About
Thirty years of finding the story.
Eric Shawn Carnes has worked in music, film, television and technology as an artist manager, publicist, journalist and consultant. He has put together a team of public relations professionals who know how a story gets pitched, placed and protected. Dirty Work Media is what happens when three decades of that experience goes to work for you.
Carnes came up through working with the major labels and publishers. An artist relations seat put him in the same rooms as producers Max Martin, Dallas Austin, Timbaland, Sandy Vee and Sean Garrett, the writers and producers behind records for Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, TLC, Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and Nicki Minaj.
He has since assisted casting production and A&R for six seasons of The Voice, founded the Nashville Underground brand and grew it into Nashville Underground Radio and Nashville Underground Management, and managed hit songwriters. Three decades writing and singing with Grammy Award-winning artists. The through-line is simple: he finds talent, and he finds the angle, before anyone else does.
Hands on
You talk to Shawn. Nothing here gets passed down a chain.
Discreet
Your business stays your business, always.
Built to last
Platforms with purpose, not a news cycle that's gone by Friday.
Track record
400+
media placements secured in 2026
30
weeks at Billboard No. 1 for “One Number Away”
6
seasons of casting production and A&R on The Voice
3
decades writing and singing with Grammy winners
The path here
Artist relations inside the machine
Carnes came up through working with major labels and publishers, holding an artist relations position and working alongside producers Max Martin, Dallas Austin, Timbaland, Sandy Vee and Sean Garrett, the writers and producers behind records for Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, TLC, Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and Nicki Minaj. That is where he learned how a story gets built long before anyone hears the song.
Nashville Underground
He founded the Nashville Underground brand, bringing light to the city's progressive lifestyle and the diverse genres of music launching out of Nashville. It grew into Nashville Underground Radio, a weekly show that put new and independent artists on air, and Nashville Underground Management, which took on young talent. An early lesson in finding the story everyone else had walked past.
The Voice
Carnes assisted casting production and A&R for six seasons of The Voice, bringing multiple top-10 finalists and season winners to the show while continuing to manage artists.
A No. 1 and a Song of the Year
Among the talent he has represented is hit songwriter and producer Steven Battey, whose credits include work for Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars and Madonna. Together they celebrated success in country music with Battey's writing and production on the 2018 Luke Combs hit “One Number Away”, which charted at Billboard No. 1 for 30 weeks and became the ASCAP Song of the Year in 2019.
Songwriter and vocalist
An accomplished songwriter and vocalist himself, Carnes has worked with numerous Grammy Award-winning artists, songwriters and producers over three decades, across music, film, television and technology.
Full-time publicist
After taking a break from the music business in 2024, Carnes kept working with chosen clients and went full-time as a publicist, most recently leading publicity for the law firm Meyer Wilson Werning and the wellness brand Human Garage. In 2026 he secured more than 400 media placements. His clients have appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, The TODAY Show, Forbes, People, NPR, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Law, among many others. Dirty Work Media is that practice, widened to take on business owners and thought leaders too.
Purpose, and longevity.
His eyes and ears for talent are impeccable, bringing impactful platforms to the forefront that not only have purpose, but prove longevity in an ever-changing industry.