Another Visionary Move For Steele
• Radio and music industry pro Michael Steele has joined Nashville-based Visionary Media Group as Vice President of Streaming & Digital. In this lofty new post, Steele will oversee playlisting and digital strategy working closely with DSP partners like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube Music and Soundcloud.
“We’re proud to welcome Michael Steele to our growing Visionary Media Group team,” said Anastasia Brown, Chief Content Strategist, Visionary Media Group. “He not only brings experience in playlist curation across a diverse range of genres, he’s a forward-thinker, a leader, and approaches each project and artist campaign with a keen sense of creativity. It’s simply impossible to box him in and we love that! We look forward to growing our artists’ visions as we develop film, TV and documentary projects; all with Michael at our digital helm.”
Steele, who relocated to Music City in 2015, brings with him 20+ years of experience to his new role, most recently as Sr. Director of Playlist Programming and Curation for Warner Music Group, overseeing playlist strategy and spearheading digital marketing campaigns for Warner, Atlantic, and Elektra recording artists. Steele started his radio journey at the age of 14 in his hometown of Vermillion, SD, eventually working his way up to the MD post at KFMB (Star 100.7)/San Diego from 1996-99, followed by his big move to KIIS-FM/Los Angeles, where he served as VP of Music Programming and Creative Director from 1999-2003. Steele was also the founder and inaugural PD of Entravision’s groundbreaking Alternative duo KDLD & KDLE (Indie 103.1)/Los Angeles from 2003-2007, later going on to serve as Director of Operations and Programming for the now former KTWN/Minneapolis. Earlier in his career Steele served as Executive Producer/Creative Director for the syndicated Billy Bush Show and Director Of Music Programming & Creative Content for Rick Dees Weekly Top 40.
“I’m honored to be on board at Visionary Media Group,” Steele said. “This forward-thinking team represents a diverse roster of artists including Clayton Anderson, Cody Belew, Leigh Nash and O.N.E The Duo. Each is completely unique, and Visionary’s approach to nurturing their individual artistry is unlike any other team that I’ve ever worked with. It’s incredibly refreshing, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
VMG Founding Partner, Ron Zamber, noted, “Michael is an outstanding addition to our team. He thinks globally and executes with precision. While an experienced, forward-thinking strategist, one of his superpowers is adaptability. Michael knows how to turn on a dime to super-serve our digital partners on behalf of our diverse family of artists and projects. Welcome, Michael!” Nick Sciorra, VMG Founding Partner, adds, “It’s rare to find someone of Michael’s caliber and longstanding relationships, who is so on the front foot of innovative distribution platform trends, that he’s a perfect fit to lead our uniquely designed content model at Visionary. We’re excited to have him on our team and look forward to the magic his leadership will bring to Visionary, its artists and innovators.”
Steele is now working from Visionary’s offices on Music Row, and can be reached at michael.steele@visionarymediagroup.com. Out of office, you can find him sipping wine, tasting bourbon and smoking meat — all while listening to music, of course.
