NASHVILLE, TENN. (JUNE 09, 2020) Provident Music Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, announced today that it has re-branded as Provident Entertainment to showcase the company’s wide spectrum of industry-leading faith based entertainment. Provident Entertainment, which operates under the umbrella of Sony Music Nashville, includes Provident Label Group, RCA Inspiration, Essential Worship, Essential Music Publishing, Provident Films, and Essential Artist Services. As a faith-based entertainment industry leader, Provident Entertainment and each of its entities strives to produce products that engage faith-minded audiences with positive messages.
Terry Hemmings, CEO and President, Provident Entertainment, says, “The name change to Provident Entertainment reflects the growth of the business over the past decade, which has broadened into film, music publishing, and merchandising, as well as the addition of RCA Inspiration, the industry leader in Gospel music. These expansions have created a fully functional and interwoven entertainment business. With the support of our parent company Sony Music Entertainment, Provident Entertainment has advanced beyond the bounds of a typical record label into a trusted faith and family content company that serves the traditional music listener, the church and worship music community, and the film-going consumer. Provident Entertainment is one company working together for the good of the whole, and its name change reflects that attitude and philosophy.”
Within its divisions, Provident Entertainment is home to many of the biggest names in the faith-based music industry including Casting Crowns, Zach Williams, Koryn Hawthorne, Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Matt Maher, Marvin Sapp, Matthew West and Tauren Wells. It is also the publisher of chart-topping and award-winning songs such as “You Say” recorded by Lauren Daigle, Cory Asbury’s “Reckless Love,” Zach Williams’ “Chain Breaker,” “Only Jesus” by Casting Crowns, and “Known” by Tauren Wells, among many others.
Over the last two years, Provident Label Group has certified twelve RIAA Gold-certified® singles, six RIAA Platinum-certified® singles, and one RIAA Gold-certified® album. Provident Label Group artists have had five No. 1 radio singles, 20 top-five singles, and has remained No. 1 in the radio market share over the past twelve months, including Casting Crowns’ top-charting single “Nobody (ft. Matthew West),” which held the top spot for 15 weeks. Since 2017, Provident Label Group has received 35 GMA Dove Award® nominations, eight GMA Dove Award wins – including two New Artist of the Year awards (Tauren Wells, Zach Williams) and Artist of the Year (Zach Williams) – as well as five GRAMMY® nominations.
RCA Inspiration is home to powerhouse names in Gospel and Inspirational music including Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin, and Le’Andria Johnson, to name a few. The label is Billboard’s Top Gospel Label with more than 30 RIAA Gold and Platinum releases. In 2019, RCA Inspiration had a 17 percent share of Gospel radio, making it No. 1 in the market. Their brand partnership team has also paired its artist roster with various national campaigns including Disney, McDonald’s, and AT&T.
In addition to Provident Label Group and RCA Inspiration, Provident Entertainment is launching hip-hop label Essential Sound with pioneer hip-hop artist KB as its first project to release. KB has placed his thumbprint on hip-hop while invoking the power of spiritual conviction. He is a GMA Dove Award winner and a Stellar Award nomination recipient, and has a Billboard No. 1 Christian Album and No. 4 Rap Album.
Essential Publishing is home to more than 60 No. 1 songs including the aforementioned “You Say” by Lauren Daigle, “Reckless Love” recorded by Cory Asbury, Zach Williams’ “Chain Breaker,” “Only Jesus” by Casting Crowns, Tauren Wells’ “Known,” and four No. 1 Country songs. In addition, Essential Music Publishing has received four GMA Dove Award Song of the Year awards, nine GRAMMY nominations, and two GRAMMY awards in the last two years. In 2019, Essential Publishing received the BMI Publisher of the Year Award and has been SESAC’s Publisher of the Year four times. Essential Publishing writers include Jason Ingram, Matt Maher, Jonathan Smith, Zach Williams, Tauren Wells, Ethan Hulse, Mia Fieldes, Ran Jackson, Bryan Fowler, and others. Essential Music Publishing also developed the Essential Worship imprint and church marketing platform representing hundreds of worship songs to the church, including “Great Are You Lord,” “Reckless Love, “O Come to the Altar,” “Tremble,” “Glorious Day,” as well as the worship/church platforms Elevation Worship, Vertical Worship, one sonic society, Red Rocks Worship, and more.
Since 2006, Provident Films has been a pioneer in developing, producing and distributing faith-based films. Working with faith leaders and award-winning filmmakers, the company creates entertainment that inspires viewers to believe in God’s purpose for their lives. Provident Films’ industry-leading partnerships have resulted in some of the genre’s biggest hits, such as the Kendrick Brothers’ Overcomer, War Room, Courageous, Fireproof, and Facing The Giants, the Erwin Brothers’ Woodlawn, Moms Night Out, and October Baby, and Kirk Cameron’s Unstoppable and Revive Us. In addition to War Room, 2015’s No.1 movie in America, Provident Films titles have generated over $300 million in total box office.
Essential Artist Services is Provident Entertainment’s artist merchandise division. They are a small team with a big heart and the support infrastructure assisting in doing big things for their artists and clients. Coupling a passion for quality design and print techniques with years of experience in the industry, Essential Artist Services has positioned itself to work with major names in the music, non-profit, academic, and business worlds. They have an entire division devoted to tour, festival, and event vending, while working with many artists inside and outside of the Provident Entertainment umbrella.
98.5 KTIS strives to point people in the Twin Cities to Jesus on the air, online, and on the street. Through remarkable service projects, 98.5 KTIS listeners are the hands and feet of Jesus to multiply the KTIS impact in our community. The first Friday of each month was 98.5 KTIS Drive-thru Difference Day, as listeners shared God’s love by paying for the order of the person behind them in the drive-thru. Moms overcame health, financial, and family difficulties through 98.5 KTIS’ Heart of a Mom initiative; meeting needs for a kitchen update, fulfilling a missed honeymoon with a cruise to Alaska, securing a reliable vehicle, and more. 98.5 KTIS’ Christmas Blessing resulted in remarkable stories of goodwill in the community, meeting needs by blessing people battling cancer, overcoming miscarriage, and recovering from financial devastation. Collecting thousands of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes filled with toys for kids around the world, the 98.5 KTIS Shoebox Showdown shared the hope of Jesus from the Twin Cities to children around the world. Listeners continued that generosity by working together to collect over 11,000 pencils for boys and girls in the Dominican Republic. 98.5 KTIS listeners ‘Shared the Warmth’ as a local business paid listener heating bills during the cold winter months, and listeners used those funds to bless their favorite Twin Cities nonprofits. 98.5 KTIS’ Ministry of the Month connected listener passions and talents to local ministries, highlighting the good being done in our community by these organizations on-air and online.
Through intentional, community focused service initiatives, Spirit 92.9 partners with listeners and businesses to help make their community better, together. The station’s first “Community Spirit” project in 2022 focused on showing God’s love to children entering foster care in the area after the ministry learned that there were more children than ever before in the system. During a weeklong collection drive, Spirit 92.9 listeners and business partners generously helped provide a new pair of pajamas and a stuffed animal for over 1,100 kids. Hoping to lead by example through serving, the Spirit 92.9 team helped prepare over 800 free meals for individuals and families in need for Easter, prepared and served a meal at the local homeless shelter, and helped clean up trash at an abandoned property near their studios. Hundreds of women in the community were served and uplifted in January at the station’s first Ladies’ Night Out-an opportunity to worship, laugh, receive support and prayer. In the fall, listeners and business partners joined together to help three local organizations provide free homemade, holiday meals to those in need. This ‘More Than A Meal’ on-air and online fundraiser helped feed over 3,000 in Central Minnesota. At the end of the year, Spirit 92.9’s “Share The Joy” promotion offered listeners the opportunity to nominate someone to receive a financial blessing. Single mothers, elderly homeowners, and the family of a father badly injured and hospitalized out of state were among the 12 people granted a $500-$1000 gift.
From entertaining the airwaves on KFRC-FM in San Francisco, to dancing away the late 90s on WKTU-FM in New York City, to encouraging and uplifting Atlanta on WFSH-The Fish every afternoon, Beth Bacall’s three decades on the air have had a lot to say. In 2003, she embraced CMB and the CCM sphere when she started working at Star 99.1 FM in NY/NJ. Since 2005, she has served on the Momentum Leadership Team while also offering mentorship to CMB’s Women in Radio community. Beth is a champion for others, taking a sincere stance of integrity and leading by example with her on air work, community engagement, and show prep. As a top talent coach, she equips multidisciplinary broadcasters and artists to embrace their authentic self, grow awareness, share stories effectively, and create meaningful Christ-centered content with all audiences. Beth specializes in moments that matter and is a driving force behind The Fish Christmas Wish Program and Fish Acts of Love. Working on all aspects of creating promotional, reward-based content, including research and execution, Beth is a dot connector that the Lord uses to bring joy and experiences into the lives of others. Even after these promotional seasons, she’s always looking for the next opportunity to be a blessing.
For over four decades, Rick Dunham has been at the forefront of marketing and fundraising for Christian nonprofits. In 2002, he founded Dunham+Company, which has become a global leader in providing multi-channel strategies across some of the world’s most influential sectors. Through radio and television, local churches and overseas missions, medical relief and philanthropic initiatives, Dunham+Company is multiplying the reach of the Gospel. The company currently serves nearly 100 clients in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand – whose collective effort is reaching nearly every corner of the globe. Rick is the author of Secure: Discovering True Financial Freedom and If God Will Provide, Why Do We Have to Ask for Money? He serves as a member of the board of The Giving Institute and is a former chair of the Giving USA Foundation, which publishes the most widely respected annual report on giving in the U.S. He has been published and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post and more. From devotionals to blogs, webinars to books, Rick’s personal faith in Jesus and his Biblical training are the driving conviction of his communication.
Over the decades, Jacobs Media has become known for advising broadcasters on strategic planning and digital transformation, championing forward thinking of the in-car audio experience, developing its innovative Techsurveys, and driving research initiatives with some of the most influential companies in media. In partnership with Radio Ink, the Jacobs duo created the DASH Conferences in 2013-15, bringing together leadership from both automotive and radio broadcasting industries. Working with CMB, Jacobs Media launched the first of its annual tech surveys for Christian music radio in 2014. Working in collaboration with the NAB’s Connected Car Committee, they developed the original “Best Practices” report in 2017. Fred Jacobs, a 2018 Radio Hall of Fame inductee, is credited with the creation of the Classic Rock radio format in the mid-80’s. Paul Jacobs specializes in revenue generation for Jacobs Media’s clients including heading up jācapps – the industry’s first, and now largest, mobile application development company with more than 1,300 apps worldwide. In 2022, Fred and Paul were recipients of the National Radio Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Broadcasters. They were the first duo to receive the award as well as the first consultants.
Jim Leightenheimer has passionately pursued the mission of teaching, mentoring, and preparing college students to serve Christ in radio since 1982. A 30-year radio veteran, Jim implemented and developed a student radio station that started as an AM carrier current, transitioned to a low power FM, and is currently streaming as Resound Radio. Under his leadership, student radio has served to jump-start the careers of many current leaders in Christian radio stations and networks across the United States. His students, both past and present, credit Jim for being the catalyst in building their love for radio. Throughout his career, Jim has enlisted graduates and other professionals to serve as mentors to his student radio staff. He has introduced scores of students to CMB by bringing them to Momentum and, more recently, CMB University. Jim currently serves on the board of directors at WCVO (104.9 The River) in Columbus and continues to be a resource not only for his current students, but for those who are living out his legacy in radio.
Joe Paulo has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hope Media Group since 2018. With an extensive background in media and leadership, he began at KSBJ (now Hope Media Group) as Vice-President of Operations in 2017 after serving at Educational Media Foundation (K-LOVE/Air1) as the Director of Donor Stewardship and Communications. Prior to that, he led a division of Columbia International University as Director of Broadcasting until 2014, overseeing the growth of successful radio stations in Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC. Joe has also provided volunteer leadership at the board of directors and advisory levels for other nonprofits such as Youth Commission International, CMB, and Crime Stoppers of Houston. In addition to speaking on leadership, fundraising and media, Joe and Kelly, his wife, have spoken at marriage and parenting events to share their passion for marriage, parenting and adoption.