Neil R. Portnow (born 1948,
New York City) is the current president of the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). Portnow was formerly the vice-president of the West Coast division of
Jive Records.
Early career
Portnow grew up in
Great Neck, New York and graduated from
The George Washington University in 1971. He started out as a record producer and music supervisor. He worked with
RCA Records,
Arista &
EMI. He started working with
Jive Records in 1989. He oversaw the expansion of their West Coast operation, making Jive a groundbreaking, successful label. Jive thrived under his leadership as Vice-President of the West Coast division and spearheaded the careers of some of the biggest acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. He worked alongside Jive's president
Clive Calder who ran Jive's parent company, the
Zomba Label Group.
Portnow worked as music supervisor on three films:
Permanent Record (1988),
The Dream Child (1989), and
Wired (1989), in which he also appeared briefly as a bandleader.
Presidency of NARAS
In November 2002, Portnow became the President of NARAS (aka The Recording Academy) -- replacing the controversial C. Michael Greene who served as President since 1988. At the
Grammy Awards of 2003, he made his first
Grammy night address as president. He is considered more diplomatic, analytical, and strategic than his predecessor. The president is also noted...
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