Tim Sexton is an American producer, music supervisor, environmental consultant, and social impact entrepreneur. Noted for events and initiatives which integrate pop culture and social activism, he produced No Nukes, Peace Sunday, Live 8, and was an architect of "Feel the Power" - the precursor to Rock the Vote. He is the principal of the Make Good Group, a company he founded in 2003 to advise corporate clients on sustainability, social responsibility, and brand strategy. Go Green, the environmental program Sexton designed for the Philadelphia Eagles, is considered a model of sustainability.
Sexton served as the music supervisor for dozens of films, including Desperately Seeking Susan, and Rush, which featured Eric Clapton's Grammy Award-winning "Tears in Heaven."
Early life and education The oldest of 11 children, Sexton was born in Buffalo, New York to Jane Marie Strodel, an artist, and Robert Sexton, an NBA executive and basketball coach. The family moved to San Diego in 1960 when his father accepted a position as the athletic director at the University of San Diego.
Career Sexton began his career in production with the Ice Follies-Holiday on Ice. He was involved in all of the tasks related to the show's production where he discovered an affinity for stage management and lighting design. Throughout the 1970s, he served as a lighting designer, production consultant, production manager or tour manager for dozens of stadium and arena tours for artists including America, Poco, The Rolling Stones, Jackson Browne, Diana Ross, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Chicago, Robin Trower, Red Skelton, and many others.
Based in Los Angeles, Sexton was active in social, political, and environmental issues. In 1979, he was recruited by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Graham Nash to produce No Nukes, composed of five shows at Madison Square Garden (which featured Crosby Stills and Nash, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, among others) and an outdoor rally which drew more than 200,000 people on the then-empty landfill section of Battery Park.
In 1984, Sexton partnered with MTV executives including Les Garland to create the "Feel the Power" campaign for the network. With 30 second public service spots featuring artists including Cyndi Lauper, Jimi Hendrix, and Tina Turner, its goal was to mobilize young voters and facilitate voter registration. It was the foundation of Rock the Vote, for which Sexton served as a director for several years.
Based on his work on the No Nukes concerts, which were the subject of a 1980 documentary, Sexton was pursued as a music supervisor for television and film. In 1983, he was retained by 20th Century Fox to oversee contemporary music for the studio. In 1984, he was named vice president of music at Columbia TriStar Pictures and in 1987, with Becky Mancuso-Winding, he co-founded the film music company Magstripe Entertainment. In addition to working with Winding, he served as a music supervisor and consultant for Fox, Disney, and producer Jerry Weintraub.
In 1992, Sexton co-founded Big Screen Records with Irving Azoff's Giant Records. Later, Sexton launched The Track Factory, a boutique film music company, with entertainment industry legend Sidney Sheinberg. In 2000, Sexton was named president and CEO of Digital On-Demand/Red DotNet, which was later acquired by private equity firm Yucaipa and merged with independent home media distributor Alliance Entertainment, where he served as Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice-president of its Media and Entertainment Group.
In 2003, Sexton founded The Sexton Company, which he described in an interview with The Washington Post as a company that "helps companies do well by doing good." He began working with the Philadelphia Eagles on sustainability programs that same year. The team's Go Green initiative began with a recycling bin in every office and grew to include 100% exclusive use of renewable energy at their stadium, offices, and practice facilities. Sexton's Go Green program for the Eagles has become the benchmark in sustainability and has been emulated by the Seattle Mariners, the Atlanta Falcons, the Phoenix Suns, the Green Sports Alliance, and the Oakland As, among many others.
In 2005, Sexton executive produced Live 8, a series of concerts conceived by Bob Geldof and designed to focus attention on debt relief and extreme poverty in Africa. More than 1000 musicians performed on a single day simultaneously at nine concerts on four continents, including Madonna, U2, Jay Z, Pink Floyd, and Paul McCartney. As executive producer of Live 8, Sexton won the first-ever Emmy award for content delivered via the internet.
In 2007, he was a producer of Idol Gives Back, then the most successful charity event in television history. To date it has raised more than $175 million for organizations working to alleviate poverty in America and Africa, and was awarded a special Emmy by the Governors of the Television Academy.
In 2008, with his then partners, Brendan Sexton and Matt Walden, Sexton initiated a sustainability strategy and business development structure for National Grid, the second-largest energy utility company in the world. In 2012, the Sexton Company was renamed The Make Good Group and was featured in an Entrepreneur magazine cover story as one of top 100 companies to watch. The Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 2017 global $10 million competition for a consumer device which successfully makes medical diagnoses, was co-conceived by Sexton and wireless health pioneer Don Jones.
In 2022 Sexton collaborated with Austin Beutner, former Los Angeles Superintendent of Unified Schools, to architect the campaign Proposition 28, a California ballot initiative which earmarks approximately $1 billion annually for music and arts education in the state's public schools. Sexton is also the Executive Producer of Reconexion, a Spanish language docu-reality television streaming on Univision’s VIX platform. He is currently producing a documentary film on the lives and careers of Crosby, Stills, & Nash with White Horse Pictures and filmmaker Robert Zemeckis. In 2024 Sexton began spearheading the acquisition and restoration of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in partnership with The Azoff Company, Oak View Group, Live Nation Entertainment, and Geyser Holdings.https://smmirror.com/2024/07/civic-auditorium-set-for-revitalization-talks/https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2024/July-2024/07_24_2024_City_Launches_Negotiations_to_Revive_the_Civic.htmlhttps://www.santamonica.gov/press/2024/07/24/economic-growth-cultural-vitality-city-enters-negotiations-to-restore-operate-iconic-civic-auditorium
Philanthropy Sexton has acted as an advisor and/or, a director (past or present) of the Yale University’s Thorne Prize for Social Innovation in Health or Education, Rock the Vote, USC’s Center for Body Computing, Alliance for Climate Education, Medical Aid for El Salvador, EMA, and Liberty Hill Foundation. He is a co-founder of Southern California's E2, Environmental Entrepreneurs.
Filmography/Discography Year Title Credit Notes2024 Reconexión Executive Producer 2007 American Idol Gives Back Producer Emmy Governors Award2005 Live 8 Executive producer Emmy award, Interactive content 2000Up at the Villa Music supervisor Where the Money IsMusic director1999Molly Music supervisor 1998 Playing by Heart Music supervisor 1997 That Old Feeling Music supervisor 1996High School High Music supervisor House Arrest Music supervisor Flipper Music supervisor 1995Virtuosity Executive music producer Losing Isaiah Music supervisor How to Make an American QuiltMusic supervisor1994 Clear and Present Danger Music supervisor Drop ZoneMusic supervisor1993 Mr. Jones Executive music producer Sliver Music supervisor Includes "Can't Help Falling in Love" by UB40 #1 Hot 100 Twenty Bucks Music supervisor 1992 FernGully: The Last RainforestMusic supervisor The Cutting Edge Music supervisor 1991 RushMusic supervisor Includes Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" which won three Grammy awards in 1993 All I Want for Christmas Music supervisor Crooked Hearts Executive music producer Backdraft Music supervisor True Colors Music consultant 1990 Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael Music consultant Air America Music supervisor Includes "Love Me Two Times" by Aerosmith The Earth Day Special Music supervisor Cry-Baby Music supervisor Opportunity Knocks Music supervisor 1989 Listen to Me Music supervisor She's Out of Control Music supervisor 1988My Stepmother Is an Alien Music supervisor Fresh Horses Music supervisor Sunset Executive in charge of music 1987 Suspect Executive in charge of music The Principal Executive in charge of music 1986 No Mercy Executive in charge of music Let's Get Harry Executive in charge of music About Last Night...Executive in charge of music Short Circuit Executive in charge of music Stripper Executive in charge of music Iron Eagle Executive in charge of music 1985 The Jewel of the Nile Music supervisor Sweet Dreams Executive in charge of music Music by Patsy Cline Top 10 albumReal Genius Executive in charge of music The Legend of Billie Jean Executive in charge of music Includes "Invincible" by Pat Benatar#10 Hot 100 Desperately Seeking Susan Music supervisor Includes Madonna's "Into the Groove" (#1 Hot 100)1984 Johnny Dangerously Executive in charge of music Gimme an 'F' Music supervisor Revenge of the Nerds Executive in charge of music Bachelor Party Music supervisor Romancing the Stone Executive in charge of music Unfaithfully Yours Executive in charge of music Reckless Music supervisor 1983 A Night in Heaven Music supervisor Includes "Heaven" by Bryan Adams#1 Hot 100 in 19851977 No Nukes Concert producer
References
External links The Make Good Group