Brewton serves as BMI’s Vice President for Writer and Publisher Relations. She directs outreach to songwriters and music publishers in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. She leads many of BMI’s marquee annual events, which include the BMI R&B/Hip Hop Awards and the Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards.
On her proudest professional moments with BMI, she said, “Over the years, I was able to build content and create platforms for songwriters and producers that not only allow different genres of music to connect, but also to showcase and highlight their talents. Those are some of my proudest moments.”
Throughout her career in the music scene, Brewton has worked with A-list stars in both gospel and R&B/Hip-Hop including Lil Wayne, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Pharrell, Yolanda Adams, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg and Usher, among others. “I love Snoop. We honored him two years ago with the Icon award, and he became the ‘godfather’ of hip-hop. He is somebody that everybody looks up to, and he gives back to the community,” she said.
Brewton is involved in numerous organizations, such as the NARAS, Women Executives of America, BESLA (Black Entertainment Sports Lawyer Association), the Starkey Hearing Foundation, as well as the Atlanta Songwriters Association. She continues to feed her philanthropic passion, through her production company Crescent Productions. Brewton is the executive producer and founder of “Hope For Har-vest,” a five-day fundraiser to support the ongoing efforts of feeding the poor and under-served in the Charlotte, NC community. “I want to continue to build in the area of philanthropy. Those of us who are given a voice and platform, should use it to lend our voice to causes, and my cause is homelessness, and at-risk teens. I want to spend more of my time building in that area,” she said. “I also want to continue to work with new songwriters and new producers, and to connect the dots for them. That’s one element. I want to be that person that can really inform and educate the creators.”
Most recently, the music executive was featured in Vibe magazine’s “30 Awesome and Inspiring” list for Women’s History Month in addition to being featured in Root magazine for the second year in a row as one of their “Top 20 Gospel Industry Power Players.” In 2013, Billboard honored her as “Woman of the Year.”
Each day, Brewton is motivated by the opportunity to just make an impact. “I like being in the studio, and I like going to shows to see what is new, and listening to Spotify to see what is being played on the new music platforms. I really do my best to stay relevant, in the sense of showing up every day trying to learn something new,” she said.
On the key to longevity in the music industry, she said, “You evolve with the game. So many people feel like you can survive being good in one thing, but you need to learn every component.”
To learn more about Catherine Brewton, follow her on Instagram.
