Dave Stewart

he scenes he’s produced albums and co-written songs for Bono, Bryan Ferry, Gwen Stefani, Tom Petty, Katy Perry, and Sinead O’Connor, racking up numerous Producer, Songwriter, and Grammy Awards along the way. In 2010, Stewart co-wrote and co-produced Stevie Nicks’ critically acclaimed solo album, In Your Dreams, marking the first time Nicks has ever collaborated on a solo effort. Stewart also took Joss Stone to Nashville, where they wrote and recorded her fifth studio album LP1. A lover of film and photography, Stewart shot full-length documentary feature films for both projects. The August 2011 release of Stewart’s own record, The Blackbird Diaries (Razor & Tie/Surfdog Records/Weapons of Mass Entertainment) is his first solo project in over 13 years, and was recorded with some of Nashville’s top players in a whirlwind five-day session at John and Martina McBride’s Blackbird studio. The album, written by Stewart (with a co-write assist by Bob Dylan and guest appearances by Stevie Nicks, Martina McBride, Colbie Caillat, and the Secret Sisters) is a reflective and story-driven journey, with nods to his blues inspirations, the price of success, and relationships both lost and found. Additionally, Stewart filmed a companion movie for the album also entitled The Blackbird Diaries. Featuring performances of the songs and a look at the making of the record, the tongue-in-cheek film involves both a fortuneteller (played by Joss Stone) and a hypnotist (Diane Birch). For Stewart, the film is simply another creative outlet. “I used to document everything, even back in the Eurythmics days,” he says. “I think filming and writing music are all part of the same process.”
Stewart’s most recent collaboration is with Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, and A.R. The aptly titled heavyweight musical group, SuperHeavy, released their first record in September 2011 and have also been busy editing a behind-the-scenes look at the recording process. As a highly-regarded filmmaker, Stewart has scored films for directors Robert Altman, Paul Verhoven, and Ted Demme, and has written and produced the title songs for many hit movies throughout the years. Together with Mick Jagger, he wrote and produced the score for Alfie, starring Jude Law, which won the pair a Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Stewart and songwriter/producer Glen Ballard recently wrote the music for the musical adaptation of the 1990 Jerry Zucker film Ghost, which opened to rave reviews in London’s West End July 2011, and will soon open on Broadway in 2012. As an entrepreneur, Stewart has worked with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to create The Hospital, a multimedia creative centre and members club in London. Along with Mick Jagger, Stewart is a founding partner in famos*, a new technology company offering monetization solutions for users with above average reach and influence. On his own, Stewart has established Weapons of Mass Entertainment, a "media company for the new world" (The LA Times), linking creative ideas to a host of projects in music, film, television, books, theatre, and new media. In 2010 Stewart released The Business Playground: Where Creativity and Commerce Collide (Financial Times / Pearson) a highly regarded business tome now available in eight languages. An innovative guide designed to show business people everywhere how to rediscover their creativity, the book contains a mix of inspiring creative conversations with Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, Tony Award winning director Matthew Warchus, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. It also features case studies of groundbreaking companies like Google and NASA. Described by Bob Dylan as "a fearless innovator," Stewart is an acclaimed public speaker. He regularly advises corporations and businesses on creativity and innovation.