Monty Criswell
Senior teams under sustained pressure lose the human thread that holds discretionary effort together. Spreadsheets and town halls do not reach it. What does reach it is a room where a credible outsider tells a true story about persistence, recovery and craft, and gives the audience something to take into Monday morning that a slide deck cannot.
Monty Criswell is a Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter and stage 3 cancer survivor whose evening of storytelling and live music gives audiences a grounded account of persistence, craft and recovery.
Full Profile
Why organisations work with Monty Criswell
- Five number-one country singles across three decades, including “I Saw God Today” for George Strait, “Five More Minutes” for Scotty McCreery and “Hell of a View” for Eric Church, give him a body of work most after-dinner speakers cannot match.
- His material is built around real songs played live, not slides. The performance element makes the resilience message land with senior audiences in a way a conventional keynote cannot.
- A stage 3 colon cancer recovery, tied to active support of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, gives the health and recovery thread substance rather than sentiment.
- Thirty years in a commercial creative industry, with named hits for George Strait, Eric Church, Trace Adkins, Scotty McCreery and Parker McCollum, makes him credible on the realities of sustained creative output under commercial pressure.
Biography highlights
- Co-writer, “I Saw God Today” (George Strait, 2008), CMA Single of the Year; Grammy and Dove nominations.
- Number-one country singles include “Just Fishin'” (Trace Adkins), “Five More Minutes” (Scotty McCreery, triple platinum), “Hell of a View” (Eric Church, double platinum) and “Handle on You” (Parker McCollum).
- Two Grammy nominations for Country Song of the Year; multiple BMI and NSAI songwriting awards.
- Songwriter Session presenter at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Nashville.
- Publishing history with Hamstein Music Group, Sony/ATV/Tree and currently Spirit Music Group.
- B.A. American Studies, cum laude, University of Alabama.
Biography
Country music is one of the few commercial creative industries where the same writer can sustain hits across thirty years. It is also one of the most unforgiving. Hit songs decide careers, and most writers never get one. Monty Criswell has written or co-written five number-one country singles in four different decades, including “I Saw God Today” for George Strait, which won CMA Single of the Year in 2008 and was nominated for a Grammy.
The catalogue runs from Trace Adkins to Eric Church to Parker McCollum. “Five More Minutes” for Scotty McCreery went triple platinum. “Hell of a View” for Eric Church went double platinum. The longevity matters more than any single credit. It is what gives him a working theory of how a person keeps producing under commercial pressure when the room around them changes.
Halfway through that run he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. He recovered, returned to writing, and continued to land number ones. He now supports Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and sits with his wife on Vanderbilt’s Canby Robinson Society. The cancer story is not a frame for the talk; it is the second source of evidence behind it.
“An Evening with Monty Criswell” is a live performance, not a conference session. He plays the songs, tells the stories behind them, and draws lessons on persistence, craft and recovery from a working life that produced both. For organisations looking for an inspirational close to a conference, an awards dinner or a leadership offsite, the offering is unusual: a credible commercial creative who can hold a room with songs the audience already knows.
Key speaking topics
- Resilience and recovery after serious illness
- Sustaining creative output over a long career
- Storytelling as a leadership tool
- Persistence in commercially unforgiving industries
- Country music songwriting craft
- Faith and personal values in working life
Ideal for
- Conference closing keynotes and gala dinners where an inspirational live performance is required
- Sales kick-offs and leadership offsites in need of a resilience and persistence anchor
- Cancer charities, healthcare audiences and corporate wellness events
- Audiences in the United States with country music affinity, including Nashville-based events
Audience outcomes
- A live experience of how a hit country song is built, told by its writer
- A first-hand account of stage 3 cancer recovery and the return to high-output work
- Stories drawn from a thirty-year Nashville career, with named artists and named songs
- A close that lands emotionally without leaning on a slide deck
Talks
A live storytelling and music performance built around the songs Criswell has written for George Strait, Eric Church, Scotty McCreery and others, interwoven with lessons from a thirty-year songwriting career and recovery from stage 3 colon cancer.
Key takeaways:
- The working habits that produce hit songs across multiple decades, told through specific songs in the catalogue
- A direct account of cancer diagnosis, treatment and return to creative work
- The role of relationships, persistence and faith in sustaining a long career in a commercial creative industry
Videos
Fees
| EUR | GBP | USD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Country | €12000 to €40000 | £10,001 - £35,000 | $15000 - $50000 |
| Asia Pacific | €12000 to €40000 | £10,001 - £35,000 | $15000 - $50000 |
| Europe | €12000 to €40000 | £10,001 - £35,000 | $15000 - $50000 |
| Middle East & Africa | €12000 to €40000 | £10,001 - £35,000 | $15000 - $50000 |
| South America | €12000 to €40000 | £10,001 - £35,000 | $15000 - $50000 |
| United Kingdom | €12000 to €40000 | £10,001 - £35,000 | $15000 - $50000 |
| US East Coast | €12000 to €40000 | £10,001 - £35,000 | $15000 - $50000 |
| US West Coast | €12000 to €40000 | £10,001 - £35,000 | $15000 - $50000 |
| Virtual | Under €12000 | Under £10,000 | Under $15000 |