Our Story

McKinney Associates, Inc. started more than 30 years ago with the vision of Michael A. McKinney, our President, and Grady Nutt, a funny, funny man who inspired many along with entertaining them. For the first 13 years Grady was the anchor while Mike looked for talent to bring along, including folks like Jeanne Robertson, Cotton Ivy and Carl Hurley.

Because of Grady's work on the television show, HeeHaw, Mike also started working with Minnie Pearl and Willard Scott. We were definitely in the "niche" of country motivational humor and enjoyed tremendous success for 13 years.

When returning from a Farm City Banquet in Cullman, Alabama, in November of 1982, Grady's plane crashed and he was killed. McKinney Associates almost crashed, too. But Mike and the folks he represented felt committed to continue Grady's frequent refrain, 'audiences are to be entertained, not embarrassed,' putting the pieces together after 90% of the scheduled engagements were put in jeopardy.

McKinney Associates has expanded to include humorists, motivational speakers and entertainment. We are proud to be the home office for the hilarious Dr. Carl Hurley. We have been able to work with the inspirational Sue Thomas, along with many others, from Walter Cronkite to Dick Hardwick to Scott O'Grady to... well you get the idea. We have more fun in this office than should be allowed and we continue to have more business and ideas than we can handle! Mike's intention had always been to remain small enough to serve our customers personally. But we have each benefited from the creative atmosphere fostered by this man who has put so many in the spotlight, yet shuns it himself. Mike has expanded our office to FOUR divisions! We have learned from Mike the art of cultivating relationships that count, even as the vast majority of our contact with customers is over the phone.

We are a bit of a paradox in that we are one of the oldest bureaus in the US and among the smallest. But our sights have not been on being biggest or most influential, just the best. We have the resources and the desire to make your program top notch. Let us put our services to work for you!