Jon Small's unique journey through the music world has brought him to the forefront of his profession, where he stands as one of the industry's most respected and in-demand directors and producers of live concerts, TV specials, TV series and music videos.

His background as a road-tested musician allows him to understand, in a special way, the needs and desires of artists from the country, rock and pop worlds, including such towering figures as Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Jessica Simpson and LeeAnn Rimes to name a few.

Jon's singular point of view serves him well as Producer of the USA Network TV show Nashville Star -- currently in its fourth season -- a position he has held since the program's successful launch. In fact, Jon was instrumental in bringing production of the popular country-music talent contest series to Nashville, helping to attract greater attention to the city while further expanding interest in country music itself. And it's only the latest major project from a man renowned for lending his unique insight and perspective as a director and producer.

Billy Joel

A native of New York City, Jon began his career as a drummer, keeping the steady beat for legendary artists, including (for seven years) Billy Joel. When Jon made the switch from performer to director, his company -- which he named Picture Vision Pictures -- quickly became a leading film-production entity. With a dynamic roster of directorial talent headed by Jon himself, Picture Vision Pictures continues to set the standard of innovation and creativity for the industry.

Small's close working association with such performers as Joel, Garth Brooks, Jessica Simpson, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Enrique Iglesias, Run-DMC, Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, Sting, Lynyrd Skynyrd and countless others, has earned him a reputation as a true musician's director and producer.

Jon produced the HBO special Garth Brooks: Live From Central Park, a grandiose 22-camera effort that garnered enormous national TV ratings and broke all attendance records in New York City's Central Park. In fact, Jon was the sole producer of the entire event -- a monumental task for which he received a CableAce nomination and six Emmy nods, including one for Outstanding Musical Special.

G. Brooks/J. Small

Jon has eleven Emmy nominations to his credit in all, including one for his re-teaming with Brooks on the NBC TV special Live From Dublin. It was another ambitious project -- and another Herculean task for Jon, who brought together an international crew of 200 to capture the three-day event with 24 cameras, including two in helicopters. Jon also helmed HBO's Janet Jackson: Live from Madison Square Garden, which garnered four Emmy nominations, including one win; Billy Joel's Disney TV special Live At Yankee Stadium, which brought a Grammy nomination and a Gold Medal from the International TV Film Festival of New York; and the All Access and On The Verge TV series for CMT -- just to name a few examples from his impressive catalog.

Aerosmith/RUN-DMC

In addition, Jon has produced and/or directed hundreds of music videos, including the groundbreaking "Walk This Way" with Run-DMC and Aerosmith. He has been honored with a long list of awards and nominations for his consistently pioneering productions -- not only from Emmy, Grammy and CableACE voters, but from the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music and Latin Music Awards.

Still the depth, breadth and scale of his body of work are the true measures of his contributions to the worlds of music and film. With this wealth of knowledge and experience, Jon Small continues to bring his distinctive, creative vision to all his endeavors.