Nashville, TN – RCA Inspiration has appointed GRAMMY® Award-winning music and entertainment veteran Ron Hill as Vice President of Artist Development, reporting to Senior Vice President and General Manager Phil Thornton. Hill will oversee all A&R/Creative matters and the newly-launched Brand Partnership division for RCA Inspiration, Essential Sound, and Verity, encompassing the label’s breadth of new inspirational releases from Gospel to hip-hop, nurturing its diverse roster of new and veteran talent, and its award-winning catalog. Among new releases from RCA Inspiration are songs and albums from acclaimed hit makers Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA), Travis Greene, Donnie McClurkin, Kierra Sheard, Koryn Hawthorne, and more.
Ron Hill joins RCA Inspiration from Fo Yo Soul Entertainment, where he was most recently President for Kirk Franklin’s Dallas/Fort Worth-area company and Franklin’s manager for the past six years. A young executive who’s been hailed for his creative vision, the Dallas native began his career interning at Fo Yo Soul Entertainment in 2007, and began managing Franklin and became President of Fo Yo Soul in 2013, where his work has included A&R, music production, tour management, and other creative and business endeavors.
Among Hill’s recent creative work and honors include co-creating the annual Gospel festival “Exodus Music & Arts Festival” with Franklin, which launched in 2018; acting as a Consulting Producer in 2019 for Season 9 of BET’s “Sunday Best”; winning two GRAMMY® Awards at the 2019 and 2017 shows as a producer on Tori Kelly’s Best Gospel Album-winner Hiding Place and Kirk Franklin’s Best Gospel Album-winner Losing My Religion; and garnering two nominations in 2019 from the Stellar Awards (Producer of the Year) and upcoming Dove Awards (as a producer, for Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year). Hill has executive-produced albums for Kirk Franklin, Tasha Page-Lockhart, The Walls Group, Christon Gray, and Geoffrey Golden, and was the tour manager for Live Nation’s first Gospel tour “The King’s Men Tour” that featured Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp and Israel Houghton. He began his career in music while attending college in New Orleans.
Phil Thornton (RCA Inspiration, Senior Vice President and General Manager), says: “I have been working with Ron Hill for several years in conjunction with his work at Fo Yo Soul, and it is a joy to have Ron join the RCA Inspiration family in this new capacity as the VP of Artist Development. I look forward to collaborating with Ron on the development of our artists and the creative ideas and experience he brings, as we continue to shepherd Gospel and inspirational music to the next level.”
Ron Hill adds: “I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve in this new role. Our genre is at a very pivotal moment in time and I believe now more than ever, Artist Development and A&R will help build lasting careers. I’m excited to have a hand in helping artists grow and reach a wider audience for the kingdom. I would like to thank Terry [Hemmings, Provident Music Group President/CEO] and Phil Thornton for this incredible opportunity, and Kirk Franklin for his continued support.”
