Music marketing executive and Curb College instructor honored for leadership, service, lasting impact
Belmont University alumnus John Zarling (’01), chief marketing officer of Results Global and a longtime adjunct instructor in Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, has been named to the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association’s (TICUA) 2026 Hall of Fame. Zarling is one of 25 alumni from Tennessee’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities honored this year for careers defined by leadership, service, faith and purpose.
“At its best, higher education is about transformation, purpose, and cultivating a life of meaningful impact,” said TICUA President Dr. Cameron Conn. “This year’s honorees reflect the character, purpose and leadership that Tennessee’s private, non-profit colleges and universities strive to cultivate in every student.”
Zarling joins previous Belmont inductees Harry Allen (2021), Betty Wiseman (2022), Rusty Gaston (2023) and Ashley Gorley (2024).
A 2001 Curb College graduate, Zarling began his career at Universal Music Group before spending more than a decade at Big Machine Label Group, where he rose to senior vice president of partnership marketing and promotion strategy. He later served as executive vice president of marketing and new business at Sony Music Entertainment, helping guide strategy for some of country music’s biggest names.
In 2019, Zarling left the major label world to launch 615 Leverage + Strategy alongside longtime collaborator Jackie Campbell. Now known as Results Global, the firm serves artists, labels, promoters, nonprofits and technology ventures across the country music industry. Over the course of his career, Zarling has played an integral role in more than 100 million units sold and more than 100 No. 1 singles and has negotiated brand partnerships worth more than $34 million. As CMO of Results Global, he leads marketing for Dolly Parton’s brand and ventures, including campaigns behind her New York Times-bestselling books and the Gold-selling album “Rockstar,” the biggest first-week sales debut of her seven-decade career.
Zarling has remained closely connected to his alma mater. For more than five years, he and Campbell have taught a brand partnership course in Curb College, and they now teach “Partnership Marketing in Music,” where students work on real-world projects tied to Parton’s ventures. Zarling and Results Global were also instrumental in building Belmont’s “Dolly U” partnership with Parton and CTK Enterprises. In 2025, he received Belmont’s Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence in recognition of his teaching and service to the University.
Beyond the music industry, Zarling has served on the board of directors of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center since 2021 and previously served on the board of The Store, a free grocery store founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams Paisley to support Nashville families in need.
Read more about Zarling and the full 2026 Hall of Fame class on TICUA’s website here.