After leaving the corporate advertising world as an account manager at Ogilvy & Mather,[2] Stevenson joined Advanced Alternative Media as the Head of College Marketing. Envisioning and launching the first-ever independent music distribution network for college radio, he quickly immersed himself within the fabric of the business. His distribution network, The Sunday Service still exists today.[3]
Island Def Jam
In 1998, Stevenson began a nine-year stint at Island Def Jam Music Group in A&R. While at Island Def Jam, he found, signed, and guided the careers of some of the biggest names in rock, alternative, and pop including The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Sum 41, and more.[4] He also orchestrated the label's partnership with Sony Pictures for the successful Spider-Man soundtrack in 2002. He oversaw and helped deliver seven multiplatinum and five gold albums that notched a total of 9 Grammy nominations, 15 MTV VMA nominations with 5 wins, 2 American Music Award nominations with 1 win. Entertainment Weekly dubbed him the "Must A&R Guy" on the magazine's 2006 "Must List", while New York Magazine awarded him “The Industry Award” in their 2005 Pop Culture Awards Issue.[5]
Stevenson spearheaded label efforts to bring Iceland’s Of Monsters and Men and Canada’s The Weeknd to the label. Of Monster and Men's debut album is platinum-certified and the "Little Talks" digital single went platinum in 2012.[9] The Weeknd’s debut, Trilogy, is triple platinum[10] and the single “Wicked Games” also sold over three million.[11][12]
In 2016, Stevenson, along with A&R team member Tyler Arnold [13] signed Post Malone to Republic.[14] Post Malone’s Stoney went on to sell three million copies, and Beerbongs & Bentleys has sold two million. His singles, “Rockstar” and “Better Now” had over a billion-plus streams, with the latter reaching #7 on the BillboardHot 100, and “Psycho” hitting #1 on that chart.[15]
In December 2020, Stevenson joined 300 Entertainment as Partner, reuniting with his former Island Def Jam Music Group associates, who created the company. This included co-founder and CEO Kevin Liles, as well as Lyor Cohen (the latter leaving the company to become YouTube’s Global Head of Music).[1]
At 300 Entertainment, an independent company with a focus on digital and streaming distribution, Stevenson oversees development of the artist roster, digital distribution, and publishing.[24]