Anastasia Brown Named Top Content Strategist for Visionary Media Group (EXCLUSIVE)
By Chris Willman
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Anastasia Brown, a veteran music supervisor who has long been a key figure in connecting Nashville with Hollywood, has been appointed chief content strategist of Visionary Media Group. She’ll direct content across platforms for the company’s music, TV, film and scoring projects.
The move comes at a time when Nashville is making good on its longtime promise as a major hub for film and television music, as full-scale scoring stages open up to rival the spaces in Los Angeles — on top of the traditional studios that have always been plentiful in Music City — and even gaming projects look to Nashville for their soundtracks.
“Creatives move to Nashville because of our sense of community, level of talent and respect for their talents,” Brown tells Variety. “A multi-media company will financially benefit content creators, which will then allow them to thrive here for years to come. I have always cared about visionaries and what they create; companies like this one protect and elevate all of it far into the future.
“My long-term goal is to grow a prolific and self-sustaining film, TV, podcast and gaming production center as well as an audiovisual scoring industry in Nashville,” she added, “and with VMG’s leadership and dedication, this goal is finally becoming a reality.”
Besides working in the area of film/TV and music intersection, Brown will help steer the career of VMG’s first signing for a nascent record label division, “American Idol” finalist Kree Harrison.
CEO Cory B. Savage says that “through the decades, artists in every genre have looked to Nashville for the best musicians to compliment their creative endeavors. That creative collaboration has gained both a national and international awareness of the type of city that we are all so proud and honored to be associated with. Many artists in Nashville have always had to travel to Los Angeles or most currently Atlanta to create content. We believe it’s time to make Nashville the home of a global, multi-platform creative scene.”
To that end, he adds, “Anastasia brings an exceptional level of experience and stature in the music industry to VMG. Her expertise and incredible eye for spotting talent is unmatched. I couldn’t be happier to have Anastasia on our team as we help artists prosper in the entertainment industry.”
Brown’s credits over three decades include work not just as a music supervisor but music publisher, artist manager, soundtrack producer, author, and A&R executive and content creator. She served as a music supervisor or consultant on films or TV shows including the Dove award-winning “The Shack,” the Oscar- and Grammy-nominated “August Rush,” the Emmy-winning “Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken,” Paramount’s “Footloose” remake, FX’s “The Americans,” “Hot Pursuit” and “Charlie’s War.”
As an on-air personality, she was a judge for three seasons on USA Network’s “Nashville Star,” which led to writing the book “Make Me a Star: Industry Insiders Reveal How to Make It in Music.”
Brown served as associate producer on Sony Classics’ “I Saw the Light,” which starred Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams. Other roles included heading up the Nashville division of Miles Copeland’s Firstars Management and Ark 21 Records, serving as distribution consultant and music supervisor for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation, coordinating distribution of the ABV documentary “For the Love of Music: The Story of Nashville,” and work as a TV music consultant for Warner Nashville.
Variety recognized her in 2015 with a Music City Impact Award, and in Tennessee, she was honored with a Trailblazer Award at the Women in the Workforce Forum & Awards for her work in expanding the Nashville entertainment industry and supporting women’s efforts in particular.
Visionary Media Group has a joint venture agreement with international music company BMG for investing in music publishing acquisitions as well as film score catalogs.
