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Derrek Kupish

@dkupish

5.7K

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NBJ '26 40 Under 40
Music Biz Management | Digital & Brand
@billyraycyrus @dennisquaid
@dollyparton 💔🦋
🐾@applejaxthegoldendoodle
Nashville is 🏠

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Every day, thoughts of my cherished client and friend @thenaomijudd fill my mind. Unanticipated tears flow freely at times, especially on what would have been her 78th birthday today. Naomi’s signature touch, dotting the ‘I’ with a musical note while signing autographs, is now forever etched on my wrist in tribute. 👑 The memories we shared are treasures I’ll hold close, and capturing her life and @thejuddsofficial through the lens was a profound honor. Thank you, Naomi, for your friendship, belief in my dreams, and for being an unforgettable part of my journey. Happy Heavenly Birthday! 💔

If you ever need help/support dial 988. taken in Nashville, Tennessee by @dkupish

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3 years ago

It’s hard to put into words what it meant to spend several years working alongside @dollyparton.

During the Pure & Simple era, I had the incredible opportunity to help create the world around so many moments… media days, video and lighting, photographing her, capturing behind-the-scenes memories and being out on the road. No matter how many times we did it, I still got butterflies before every show.

I’ll never forget taking my mom to the show in St. Louis. My Grandma Lugten... my mom’s mom, Polly had passed away, and her favorite color was purple. That night, Dolly walked onstage in the most beautiful custom purple Swarovski crystal-beaded outfit.

Before the show, Dolly told my mom how proud she was of me and the work I was doing. I don’t think she could have known how much that meant to us. With my grandmother on our minds and Dolly standing there in purple… I’ll carry that memory forever.

Being part of the Smoky Mountains Rise telethon also showed me how deeply Dolly loved the people back home. Her compassion wasn’t for the cameras. The love, kindness and generosity were real.

Then there were the moments that just made you laugh. In Georgia on the set of Coat of Many Colors, Dolly and Judy wanted Waffle House... smothered and covered, of course. That same day, Dolly took one look at how high I had my hair and told me it looked like one of her wigs from the Porter Wagoner days. We laughed and laughed.

That was Dolly.

She could be the biggest star in the world and somehow make you feel like a few friends sitting around laughing together. She believed people should be exactly who they are and she lived it.

Legend. Hero. Client. Icon. Boss Lady.

But I’ll remember most the kindness, the laughter and the privilege of knowing the person behind the icon.

I’ll forever be grateful for those years, those miles, those photographs, those laughs and all the little moments in between.

Thank you for the memories, Dolly. 💜🦋 by @dkupish

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a month ago

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6 months ago

Happy Birthday, @applejaxthegoldendoodle!!!! 🐾🎂 He's 3️⃣ today!

Named him after @dollyparton's song “Applejack,” but put my own spin on it… Applejax.

My little dood. Best buddy I could ask for. 🤘🦴🐾🐶 taken in Nashville, Tennessee by @dkupish

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4 days ago

Going out on a Sunday. 🤠 by @dkupish

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7 days ago

Honored to attend Nashville’s 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony this morning on the 25th anniversary of September 11th. 🇺🇸

Proud to be there with @billyraycyrus, who was invited to perform “Some Gave All” as Nashville came together to honor the lives lost, our first responders and all those who have sacrificed for our country.

A powerful morning and a reminder that 25 years later, we will never forget. 🙏🇺🇸 by @dkupish

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24 days ago

Love is like a butterfly. 🦋

- @dollyparton by @dkupish

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a month ago

Dolly. Five letters. So many memories. ❤️

Grateful beyond words that my journey gave me the chance to work alongside @dollyparton and witness a little bit of that magic firsthand.

Now I get to carry a piece of that chapter with me forever… alongside Naomi Judd's handwritten musical note. Two very special chapters of my life... now side by side. 🎶🦋✨

And I love that today meant a little something more… proceeds from these Dolly tats are being donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, carrying on her love for children, reading and making the world a little brighter. 📚 taken in Petal & Fang Tattoo by @dkupish

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a month ago

I stopped by @dollyparton's home today. I’ve been here before, but today felt completely different.

Standing there and seeing the flowers, balloons, handwritten notes, drawings and little pieces of love left by people from around the world was overwhelming.

I was fortunate enough to know Dolly and spend several years working alongside her, but moments like this remind me that she belonged to all of us in a way. Everyone has their own Dolly story, their own song, their own memory, their own reason for loving her.

Seeing all of that love gathered outside her gates was something I’ll never forget.

The world loved you, Dolly. And it always will. 🦋💗✨ taken in Brentwood, Tennessee by @dkupish

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a month ago

5 years ago today. 📸

So much to say about this day.

I had the honor of photographing @thenaomijudd and @wynonnajudd as The Judds were announced as the latest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

None of us could have known then how much these photographs... and this moment... would come to mean.

Naomi would leave us before she ever got to stand on that stage and officially receive the honor she so deserved.

Looking back at this day brings a lot of emotions. I’m just incredibly grateful I was there, grateful I had my camera, and grateful for the moments I was fortunate enough to capture.❤️ by @dkupish

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2 months ago

GӨLDΣП HӨUЯ ӨVΣЯ ΛTHΣПS. 🏛️☀️🇬🇷 taken in Athens, Greece by @dkupish

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3 months ago

@billyraycyrus is officially #1 on the UK iTunes All Genre & Country charts! 🇬🇧🔥

THE HILL • 6.16 by @dkupish

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4 months ago