NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty today announced board appointments for the Tennessee Film, Entertainment & Music Commission (TFEMC). The TFEMC board represents entertainment industries across the state in music, film and television.
“This distinguished group of industry professionals brings broad experience and unique perspectives to the board and will help us continue to grow Tennessee’s entertainment industry,” Haslam said. “I’m excited to welcome them, and I appreciate their commitment and willingness to serve as we attempt to expand on the incredible industry talent and infrastructure already in place.”
“In Gov. Haslam’s Jobs4TN plan we identified Tennessee’s entertainment industry as one of the key clusters where our state holds a competitive advantage,” Hagerty said. “We look forward to working with the new board members to create the right kind of business environment in which the entertainment industry can thrive.”
TFEMC board members include:
Mike Curb, Founder of Curb Records/Producer/Songwriter
Chairman of the TFEMC board
Curb has achieved more than 300 No. 1 hits; chairman of the Mike Curb Foundation; founder of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University, the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University, and the Curb Institute for Music at Rhodes College in Memphis; and is one of three trustee emeriti in the 150-year history of Nashville’s Fisk University. Curb’s name can be found on Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Jay Frank, Senior Vice President of Music Strategy for CMT
Frank oversees music strategy as it relates to all of the network’s on-air and digital music initiatives for CMT, CMT.com, CMT mobile, games, touring and other businesses. He was the former vice president of Music Programming and Label Relations at Yahoo! Published “FutureHit.DNA” and sits on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Country Music and Leadership Music.
Craig Brewer, Director and Screenwriter
Brewer is Memphis’s most distinctive director and screenwriter. He is also known for using Tennessee music to complement his films. His credits include: writer and director of Hustle and Flow, financed by John Singleton, produced by Stephanie Allain which earned an Academy Award for Best Original Song for Three 6 Mafia and an Academy Award nomination for lead actor Terrance Howard; Black Snake Moan with Samuel Jackson, Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake; and Paramount Pictures’ remake of the classic Footloose which stars Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell hitting theaters this October.
David Porter, Songwriter and Producer
Porter is a Grammy Award winning songwriter from Memphis, who worked closely with the late Isaac Hayes to become one of the top songwriting and producing teams in the industry. His songs account for more than 300 million unit sales worldwide. Porter was the first African American staff songwriter for Stax. Some of his successful songs are “Soul Man,” “Hold On I’m Coming,” and “When Something is Wrong with My Baby.” David also includes in his credits “Dream Lover” performed by Mariah Carey and “Getting’ Jiggy Wit It” performed by Will Smith. Porter has also been inducted into the National Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Susan Packard, Co-Founder of Home and Garden Television (HGTV)
Packard has also served as president of Scripps Networks New Ventures, where she oversaw the development and launch of DIY Network, Fine Living Network, and online interactive platforms. She was also president of worldwide distribution for the Scripps cable brands. Under Packard’s helm, HGTV became one of the fastest growing cable networks in television history. Today HGTV is available in more than 99 million U.S. homes and distributed in 175 countries and territories. She helped to build Scripps Networks to a market value of over $9 billion. On July 1, 2010, Susan joined the firm of Martin Frankel Associates (MFA), an advisory group to global business leaders. In 2008, she was inducted into the Cable Center Hall of Fame.
“I’m honored to have been chosen by Gov. Haslam to chair this important commission, and I look forward to Tennessee becoming the No. 1 destination for growth-oriented companies in the film, entertainment and music industries,” Curb said.
These board members will serve alongside Carey Nelson Burch, TV agent for My Own Shingle; Rod Essig, agent for Creative Artists Agency (CAA); Rivers Rutherford, songwriter/producer for Universal Music Publishing; and Bruce Shine, mediator & arbitrator for the Law Office of D. Bruce Shine.
They are replacing Scott Borchetta, Ken Levitan, Lynsey McDonald, James Alexander and Dean Deyo.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. To find out more, go to www.tn.gov/ecd.