Florida Georgia Line’s Team Credits Duo’s Work Ethic for Success

Here, we go inside the brain trust that has helped to make Florida Georgia Line a household name since “Cruise” propelled them to stardom.

Written by Chuck Dauphin
Florida Georgia Line’s Team Credits Duo’s Work Ethic for Success
Florida Georgia Line; Photo by Ryan Smith

They say you are as only as good as the team you have around you, and Big Machine duo Florida Georgia Line’s team has been working hard with the release of their third album, Dig Your Roots. But, in all honesty, their success is a reflection of the work and dedication that has been in place since day one. Recently, we talked to Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley about the new disc. Now, we go inside the brain trust that has helped to make the duo a household name since “Cruise” propelled them to stardom.

Of course, that record-setting hit was not even a thought when the duo came to the attention of Seth England, Florida Georgia Line’s co-manager and Founding Partner at Big Loud Mountain publishing. He tells Sounds Like Nashville that he knew there was something special about the duo hat was apparent from the beginning – their work ethic.

“Their sound was definitely a part of it (why we wanted to work with them), but I think it was a combination of all of the factors from the creative standpoint. They had this intense desire to entertain,” he recalls. “They also had this desire to be coached. I’m not saying we had all the answers, but they knew it was going to take a village – whether it was a great producer, songwriter, mentor, or management. They wanted that. They never, in any way, came in thinking they knew it all. They knew they wanted to have a trailer and a band, and go on the road. They were working day labor jobs to fund that. They were just so hungry for a shot, and they still are.”

Those thoughts were echoed by Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell, who says that their willingness to evolve has been one of the pleasures of working with them.

“It’s been an amazing and unlikely rocket ship ride,” he says energetically. “I’ve seen it a lot of times where an act comes out of the gate that hot, but they can’t seem to catch up to it. ‘Cruise’ was unlike anything we had ever encountered before. They guys have always asked so many questions, and seem to evaluate every step of the way.”

O’Connell admitted that the band is not scared of taking a risk – like they did earlier in the year with a tour set to start. “We had a tour that was supposed to start in January, and the guys said that the record wasn’t ready. It was an instance where the creative process overtook the commercial process. When was the last time that happened? They put the breaks on five months of touring to make this record the way that they wanted to make it. That takes balls….and that takes resolve,” he says with admiration. “They wanted to make their third project great – and that’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time.”

Coming on board for the new project is a duo of commercial partnerships, including Aaron Luber – Head of Content Partnership for Google VR (Virtual Reality). Through the use of Google Cardboard, fans can get a virtual look at “May We All,” the brand new single that pairs Florida Georgia Line with Tim McGraw. He says getting a chance to work with one of the company’s most viewed artists was something he couldn’t turn down.

“The guys have got over a million subscribers to You Tube, with over 500 million views on the You Tube channel. They have done a phenomenal job in connecting to their fan base. We jumped at the opportunity to work with them on this project. We have been very focused on the virtual reality experience, and one of the best things that we’ve seen is being able to put people in experiences that they otherwise would not be able to have.”

Google is giving fans a rare chance to see what goes on behind-the-scenes when it comes to video making. “There are so many great moments in the two-part piece that we did. Putting people where they feel they are right there as the video comes together, you get to see what that’s all about as it’s being made, but more importantly, you get to feel like you are hanging out with the artist as they put the video together.”

And, making sure it all goes down “smooth” is Scott Green, Chief Marketing Officer of Proximo Spirits. Green has worked extensively with Florida Georgia Line to come up with Old Camp Whiskey, a concoction that he promises fans will find as unique as the music on Dig Your Roots.

“We met about a year ago through a mutual friend. They were really curious about creating their own whiskey, so they decided to partner with us. We’ve been working the past year on having the exact blend of sweet whiskey and the right flavor profile. We tried over a hundred combinations, which was so challenging, I can assure you! We landed on the combination of Georgia Peaches and Sweet Pecans, which made a lot of sense for the guys, being from the south. This is something completely new and different for the marketplace, and we hope the consumers are going to enjoy it.”