Sony/ATV Nashville has announced details of four new appointments to its creative team.
Dane Schmidt joins as creative director, Katie Kerkhover has been made creative manager, Stephen Denninger joins as creative coordinator, and Laura Castillo enters as A&R assistant.
Schmidt arrives from Tree Vibez Music, where he oversaw daily operations, while Kerkhover previously worked as an A&R consultant at CAM Creative.
Denninger graduated from Nashville’s Belmont University in 2016 and joins Sony/ATV from Universal Music Publishing.
Castillo is also studying at Belmont and has interned with Sony/ATV for the past year.
The new arrivals join long-serving A&R team members Josh Van Valkenburg, Terry Wakefield, Tom Luteran, and Hannah Williams. Their responsibilities will include pitching Sony/ATV’s catalogue of songs, managing the writers’ schedules and signing new talent.
All four will report to Senior Vice President Josh Van Valkenburg, who oversees the A&R team in Nashville.
Van Valkenburg said: “Dane, Katie, Stephen, and Laura bring another level of energy, excitement, and experience to our team. They are passionate about songwriters, and we are thrilled to have them join our family!”
Earlier this year, Kacey Musgraves starred on the cover of Music Week's Nashville special issue, in which we lifted the lid on how the city became the songwriting captial of the world. Subscribers can read the full report here.