Faces + Places
ASHLEY FOGERTY
Bravado, the leading merchandise and brand management company under Universal Music Group, announced new leadership appointments across all its departments. The new structure includes the hiring of Colin McIntosh as Chief Financial Officer and promotions of Ashley Fogerty, who now oversees business affairs; Bill Ashton, now SVP of commerce; Brian Schechter, who now oversees brand management; Keith Taperell, who now oversees licensing, and Stacie Swanson, who is now in a newly created role as VP of artist strategy, among other promotions.
SAMANTHA THOMPSON
Samantha Thompson has joined U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis, as director of operations. She was most recently with St. Louis City SC, where she served as director of sustainability and facility services, according to the announcement. Thompson has also spent time at Citypark in St. Louis, as director of operations, and back in Minnesota, was project manager at Allianz Field, where she worked for eight years. “I’m beyond excited to be back in MN at U.S. Bank Stadium with ASM,” she said in announcing her new role.
DON STRASBURG
Longtime concert promoter Don Strasburg has been promoted, from co-president of AEG Presents’ Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest regions, to president. The move follows the announcement in May that former co-president Brent Fedrizzi had been appointed president of AEG Presents’ North American regional offices. Strasburg and Fedrizzi have a long history in Denver, where Strasburg will continue to be based, dating to their days with the late Barry Fey in 1991. Seven years later, they launched Bill Graham Presents/Chuck Morris Presents, with third partner Chuck Morris. The company was later folded into Live Nation and Morris, Strasburg and Fedrizzi left to launch AEG Rocky Mountains, still a dominant promoter in the region.
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JENNIFER KOESTER
Less than six months after her arrival, Jennifer Koester is adding a new role at Sphere Entertainment: President and Chief Operating Officer of Sphere in Las Vegas. Koester was named President, Sphere Business Operations, in January and has since “played a critical role in leading the strategy and execution of all business aspects of Sphere,” the company said in a release. In the expanded role, Koester will continue working with executive leadership and across the broader Sphere team to grow the business and optimize the ground-breaking venue’s operations. Koester will now also provide strategic oversight for Sphere Studios in Burbank, California, which develops multi-sensory experiences exclusively for Sphere.
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SARA SHEVLIN
New England promoter and venue management company has hired Sara Shevlin as the venue manager of the Historic Park Theatre and Event Center in Cranston, Rhode Island, Shevlin, a Rhode Island native, has experience in marketing and venue operations at the nonprofit performing arts venue Narrows Center for the Arts and as the operations manager at the 20,000-capacity Xfinity Center. Spectacle Live looks to bring more content, improve audience experience and implement production upgrades at the venue with Shevlin’s help.
SHANE QUICK, NATHAN BAUGH, BRADLEY JORDAN
Peachtree Entertainment, a concert promoter based in Nashville, is expanding with founder Bradley Jordan joining longtime industry execs Nathan Baugh and Shane Quick in a joint venture with concert promoter group LiveCo as an artist-first national concert promoter.
Under the new structure, Baugh will serve as CEO, leading all day-to-day operations including the finance, logistics and leadership of the team. Shane Quick will continue to cultivate the vision and future of Peachtree Entertainment, while focusing on relationship management with artists and their teams. Bradley Jordan will focus on cultivating new relationships and discovering new talent, as he has done since the inception of Peachtree Entertainment.
