Kevin Weaver

Kevin Weaver
Nationality	American
Title	President of Atlantic Records, West Coast
Term	2017–present

Kevin Weaver is an American record producer and record executive serving since 2017 as President of the West Coast branch of Atlantic Records.^[1]

Furthermore, he has served since 2014 as Executive Vice President of the label's Film and Television branch, a title in which he oversees placement of the label's music within films, televisions, and interactive media, as well as providing oversight on the creation, A&R, marketing, promotion, and distribution for the company's soundtracks. Weaver also operates a publishing joint-venture with Atlantic Records Group and Warner/Chappell Music. In 2019, Weaver was included in Atlantic's group entry at number nine on Billboard's "Power 100 List", and in 2020 and 2022,^[2] he was among those included in Billboard Magazine's re-branded "Power List" of the top executives in the music industry, alongside Atlantic Records co-chairs Craig Kallman and Julie Greenwald, and Atlantic's President of Black Music, Mike Kyser.^[3]

Career

Atlantic Records

In 1994, Weaver joined Atlantic Records, contributing to the direction of soundtrack projects from 1995 to 1998 under the Lava label. From 1998 to 2000, he continued working in the same area as an executive at Tommy Boy Music, whereupon he transferred back to Lava. In 2006, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Atlantic Records. Two years later in 2008, Weaver was named Executive Vice President of Atlantic Records Group. In 2014, he was named President of Film and Television, and in 2017 was ultimately promoted to the newly created title President of Atlantic Records, West Coast.

Soundtracks

Weaver produced the Girls: Volume 1 and True Blood Volumes 1 & 2 soundtracks, which subsequently earned him two Grammy Award nominations. Further executive producer and/or A&R Executive soundtrack credits and contributions include Avatar (Music from the Motion Picture), Paper Towns, The Hangover 1 & 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Rio 2, Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Step Up 2 & 3, Happy Feet, Bright, and more.

His other projects include the soundtrack for Boardwalk Empire, Vol. 1 (Music From The HBO Original Series) which he produced and won a Grammy Award in 2010 for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media,^[4] along with the soundtrack for The Fault In Our Stars^[5] which featured the RIAA Certified multi-platinum single “Boom Clap” from Charli XCX.^[6]

He was also an executive producer for Ed Sheeran's one-hour NBC television special in 2015, "Ed Sheeran - Live at Wembley Stadium,” and spearheaded the deal for Coldplay's 2014 NBC concert special "Ghost Stories".^[7] In 2013, he produced CeeLo Green's “Magic Moment” Broadcast Christmas Special at Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, and was an A&R Executive on the Cee Lo's Magic Moment album.^[8]

In 2015, Weaver produced the Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album, which peaked at #1 on the US Billboard 200 Chart and also hit #1 on iTunes in over 65 territories. The Furious 7 soundtrack included the single “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa (featuring Charlie Puth), which Weaver provided A&R services for.^[9] The single has since garnered over 4.5 Billion streams and sold over 5 million singles worldwide.[5][6]

In 2016, Weaver also produced Suicide Squad: The Album, the soundtrack companion to Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated summer blockbuster, Suicide Squad.^[10] The album boasts the highest debut for a soundtrack in 2016 and the largest streaming week for a soundtrack in history with over 32 million streams. Alongside debuting at No. 1 atop the Soundscan/Billboard 200,^[11] the album hit No. 1 on the iTunes Top Overall Albums chart in 66 countries around the world, including the United States.^[12] The album includes the chart-topping single “Heathens” from rock band Twenty One Pilots,^[13] as well as hit singles from artists such as Skrillex, Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Lil Wayne, and many more.^[14]

The Greatest Showman – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

In 2017, Weaver released The Greatest Showman – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which received an RIAA Gold Certification, marking the first soundtrack to score four weeks of 100,000-plus units on the Billboard 200 chart since its transition in December 2014. After spending three consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top Albums chart (the first soundtrack to top the chart for three consecutive weeks since Disney's Frozen in 2014), the album broke Suicide Squad: The Album’s record (33 million) twice-over for all-time top streaming weeks for a soundtrack with 39.6 million streams (up from 37.4 million the week prior). The album has reached #1 on iTunes in 75 countries, in addition to charting at #1 in Ireland, #1 for five consecutive weeks in Australia, and #1 for 4 consecutive weeks in the UK.

The song This Is Me” from the 20th Century Fox musical film The Greatest Showman (2017) achieved critical and commercial acclaim. It received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards and won the award for Best Original Song – Motion Picture at the 75th Golden Globe Awards. The song surpassed 115 million streams globally and was remixed by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Audé for a dance-oriented version.

"This Is Me" gained further exposure in 2018 when it was featured in NBCUniversal's promotional campaign leading up to and during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The song served as the soundtrack for the network's promotional materials and was included in their primetime coverage of the Opening Ceremony on February 9, 2018.

Artist Development

Weaver has been involved in the development of the careers of artists such as Kid Rock, Bruno Mars, Fun, Icona Pop, Charli XCX, Ed Sheeran, Matchbox Twenty, Flo Rida, T.I., Jason Mraz, Christina Perri, James Blunt, Cee Lo Green, the Zac Brown Band, Jewel, and numerous others.

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominated Work	Award	Result
2009	True Blood	Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media	Nominated
2010	True Blood - Volume 2	Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media	Nominated
2011	Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1	Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media	Won
2016	Suicide Squad (Collector's Edition)	Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media	Nominated
2016	Vinyl: The Essentials Season 1	Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media	Nominated

Golden Globes

Year	Nominated Work	Award	Result
2016	"See You Again" Wiz Khalifa (featuring Charlie Puth), Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack	Best Original Song - Motion Picture	Nominated
2018	"This Is Me" Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman	Best Original Song - Motion Picture	Won

American Music Awards

Year	Nominated Work	Award	Result
2014	The Fault In Our Stars (Music from the Motion Picture)	Favorite Soundtrack	Nominated for this
2016	Suicide Squad: The Album	Favorite Soundtrack	Nominated for this
2018	The Fate of the Furious: The Album	Favorite Soundtrack	Nominated for this
2018	The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack	Favorite Soundtrack	Nominated for this

Video Music Awards

Year	Nominated Work	Award	Result
2014	"Boom Clap" Charli XCX, The Fault In Our Stars	Artist To Watch	Nominated
2015	"See You Again" Wiz Khalifa (featuring Charlie Puth), Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack	Best Hip-Hop Video	Nominated
2015	"See You Again" Wiz Khalifa (featuring Charlie Puth), Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack	Best Collaboration	Nominated
2016	"Heathens" Twenty One Pilots, Suicide Squad: The Album	Best Rock Video	Won

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

Year	Nominated Work	Award	Result
2017	Suicide Squad: The Album	Favorite Soundtrack	Won

Philanthropy

ACLU

In 2006 Weaver was honored with the prestigious ACLU Bill of Rights Awards. Co-honorees included The Dixie Chicks and director Paul Haggis. Weaver raised nearly half a million dollars towards the support and litigation of cases and other needs that protect Constitutional Civil Rights.

T.J. Martell Foundation

Weaver has been a board member of the T.J. Martell Foundation since 2008, chairing the annual TJ Martell West Coast Family Day Event multiple times. He is responsible for raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to support funding for pediatric cancer, leukemia and AIDS treatment research.

References

1. "Kevin Weaver Photos Photos: The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Press Room". Zimbio. Retrieved 2016-11-14. ^{[verification needed]}
2. Billboard Staff (2022-01-26). "The 2022 Billboard Power List Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
3. "Billboard's 2019 Power 100 List Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
4. "Kevin Weaver". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-08-17. ^{[verification needed]}
5. "Ed Sheeran, Jake Bugg, Grouplove and Lykke Li Featured on Soundtrack to 'The Fault in Our Stars'". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 2016-08-17. ^{[verification needed]}
6. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2016-08-17. ^{[verification needed]}
7. "Kevin Weaver Named President, Film & Television for Atlantic Records Group". ^{[verification needed]}
8. "Atlantic Records Group Ups Kevin Weaver To President, Film & TV". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-17. ^{[verification needed]}
9. "Wiz Khalifa's 'See You Again' Knocks 'Uptown Funk' Off No. 1 on Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-17. ^{[verification needed]}
10. "How the 'Suicide Squad' Soundtrack Came to Life". The Hollywood Reporter. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-17. ^{[verification needed]}
11. "Top 200 Albums | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-19. ^{[verification needed]}
12. "'Suicide Squad' Soundtrack Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-17. ^{[verification needed]}
13. "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-19. ^{[verification needed]}
14. "Chart Watch: 'Suicide Squad,' #1 Movie, #1 Soundtrack". 16 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-17. ^{[verification needed]}