�Ǹ�Թ�

Whether she’s managing marketing campaigns, filming weddings or booking her next tour, Kohanna McCrary approaches every opportunity as part of a larger creative vision.

You wouldn’t necessarily think about data cleansing when you think of a singer-songwriter and performing artist. But for�� (Mktg’25), the knowledge she gained in Matthew Brady's Salesforce CRM course regularly comes in handy for research and maintaining the mailing lists that help drive her music career.

She also draws on business skills for marketing, branding and logistics as she builds her career as an independent artist. Her upcoming self-funded, self-booked “Where We Going” tour, a five-show run featuring songs from the second side of “The Colorado Project,” required outreach to more than 400 venues across Colorado.

Beyond the practical skills, McCrary credits her Leeds education with giving her a critical asset: confidence.

“Having the business education is having the confidence to be in rooms with people and know that I’m allowed to be there,” she said. “Especially as a female artist, the majority of rooms I sit in are with men. They already are judging you, so I think having a business education and feeling confident in myself helps a lot with those business decisions,” she said.

“You really have to advocate for yourself,” as every venue handles requirements differently in a business that has a lot more supply than demand.

While releasing music independently wasn't originally part of her plan, McCrary has come to value the flexibility it provides.

“I think every artist should release something independently before they go with a label,” she said. “There’s just so much to learn about it, and the process itself is so much fun.” Along the way, she’s reshaped her website “100 times,” refined her branding and learned to adapt as plans changed.

“’The Colorado Project’ is finally at a place where I feel like it's true to who I am. I think that if there were always other people telling me what they wanted, it would be a lot harder for me to get to the place where I’m at with my music.”

“Having the business education is having the confidence to be in rooms with people and know that I’m allowed to be there.”

Kohanna McCrary (Mktg’25)

Choosing Leeds

Music has been part of McCrary’s life since she was 14. Before transferring to Leeds as a sophomore, she studied songwriting in Nashville. While the experience reinforced her desire to pursue music, it also raised questions about her future.

“When you are going to study music, your college choices are very limited, especially if you’re not going for classical music,” she said. She wanted a broader foundation. “I wanted a backup plan, and I loved photos and videos and marketing,” she said.

That search led her to Leeds. Being in Colorado felt natural, as she visited regularly as a child and shares her dad’s love of the state. She also valued the rigorous coursework at Leeds and is especially grateful to Elmer Ramos,��Matthew Brady and Ozlem Tuba Koc.

Setting the stage

While at Leeds, McCrary spent three years freelancing for , an indoor ski and snowboard training company with two locations in Colorado. After graduating in 2025, she joined the company full-time, managing its marketing efforts from her new home in Austin.

She credits the experience, along with mentorship from the company's founder, with helping her better understand the people skills involved in entrepreneurship and leadership.

"It’s so special to me because even though my boss isn't in the music industry, being able to talk with him, because he started this company from the ground up, feels like so much is parallel to what I'm doing," she said.

"I think that's why I take so much value from my business degree," she added. Before, “I was that person who was like, 'Oh, music is just this fun, creative thing, and then you get picked up by a label.'"

Now she better understands the realities of building a career independently and how to finance her ambitions. In addition to her full-time role, she produces��, another creative outlet that helps support her touring career.

While in college, McCrary also became involved with��, leading marketing efforts for the campus fashion magazine and helping coordinate music for its first fashion show. One musician she booked there is now helping with her upcoming tour, a testimony to the power of networking.

Music with purpose

Part of a Leeds education is promoting business as a force for good. For McCrary, work with ,��which she became involved with as a student, has been transformative. A nonprofit that supports women with breast cancer, the organization partnered with her on “The Jane Project.” Her song "Jane" became her first film placement and was screened in more than 140 theaters nationwide.

One stop on her upcoming tour will serve as a fundraiser for the organization, and she plans to remain involved. Those experiences have reinforced McCrary's connection to Colorado. "Colorado’s full of good people, and I think that's why I like it so much," she said.

One show at a time

"My dream is definitely to be a touring artist with my bandmates," said McCrary. She’s creating that momentum. Recently, the band played Antone's in Austin, a milestone she once considered out of reach.

"I never dreamed that I would be able to play this venue," she said.

The accomplishment felt especially meaningful because of her dedication to her bandmates and team members. Her producer is a childhood friend. "And so that's the dream—being able to bring all these people up,” she said.

"The best way to find fulfillment in your career is to find joy and passion in whatever you're doing.” That philosophy extends to every aspect of her professional life, whether she's managing marketing campaigns, filming wedding videos or planning her next performance.

And when she steps on stage, the reason behind all that work is crystal clear.

"Throughout all of it, it’s so much, and I definitely don't sleep as much as I should, but I'm just so happy," she said. "It’s all I want to do. I just love it. It just makes me want to cry every time I’m on stage, because I'm like, 'Oh, yes!'"