Ashley Capps is one of the foremost concert promoters and festival producers in the United States. He began promoting concerts in 1979 while finishing his major at the University of Tennessee. In 1991, Capps founded AC Entertainment which began promoting concerts in the southeast and would eventually go on to found the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and other signature events throughout the United States. In 2009, Capps launched the multi-faceted, genre-defying Big Ears Festival which takes place every spring in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Big Ears became a 501(c)3 in 2016 and Capps currently serves as both its Executive and Artistic Director.

BRYAN CROW // FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

Bryan Crow has over a decade of experience in the live music and event industry and has worked in various capacities for Big Ears since 2014. Before joining the Big Ears team full time in 2021, Crow worked for concert and festival promoters AC Entertainment and Live Nation where he served as Project Manager and Executive Assistant to founder and president, Ashley Capps. During his tenure at AC / Live Nation, Crow produced the 2018 MusicNOW Festival and assisted in production and operations of events such as Bonnaroo, Forecastle, and High Water festivals.

CASEY FOX // DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Casey Fox plans, organizes, and directs Big Ears’ fundraising activities and VIP festival experiences. Prior to joining Big Ears, Fox served as Director of Advancement for the University of Tennessee Libraries and Fund Development Manager for the Knox County Public Library system. She was managing director for the 2016 Knoxville Stomp Festival of Lost Music. Fox serves on the board of the Knoxville History Project and the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission and is a grant review panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and United Way of Greater Knoxville.

DONNA MITCHELL // COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Donna Mitchell has been involved in the world of nonprofit communications and marketing for nearly three years. Prior to joining the Big Ears Festival team she served as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville. Mitchell graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BS in Communication with a major in Journalism and Electronic Media and Pellissippi State Community College with an AS. Outside of her professional career, she moonlights as a singer songwriter, having recorded her debut demo at the renowned Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, TN. She loves attending concerts and music festivals, reading music memoirs, and drinking more lattes than is probably healthy. Mitchell is also a registered yoga teacher. 

MORGAN FLEMING // ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER

Morgan Fleming has nearly two decades of experience working with nonprofit arts organizations. Prior to joining Big Ears Festival, Fleming served as Data Coordinator for Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and led the box office staff through multiple ticketing system transitions and day-to-day sales. In partnership with other departments, she worked to create sustainable relationships with the organization’s constituency. Fleming has a background in dance performance & choreography and has spent many years providing organizational support and board service to various groups including Circle Modern Dance and Tennessee Association of Dance. Her passion for the nonprofit performing arts world is directly influenced by early internships with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, American Dance Festival, and Athens International Film + Video Festival. Her own choreography has been presented in Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. Fleming is also a fully certified Pilates instructor. When not working in an administrative capacity, she leads group classes and provides private instruction throughout Knoxville.