Pepper Entertainment president nominated for a CMA award

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – One local entertainment promoter has come a long way since he started his business in a basement back in 2006. Now he’s been nominated for a national award — not once, but twice.

From Keith Urban to Tim McGraw, Jered Johnson, the president of Pepper Entertainment, has booked a lot of big names during his 17 years in the business. Now he’s being recognized as a top promoter with a nomination for a Country Music Association award.

“It’s pretty humbling. You know, we’re just always believed in working hard. To be in a class and a category that includes two of the biggest promoters in the world, you know, it’s pretty surreal to see that happen,” Johnson said.

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This is his second time in the national spotlight. In 2020 he was nominated for an Academy of Country Music award.

“You can work a long time in this industry and not get close to any of these nominations,” Johnson said. “So to have an ACM and now a CMA it’s, you know, it’s pretty surreal from a standpoint, you know, we started this company in 2006, really in the basement as a hobby.”

Johnson and Pepper Entertainment are also looking forward to an exciting 2023 with 250 to 300 shows in the works.

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“You know, some of the tours that we have next year, that are announced, we’re doing a big leg of Foreigner, which is their farewell tour,” Johnson said. “We’re going out with Justin Moore starting in February; REO Speedwagon, we’re doing a ton of touring with them next year.”

There’s no slowing down for Johnson and his team.

“I’ve always said, anything when it comes to accolades, you know, it’s not whether we win or not, to me is really not that important — it’s that we’ve been nominated,” Johnson said. “It’s a testament to our team and how hard we’ve worked.”

Johnson will be traveling to Nashville for the CMA awards on January 30th.