Biography
Kerry Gordy is an accomplished entertainment executive, entrepreneur, producer, and intellectual property strategist with over four decades of experience managing valuable assets and creating long-term value across the music, film, and media industries.
As Founder and CEO of Kerry Gordy & Associates, Inc., he has spent over 15 years helping artists, creators, and their families reclaim and protect intellectual property rights, preserving financial security and legacy through strategic copyright recapture and asset management. His work has earned him a reputation as a trusted advocate for creators and a skilled steward of intellectual property portfolios.
Throughout his career, Kerry has held leadership positions in A&R, Publishing, Marketing, and Business Affairs during his tenure at Motown Records and The Gordy Company. He served as head of Paisley Park Records and as Vice President of A&R for Warner Bros. Records. Early in his career, he wrote and produced songs for The Temptations, Four Tops, and Billy Preston, and his first major hit as an executive was his younger brother Rockwell’s "Somebody's Watching Me," featuring Michael Jackson.
Kerry has played a key role in the careers and business affairs of some of the most influential artists in entertainment history, including Prince, Rick James, George Clinton, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Ashford & Simpson, Todd Rundgren, Norman Whitfield, and Teddy Riley. His accomplishments include over 20 RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum records, including one Diamond record for Boyz II Men (12 million units sold), and he has successfully terminated copyrights, recaptured, and/or monetized more than 3,000 songs from some of music’s most iconic catalogs. These works include "My Girl," "You Are So Beautiful," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Hello It's Me," "Tracks of My Tears," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "I'm Every Woman," and "Super Freak," to name just a few.
Beyond music, Kerry has worked as a film and television producer, including serving as Executive Producer of the Emmy and Peabody Award nominated Netflix documentary Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan, and was instrumental in helping secure Ed Sullivan's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Recently, Kerry became a partner in RiverRock Films and Entertainment, which focuses on action films featuring A-list talent. He has also been a keynote speaker at Harvard Business School, an expert contributor to CNN, and has been featured in Forbes Magazine.
Kerry’s contributions to artists, culture, and business have earned recognition from national, state, and local leaders across the country, including multiple certificates of recognition from the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Known for his positive outlook and collaborative leadership style, Kerry believes life is best spent doing meaningful work with people you enjoy, creating value while having fun along the way.
