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Johnnie Walker
President & Founder of NABFEME, Inc.
Johnnie Walker holds the distinction of
being named the first female Sr. Vice President of Promotion
for the Def Jam Music Group and the only female to ever hold
that position for the company. Johnnie, a native of Grenada
MS truly embodies the cliché "the road less traveled."
In 1978, Johnnie started her career in Mississippi as a country
music air personality at a small AM radio station, WNAG. A
naturally born marketing maven, Johnnie developed a radio
sales plan, which encompassed an R&B format targeted at
Black listeners. The local business community that depended
on Black consumers for their livelihood was targeted to support
the plan. The station gave her plan a chance and what started
as a risky two (2) hour test grew to become the station's
most successful six (6) hour time slot, thus catapulting Johnnie
Walker to local celebrity status.
The stint at WNAG led JW (as she is affectionately
called) to an opportunity in Memphis, TN at KRNB. The "WIN"
momentum that would become Johnnie's career trademark continued
in Tennessee where she progressed quickly from air personality
to Promotions Director, to Music Director, to Program Director
in less than three (3) years.
In 1990, Johnnie Walker's marketing zeal brought her to the
attention of Russell Simmons at Def Jam Recordings where he
wooed her from a career in radio broadcasting to become the
label's regional marketing rep in Memphis. Within one (1)
year she was promoted from Regional Promotions Manager to
National Director of Promotion. In this position, Johnnie
handled Def Jam's field operations. The Sr. National Director
position soon followed and positioned Johnnie Walker to be
instrumental in launching the careers of Redman, Method Man,
Onyx, Montell Jordan and Foxy Brown!
In 1997, Johnnie continued her "WIN"
philosophy with a move to New York City where she assumed
the position of Vice President of R&B Promotion for Def
Jam. In the next two years she would restructure the company's
promotion department, create their much sought after "R&B
Radio Promotions Guide," and hire the company's first
national promotions field staff. This was most significant
because the staff was primarily comprised of young, inexperienced
field reps that Johnnie molded into a "winning force."
Together, this force successfully marketed Russell Simmons'
Eddie Murphy comeback movie, "The Nutty Professor,"
Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour" and several #1 Gold and
Platinum albums from Jay-Z, Ashanti, Ja Rule, DMX, LL Cool
J, Musiq, Dru Hill and others.
At the end of the summer of 2003 after 14
years of tenure at Def Jam Recordings, Johnnie Walker relocated
to Los Angeles, CA and took the reins of Head of Urban Promotion
for DreamWorks Records, marketing the musical careers of The
Isley Brothers, Floetry, Burt Bacharach and many others.
In an effort to make the road less traveled
become a smoother journey for those to come, in 1999, Johnnie
Walker, a longtime advocate of formal mentoring, founded NABFEME,
the National Association of Black Female Executives
in Music and Entertainment, Inc. NABFEME is
a nonprofit professional organization, staffed by entertainment
industry volunteers, whose mission is to raise the profile
and increase the awareness of Black women in music and entertainment.
The organization accomplishes its mission through activities
that foster empowerment, education, mentoring, career development
and networking opportunities.
Johnnie Walker has been the recipient of
countless awards. She was named Radio & Records Urban
Promotion Executive Of The Year (2003) and thanks largely
to her efforts, the Island Def Jam Music Group was named #1
Rap Label Of The Year and #1 R&B Label Of The Year by
Billboard and Airplay Monitor in 2000, 2001
and 2002.
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