Founder & Exec Producer – Merrill Osmond
Merrill Osmond, a world-class entertainer, producer, author, motivational speaker and renowned lead singer of the Osmonds, has a powerful influence within the music and entertainment industries as well as a legacy that embraces the principles strengthens families.
Along with his siblings, Merrill has produced 47 platinum and gold records and has written the music and lyrics for five #1 hit records.
The Osmonds have earned more gold records in one year than any other recording artist in history. Merrill has also received two People’s Choice awards, two Grammy nominations, and in 2003, the Osmond family was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk-of-Fame.
Merrill’s involvement with the entertainment industry doesn’t stop with music. He has served as Executive Producer of the Donny and Marie Show, the Stadium of Fire, the Inauguration at the request of President Ronald Reagan, and the Quincentennial Inaugural Ball on behalf of President George Bush. He also produced Operation Family Front, which was a special television program that benefited the families of servicemen in Operation Desert Storm.
Merrill’s true love, aside from good music, is touching lives through his various philanthropic works. He was the co-founder of the Osmond Foundation, an organization that today is known as The Children’s Miracle Network. Merrill is currently the President of the board of directors for the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund, which promotes hearing-health awareness by providing educational resources and accommodating the needs of those living with a hearing loss.
During his lifetime, Merrill has received a number of awards for his philanthropic efforts including being recognized as an Honorary Chairman for his work with the Utah Special Olympics. He also received Knighthood from the Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem in recognition of his philanthropic involvement with religious and charitable organizations.
Merrill has been married to Mary Carlson for over 30 years, and together they have six beautiful children and fifteen grandchildren.
www.merrillosmond.com
History of the Youth Pioneer Production
As a result of his love of children, and the joy they bring to his heart, Merrill Osmond began creating the Youth Pioneer Production in the late 1980’s. After writing every line and song with the help of Sam Cardon and Cliff Maag, Merrill was delighted to have the first “Youth Pioneer Pageant” performed in his hometown of Draper, Utah with over 12,000 in attendance in 1987. The fireworks display at the end of the pageant was known as the largest in the Salt Lake valley, and since then, it has been performed for tens of thousands of attendees throughout the country.
In July 2012, Merrill Osmond and the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund brought the annual Youth Pioneer Production to West Jordan, Utah. The re-birth of Merrill’s production was met with an amazing reception throughout the three-day event. Hundreds of local children danced and sang in front of estimated crowd of 15,000. The most spectacular firework finale ended each of the three night performances, resulting in the largest firework show West Jordan has ever seen.
In 2017, the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund partnered with Dixie State University and moved their production to their new renovated Legend Solar Stadium on campus. They also collaborated their efforts with the Dixie Days of ’47 to continue the legacy and heritage of the Dixie Trailblazers. Merrill is proud to call St. George our new home for the Pioneer Legacy production.
Proceeds from the Pioneer Production benefit local deaf and hard-of-hearing children with the gift of hearing through the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund. Currently, the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund has provided more than $100,000 worth of hearing aids and services to deaf children all across the state of Utah.
Written and produced by world-renowned Merrill Osmond.