Robert Deaton

Robert Deaton is a visionary director and producer who has influenced popular culture and
created one-of-a-kind film, television and music performances that define careers, from
emerging to superstar artists.
With more than two decades of experience producing some of the most successful, long-running,
artist-driven franchises on network television, Deaton is also an award-winning director and
record producer.
He’s worked with superstars across all genres including Garth Brooks, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift,
Justin Timberlake, and Chris Stapleton. He’s earned the trust of the industry for his creative
vision, passion for music, and genuine respect for the artists.
Since 2007, he’s served as executive producer of country music’s biggest night of the year the
“CMA Awards” on ABC. The two-time Emmy winner has helmed “CMA Fest” since 2004 and
“CMA Country Christmas” since 2010. The annual primetime specials are consistently high in
the ratings and spotlight the broad appeal that places country music at the forefront of American
culture.
Deaton literally willed the two-hour “CMA Fest” special into existence. He spent four days
shooting CMA Music Festival, which takes over downtown Nashville each June, and then sold
the idea of airing a stadium-scale concert special to the network. In the process, he wrote the
production playbook for filming a festival in a football stadium for a crowd of 50,000. 2023
marks the 20th airing of CMA Fest and the 50th Anniversary of CMA Music Festival, which
started as Fan Fair in 1972.
Deaton’s influence on music and popular culture started in 1992 with ABC’s “Monday Night
Football.” For seven years, Deaton elevated Hank Williams Jr.’s popular party anthem “All My
Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” for the iconic game opener winning two Sports
Emmy Awards.
His impressive list of credits as executive producer includes an ABC special with multi-time
Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney “Somewhere in the Sun” in 2005, an ABC special with
Rascal Flatts in 2011, and an ABC reality singing competition series “Duets” featuring Kelly
Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, and Robin Thicke in 2012.
In 2014, he produced a countdown of the greatest covers of all time for “Sports Illustrated: 50
Years of Beautiful” on NBC. In 2017, he was named executive producer of the multi-genre
Billboard Music Awards on the network, which furthered his interest in presenting meaningful
collaborations.
In 2016, he produced the Fox musical television special “The Passion: New Orleans” presented
by Tyler Perry. In 2017, he was the executive producer for the Nashville segments for the
special, “Hand In Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief.” And in 2021, he spearheaded and was
named executive producer of the five-hour marathon “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big
Bash” on CBS.
Deaton was raised in Fayetteville, NC, and credits his father, who was a morning show TV
anchor, with encouraging his interest in television and music. After moving to Nashville, Deaton
launched Deaton Flanigen Productions, a pioneering video production firm creating more than
500 music videos for a variety of chart-topping artists.
Deaton applied his passion for music and entrepreneurial drive to projects outside of television.
In 2012 he was the executive producer for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul 2 Soul residency
at the Venetian Las Vegas.
In 2015, he served as executive producer for the feature film, “American Saturday Night: Live
from the Grand Ole Opry,” which featured live performances and backstage interviews with
Opry superstars. The film received a Grammy nomination for Best Music Film in 2017. Deaton
made his feature film directing debut alongside co-director George Flanigen with “Benched.”
And in 2022, he served as executive producer of the documentary “Johnny Cash: The
Redemption of an American Icon.”
With his tireless work ethic and enthusiasm for music, it’s not surprising that the five-time
Grammy nominee produced several studio records including the Michael W. Smith Christmas
album, Michael W. Smith & Friends: The Spirit of Christmas in 2014, featuring the music icon
with guests Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Carrie Underwood, Bono, and Michael McDonald. He
helmed Rivers, the debut album by King Calaway in 2019.
For more than a year, Deaton worked to bring to life one of his passion projects; Stoned Cold
Country: A 60thAnniversary Tribute Album To The Rolling Stones. The album, released early
2023, is country music’s thank you to the Rolling Stones and features a diverse line up of artists
across the genre including Brooks & Dunn, Steve Earle, Elle King, Marcus King, Ashley
McBryde, Maren Morris, The War And Treaty, Zac Brown Band and more. Deaton assembled
the talent, produced the album and the documentary paired with the album, which is available to
stream on all platforms including Amazon.