ACM Welcomes Six New Staffers
• The Academy of Country Music® announces six new hires across several departments — Ben Carter joins as Vice President, Live Events & Production; Matt Brum-Taylor is aboard as Director, Digital Marketing; Lexi Cothran is named Sr. Manager, Communications & Strategic Initiatives; Kendra Williams joins as Coordinator, Finance; Brooke Boyd is the newly named Assistant, ACM Lifting Lives; and Heather Howard is now Assistant, Marketing.
Carter (left) has a background spanning more than two decades in the entertainment capital of Los Angeles, including tenure as Sr. Director of Event Production for the Television Academy (Emmys). In his new role, Carter will leverage his extensive experience to lead the planning and execution of the Academy’s live events, including the Academy of Country Music Awards and ACM Honors. Carter reports to Gil Beverly, EVP & Chief Business Officer, and can be reached at ben@acmcountry.com.
Brum-Taylor (center) moved to Nashville over ten years ago to begin his career in promotions and marketing with iHeartMedia Nashville. He later worked as Social Media Manager for the Grand Ole Opry, and spent the past seven years as Digital Marketing Director at Big Machine Label Group. In his new role as Director, Brum-Taylor will lead all digital and social media efforts for the Academy, reporting to Rory Levine, VP of Marketing and Digital Strategy & Engagement, He can be reached at matt@acmcountry.com.
Cothran (right) most recently served as an Account Executive at Brooklyn-based publicity firm, Shore Fire Media. Before that, she worked as a publicist at Nashville boutique PR firm Sweet Talk Publicity and earlier served as Digital Producer at iHeartMedia/Premiere Networks for four years. As Sr. Manager, Cothran will handle publicity and PR for the Academy’s organizational initiatives, key programs and courses, ACM Lifting Lives, brand partnerships and sponsorships as well as executive leadership. Cothran reports to Jesse Knutson, Sr. Manager, Publicity & Media Relations, and can be reached at Lexi.cothran@acmcountry.com.
• Prior to joining the Academy, Kendra Williams (left) served as a Staff Accountant at a CPA firm. In her new role as Coordinator, Williams will focus on responsibilities across the finance operations of the Academy. She reports to Office Manager Michael Stern, and can be reached at kendra@acmcountry.com.
Brooke Boyd (center) interned with the Academy throughout 2023. During that time, she worked with both ACM Lifting Lives and the Academy’s live event operations team to assist in the planning and execution of key events. In her role as Assistant, Boyd will support the ACM Lifting Lives team with administrative duties, live events and fundraising efforts. She reports to Taylor Wolf, Senior Manager, ACM Lifting Lives, and can be reached at brooke.boyd@acmcountry.com.
Howard (right) most recently served as Digital Marketing Coordinator for Universal Music Group Nashville and held internships at Collective Artist Management, Live Nation Entertainment, and more. Howard will now work with the Marketing and Communications teams on all day-to-day needs, reporting to Rory Levine, VP, Marketing and Digital Strategy & Engagement, and can be reached at heather.howard@acmcountry.com.
