Windom
Grammy Award-winning record and entertainment executive Amir Windom has worked in all aspects of the music business, working at historic record labels in the brand marketing and Artists & Repertoire divisions. Being an executive of A&R/creative services, he has been a key piece in the careers of some of today’s biggest stars in the music industry, such as Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Trey Songz.
Windom grew up in a household with music all around; his dad started the Atlanta Jazz Festival and his mother was a singer and dancer. Windom’s brother was a DJ and seeing him as a teenager influenced his love for music even more. He saw the power that the music had on people at parties that his brother was DJing and thought there is power in music. Growing up around that energy captured his heart and he hasn’t let go of music since then.
“You would go to a party and see that girl over there in the corner who was kind of stand-offish. But the moment she hears a song, she just opens up, and all of a sudden she also seems as though she found some confidence and energy,” Windom says. “I remember just seeing that and thinking, ‘Man, that’s powerful.’ Things like that can sway a person’s emotions and soul like that in music.”
One of Windom’s biggest career accomplishments is being able to have a hand in a variety of projects. He has worked on a lot of TV shows and movies, in addition to being music supervisor for some of the biggest names in music such as Kanye West. In February 2020, he made history as part of a collective that launched Black News Channel, the first major TV network that airs 24 hour news and original programming specifically catered to the African American audience.
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“I kind of have been able to work in a lot of different sectors of this business and find some cool things that I think have reached a lot of people,” Windom says. “I think that’s been the greatest accomplishment for me is just being able to really be a multi-faceted entertainment executive.”
Windom hopes his impact in the entertainment industry expands beyond business—he says he focuses on the value of what people can learn from him to look past the fame and accolades, and choose to be themselves. He sees that a lot of people’s success can hunch on how you are as a person and how you treat people. As a creator more than ever, Windom thinks people have to ask themselves how they are adding values to people’s minds in our souls and hearts.
“Yeah, I think there’s some I want people to say about me when it’s all said and done. Whether they are talking about my contributions to my artist’s careers, like Bruno or things I have done with Pharrell. one or two things we’ve done. I want people to say that guy did a lot of things that made me feel good and added value to their souls. More so then he was extremely successful,” says Windom.
To those who may want to follow in his footsteps into the career he has, you have to mentally prepare yourself for the road. Making sure you are putting things in your mind and soul that prepares you to persevere. Even where Windom is in his career at the moment, there are still a lot of things that don’t happen for him but he wants to happen. So, instead of letting those things define him, he keeps going.
“You just have to create the opportunity, you have to continue to create the opportunity. Endure and be able to create that opportunity and just keep knowing that this is a marathon, not a sprint. That’s a large part of it. A lot of people think it’s about us being so creative and coming up with ideas for it but it’s really it’s about can you survive and endure. It’s a long road,” says Windom.
Windom appreciates his family and friends for being his inspiration to continue working hard toward his dreams. Although Windom enjoys being music supervisor, in the next few years, he wants to work more with the Black News Channel, help produce more TV shows, movies and finish up his artists albums. He even plans to help turn his mother’s orchestration to a movie and create more music festivals.
