As one of our most anticipated features each year, The New Bosses – in association with Futures Forum – relies upon you, our readers, to nominate those people, aged 30 and under, who are impressing you most with their approach to the industry. The 2024 crop of winners is stellar, representing a fantastic and diverse array of the talent that is ensuring that the future of the live entertainment sector is in very capable hands.
The individual profiles on the following pages are heavily edited versions of the full interviews we conducted with our class of 2024 New Bosses. We will be publishing the full Q&As on Iq-mag.net throughout August and September, so keep an eye on the website to learn more.
Congratulations to everyone selected as one of this year’s New Bosses!
AUSTIN SARICH (US)
Senior tour director, Live N ation
Austin’s upcoming projects include Usher’s global, 80-date Past Present Future Tour, which includes ten sold-out nights at The O2 Arena in London and shows across Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin; and Shakira’s highly anticipated, sold-out Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour. Recently, he oversaw Doja Cat’s global Scarlet Tour, selling over 300,000 tickets and Travis Scott’s Utopia – Circus Maximus Tour, which shifted 685,000 tickets and grossed over $95m in North America and is currently playing off in Europe with over 200,000 attendees, grossing $23m thus far.
Your first three years in the business were on the ticketing side. Was switching to touring always your plan?
Booking was always my long-term goal for working in the industry –starting in ticketing gave me a great knowledge of the fundamentals of the business as it relates to pricing, operations, and maximising revenue for clients.
Where is your favourite venue?
Seeing a show at the Hollywood Bowl is always special to me – the iconic setting, atmosphere, and historical significance makes it one of a kind.
Do you have a mentor?
I’m fortunate to work in a division with many talented and brilliant promoters, but Colin Lewis has always been a mentor to me since my first days in the industry – his dedication to his clients, sta ff, and craft creates an environment for many to achieve and thrive.
CERYS VAUGHAN (UK)
Senior assistant, ATC Live
Cerys began her career as a teenager, running the shows at a small venue, Firebug, while also stage managing at Handmade Festival in Leicester. While at university, she interned at the Association of Independent Festivals, helping to run their Festival Congress event in Cardi ff in 2014. Post degree, she landed a job as a promoter assistant at DHP Family, before moving to ATC Live six years ago.
You’ve been involved in live music since you were a teenager – what prompted your interest?
I was working in a bar that had a venue attached. The venue booker, John Helps, asked one day if I’d like to try out show repping to get some events experience before going to university. It turned out that I loved it and ended up repping all the gigs and running the door before, during, and after university.
In terms of expanding your network of cont acts, are there any events you would recommend to others?
IFF, The Great Escape, and Futures Forum are great events to attend early in your career. Many international industry professionals travel to these, giving you the opportunity to put some faces to your ever-growing network of email addresses.
As a new boss, what one thing would you change to improve the live music business?
We need further diversity in the workforce across race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and socio-economic backgrounds. It’s our duty to make sure every person along the way feels safe, comfortable, and fully able to enjoy themselves, and that’ll only be possible when all corners of society are represented in the planning.
CHLOE CURA (UK)
Senior ticketing m anager, AEG Presents
Beginning her time at AEG Presents as a ticketing assistant, over the last five years Chloe has built a strong foundation in all things ticketing and steadily climbed through the ranks. Working primarily in UK touring but with experience in international ticketing, career highlights include winning the AEG Outstanding Achievement award in 2022 for her work on the Just for Laughs London festival.
What advice would you give to younger people who want to get a foot in the industry door?
It’s important to actively expand your network any chance you get and be open to exploring alternate avenues – when I applied to be in ticketing,
DOTUN BOLAJI (UK)
Agent, Primary Talent International
Dotun’s journey began during his university years whilst studying pharmacy, when he ventured into promoting club nights with artists such as Giggs, DJ EZ, Section Boyz, and AJ Tracey. He returned to his hometown and cultivated a vibrant network of creatives while promoting the live music showcase SuperLative. He worked at Runway agency before joining Primary Talent, where he has signed acts such as Ru ff Sqwad, Blanco, Jgrrey, KOJ, Tia Gordon, and LZee.
You studied pharmacy at university. Is there anything you’ve retained from your studies that helps you in your day-to-d ay job now?
Practicing as a pharmacist can be a high-pressure, fast-moving role, with the need for attention to detail and well thought through decision making. I’d say this ability to execute in such environments has followed me into my role as an agent.
Who on your roster should we all be looking out for in the year ahead?
I expect you’ll be seeing a lot more of the likes of Blanco, Monster Florence, Jay Prince, Ru ff Sqwad, Planet Giza, Jgrrey, and Jords conquering larger and larger stages over the coming year.
What events, tours, or festival s are you most looking forward to?
I can’t wait for Monster Florence’s second UK tour this autumn, as well as seeing them expand out with their debut EU tour.
As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
If I had the opportunity to change one thing, it would be to advocate for increased government and private investment in culture, namely into independent promoters and events, which is critical for nurturing emerging artists.
I didn’t really know what it was, and now I’m here!
What has been the highlight of your career, so far?
Having worked my way up from club shows to now having the privilege to work on stadium shows and tours (Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel) and most recently helping to orchestrate and execute the on-sale for the biggest and highest grossing tour in history across both the UK and international legs was an absolute pleasure and milestone for me.
As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
I’d love to see a bigger drive towards mental health awareness and consideration, especially in the office space. Since Covid, the industry has seen a surge in burnout, and I’m consciously trying to be more involved in finding resolution as part of our AEG Mental Health & Awareness employee network group.
ELI GELERNTER (US)
Agent, Wasserm an Music
Eli’s roster includes some of the most-celebrated young stars in the world, including RAYE, Tyla, Kehlani, Wet Leg, FLO, and Ryan Beatty. Based in Los Angeles, Eli has had a special focus on expanding Wasserman’s business at Pride events across North America, which helped establish RAYE’s career on her debut US tour in 2021; Pride events also helped build a touring base for Australian singer G Flip, who went on to sell out their North American tour this year.
You started out as an intern. What advice would you give to your younger self?
Remember that it takes ten years to become an overnight success.
Your roster is super impressive. How did you manage to secure such exciting talent early in their careers?
I try to always sign artists that aren’t just a variation of something else that is currently popular. I’ve never been one to follow a trend of “this is the next blank.” Why be next, when you can be first?
You’ve leveraged a number of Pride events to help grow the fanbases for some of your artists. Is that a route you would recommend to others?
Every artist’s path is di fferent, but for those where it does make sense, I find Prides to be a very effective method of discovery that goes beyond just LGBTQ+ audiences.
As a new boss, what one thing would you like to change to make the live music industry better?
More kindness – treating others the way you want to be treated. It’s a pretty elementary concept but you’d be surprised how some fail to grasp it.
EMILIA BACKHAUS (DE)
Agent & promoter, Karsten J ahnke Konzertdirektion
Passionate about the performing arts, Emilia majored in theatre and media studies before interning at Reeperbahn Festival. Inspired by her mother’s stories of legendary promoter Karsten Jahnke, she landed an apprenticeship at Karsten’s company, and two years later, began working alongside CEO Ben Mitha on international acts such as Blackpink, Childish Gambino, Ludovico Einaudi, and Diana Krall, while this summer, she has been focusing on Taylor Swift’s stadium shows.
You work with a lot of drag acts. How is that scene developing?
The German drag market is still in its early stages, but there is a lot more to come. It’s important for me to get more people to see the extravagant, funny, and highly political sides of drag.
Diversity is very important to you. What could the rest of the industry be doing to improve the situ ation?
Decision-makers should mentor the next generation, hand over responsibility, and step back when necessary. For instance, one approach that stuck with me: no highly important meetings after 3pm, allowing people who work part-time due to care work, to still participate.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Being involved in the Taylor Swift shows. Seeing everything come together after all the hours we put in and watching a sold-out stadium cheering for the artist was very moving.
And what about any low points?
Working from my kitchen table during the pandemic in my one-room apartment was tough. It took a lot during that time to remember why we are doing this. But as soon as I got away from that kitchen table and back into the venues, it came back to me.
GERBINE ULEHAKE (NL)
Booker & promoter, MOJO Concerts
Gerbine began working for MOJO in 2015 as an intern at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Thriving in the role, she was offered a position as festival and booking assistant. In 2018, Kim Bloem asked her to become project coordinator and team up with her on her roster, while in 2021, she also started working for Leon Ramakers, adding shows like The Stones and Bruce Springsteen to her CV.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Becoming a promoter. Getting full trust and time from a company to go and do it on your own has been the biggest compliment I’ve ever received.
Programmer, Colours of Ostrava festival
As a teenager, Filip started organising concerts for student bands, film screenings, and other cultural events in his hometown of Ostrava, and his efforts were rewarded when Colours of Ostrava offered him a temporary role at the festival. After two years, he was invited to become a full-time member of the festival booking team, starting with Czech and Slovak bands and progressing through smaller international artists to bigger names and headliners.
As a programmer, are there any particular events that you visit to try to discover the next big act?
I like SXSW, Trans Musicales in France, Eurosonic, and IFF. However, to discover the next big act, it is very valuable for me to speak with colleagues, agents, other promoters, and also visit smaller showcases and conferences.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to find a job in live music?
Do not try to find a “job” in live music. You should start doing it because you love it, regardless of time or money. And always respect colleagues. The live music industry is based on teamwork.
Do you have a mentor or anyone you rely on to bounce ideas off?
Zlata Holu šová – our artistic director who 23 years ago created this festival from scratch based on non-mainstream genres with a desire to discover new artists from all around the world.
As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
From the festival organiser’s point of view, we are exposed to a huge risk every year. Having more protection and advocacy in case of emergencies and concert cancellations would definitely be beneficial for a healthier industry.
Who on your roster should we all be looking out for in the year ahead?
I’m really excited about promoting Mark Ambor. He has shown massive growth over the last six months and made The Netherlands one of his strongest markets.
What advice would you give to someone who is trying to find a job in live music?
Try to find the right boss for you. Wherever you work, you need someone to give you chances and room to grow.
What one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry better?
I’d like to believe we all truly have the best interest at heart for artists and fans, but let’s not forget the passionate people behind the scenes, too. Let’s keep it human.
What would you like to see yourself doing in five years’ time?
I’d like to say I’m still at MOJO. I’m confident a lot of the acts I’m working on right now are able to grow to arena-level in the next few years.
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JAMES AIKEN (UK)
Booker & promoter, Aiken Promotions
James is a third-generation music promoter. His grandfather and namesake, James Aiken, founded Aiken Promotions in Belfast over 60 years ago, while his father, Peter, has continued to build the business over the past 40 years. In 2023, Aiken Promotions completed an acquisition of POD Festivals, where James has operated as a booker since 2020 and is now a director. POD operates two large festivals annually: Forbidden Fruit – a city festival (15,000) and All Together Now (22,500) – a four-day camping festival based in County Waterford.
You’ve developed your own roster – can you tell us about some of the talent you work with?
I’m still quite early on in my career and learning, but I am happy to say I work with exciting acts such as Dylan Gossett, Barry Can’t Swim, Bryson
JOSHUA MCGUANE (AU)
VP field operations APAC, Ticketmaster
With a long-standing history at Ticketmaster, Josh worked across fan support and the company’s event programming ops teams before stepping into an executive leadership role. He is now responsible for overseeing and coordinating the operational support for all clients and operations support sta ff. The field operation teams work through all aspects of ticketing solutions, “from on-sale to entry,” ensuring seamless on-sales and frictionless entry in service of TM clients and fans.
Given the pace of technological development, how do you keep up with everything being rolled out in the world of ticketing?
It’s all about connections, keeping up with the right people across our global business so I know what innovations are in the pipeline.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Earlier this year, I had the chance to attend a string of major events –the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Pink, and the 2024 Formula 1 Grand Prix. Being part of the experiences that our clients create for their passionate fans was just incredible.
How would you encourage the next generation to choose the live music sector for their career path?
If you’re someone who loves a challenge, thrives on learning new things, and has a passion for music and events, there is no better place to be.
Is there anything that live music can learn from sectors such as sport when it comes to the ticketing business?
The sports industry does a fantastic job of creating a sense of exclusivity for fans through stadium and club memberships that offer many benefits. While we see something similar with fan-club memberships, there are still so many opportunities to unlock.
Tiler, Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn, Paris Texas, and Tiny Habits. It’s been great to work with Sugababes, too; they are back bigger than ever!
What has been the highlight of your career, so far?
Selling out the 3Arena for the first time.
What is your favourite venue?
Vicar Street in Dublin. I am being biased, but I think the atmosphere in the venue is the best in Ireland.
What events are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
The Childish Gambino tour in December should be excellent. I am a big fan of his, and he’s never been to Ireland so it should be great.
What one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry better?
People willing to pick up the phone and discuss rather than emailing back and forth. Tone can often be misplaced, and misinterpretations can be made through email.
LOUISE SMIT (NL)
CEO, Pieter Smit Group
Born and raised in the company that her father founded almost 45 years ago, Louise has been working at Pieter Smit Group for the past five years. With bases in six di fferent countries and a fleet of 1,500 registered vehicles, there’s always a new adventure on the horizon, and being surrounded by people who love what they are doing, the event industry has a special place in Louise’s heart.
What initiatives are you working on to help touring become greener?
We always offer options for hydrotreated vegetable oil, which is considered a cleaner alternative to conventional fossil diesel because it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90%. We are also exploring the electrification of our fleet.
We’ve been through two crazily busy years since the post-pandemic return to touring. What have been the challenges in terms of making sure you have a big enough fleet and trained drivers to service clients needs?
The biggest challenge is the seasonality of the event industry and to fit your resource model to the seasons. We work together with partners to be able to scale up, and I have to give a big shout-out for the effort and commitment of my colleagues; they make the magic happen, and I am very proud of them.
What events, tours, or festival s are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
What excites me the most is the variety. In the same week, I am visiting a huge rock concert and a classical concert by Dutch icon André Rieu.
MARIA COSTA (PT)
Head of digit al , Rock in Rio Lisboa
With a degree in languages, literature, and cultures, and a master’s degree in communication and culture, Maria found an internship at radio station M80, before joining Rock in Rio Lisboa in 2016 as community manager. She now oversees festival strategy, management, and coordination of omnichannel content across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, as well as the official website, app, newsletter, influencer management, paid media, and performance campaigns.
How many people are on your team for Rock in Rio Lisboa?
In June, during festival days, we had about 120 people working on social media coverage. Between October 2023 and June 2024, we achieved over 34m impressions on social media and produced more than 1,300 original pieces of content. And during the two weeks of real-time coverage, we reached over 46m impressions and posted more than 900 pieces of content.
Rock in Rio’s events are synonymous with big brands. How easy is it to work with those partners?
As a professional deeply immersed in the cultural and music spheres, I find it incredibly exciting and challenging to create those “sparkle” moments through collaboration. Partnering with brands from diverse industries might seem daunting at first, but we consistently find ways to align our messages and create cohesive narratives.
Your festival is truly global . How do you inform as many fans as possible around the world about Rock in Rio Lisboa?
This year, we fully embraced both Portuguese and English content on social media. Our international artists were highly collaborative, which allowed us to make major lineup announcements through joint posts with them. As a result, we saw ticket sales from over 100 countries, which we are very proud of.
NIKOLINE SKAARUP (DK)
Booker & promoter, Down The Drain Concerts
Nikoline started her career in music with an internship at Danish online music media Bands of Tomorrow, where she quickly rose to become editor-in-chief. Having found a part-time position as marketing assistant at Down
The Drain Concerts (DTD) in 2019, when Covid hit she split her time between working with youth activism at Danish non-profit organisation
Rapolitics and with gender equality as music editor at global impact agency
Girls Are Awesome. When DTD asked her to return in 2021, she didn’t hesitate and has since become a booker and promoter in her own right.
MEERA PATEL (UK)
Tour m arketing agent, WME
Meera is responsible for the ticketing, promotion, and marketing efforts for music touring and non-traditional tours globally. She represents a diverse roster of clients across all genres, such as Anne-Marie, Tom Grennan, Loyle Carner, Camila Cabello, Max Richter, The Rest is Politics, Keane, Lainey Wilson, Quentin Tarantino, and Nas, to name a few.
How does the role of a tour marketing agent differ from that of a traditional booking agent?
Our primary focus is the announcement and on-sale of a tour, managing the entire campaign leading up to the shows. We handle all aspects of marketing, promotion, press, and ticketing, and go in depth with all the details.
What events or tours are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
Tom Grennan’s biggest show to date at Gunnersbury Park and Nas’s Illmatic 30-year anniversary tour are particularly noteworthy to me.
Before you started in music, did you know about the roles of agents? Initially, I only knew about labels and management. It wasn’t until I began interning and talking to friends in the industry that I discovered all the other facets of the music business. The live side always intrigued me, and the more I learned about it, the more I wanted to pursue a career in that area.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Being promoted to a tour marketing agent in under three years is my biggest achievement so far. Additionally, I’ve had the opportunity to work on some incredible tours, including Keane’s celebrating 20 years of Hopes and Fears and Luke Combs’ 2023 world tour.
You have a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and communications. Is there anything from university that helps you in your working life?
One very concrete thing I’ve brought from my studies is what my professor in ethics called “the bullshit detector,” which was basically just tools to analyse arguments. It’s always good to be able to detect a bad argument when you meet it.
Who should people in the international music business be keeping their eye on for the year ahead?
ILMA: she’s one of the coolest new artists I’ve heard in a long time – it’s her stage presence, her songs, her whole artistic universe that I’m super impressed with. Elyanna, METTE, Zsela, and Karin Ann are some artists I’m also really excited about.
What one thing would you like people to learn about your country to persu ade them to visit?
I would definitely highlight the audience culture here. I’ve heard a lot of artists saying that it’s special to play shows in Denmark because the crowd is so supportive. And I often have the same feeling when I’m at shows.
RAVEN TWIGG (UK)
Senior programming manager, ASM G lobal
Raven started her career in 2012 as a freelance music blogger, before taking on a part-time position in customer services at Manchester Arena. There, she became a bookings assistant, before moving south to join Metropolis Music as assistant to MD Raye Cosbert. Raven was festival coordinator for the annual Somerset House Summer Series and Cloud X Festival, but now, back in booking mode, she is currently programming a number of UK arenas for ASM Global.
You’re a volunteer advisor to the UNICEF Music Group. What does that entail? I offer my time and utilise my professional relationships to create ways in which the music industry can raise vital funds for the UNICEF Children’s
SANDRO THALMANN (CH)
Booker & promoter, M ainland Music
Sandro found his way into the music industry through an internship at Mainland Music where, determined to follow the promoter route, he started booking artists alongside his regular work. During Covid, he began studying design at the Zurich University of the Arts but kept booking shows. And following the completion of those studies, he returned full-time to Mainland Music.
Does your design degree help with your d ay-to-d ay work at M ainland Music?
To be successful you have to break new ground, rethink things, and be creative. I think you can definitely learn a lot from design.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Seeing all the people having a great time on a gig you booked is an amazing feeling. But for me the most memorable moments are when you can help build up an artist or a band.
Where is your favourite venue?
I once threw myself into the crowd from the balcony of the Volkshaus Zürich, so it has to be there.
How would you encourage the next generation to choose a career in live music?
I never get up in the morning and think, “Shit, I have to work.” That’s a luxury I value highly.
Do you have a mentor?
Martin Schrader and Santosh Aerthott opened the door into the music industry for me and also gave me a bit of an indie and punk mentality, for which I am grateful. Fabio Serafini started at Mainland a year before me and is a great colleague and friend from whom I have learnt a lot. And last but not least, Andrej Malogajski as head of touring and festivals is a great inspiration for me.
Emergency Fund. I was privileged to visit the supply warehouse in Copenhagen last year, and it was completely sobering to see the amount of work they do and the vast amount of aid needed for children stuck in conflict and in crisis all over the world.
What events or tours are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
Maggie Rogers at Hackney Empire, Garbage at OVO Arena Wembley, Chappell Roan at O2 Academy Brixton, Charli XCX at The O2 – I can barely contain myself. I am unashamedly a Swiftie so I’m looking forward to seeing the show at Wembley Stadium in August.
Before you started in music, did you know about roles such as programming managers?
Absolutely not. The sole reason I ended up programming was because Miriam Stone at AO Arena refused to let me go when I was offered a job elsewhere back in 2016. She put in a good word for me in the central bookings department, and the rest is history.
SNORRI ÁSTRÁ Ð SSON (IS)
CEO, G arcia Events
Born and raised in Reykjavík, Snorri became a runner for festivals such as Secret Solstice, Iceland Airwaves, and Sónar Reykjavík at the age of 15. A year later, he launched his own festival, Hip Hop Hátíðin, as a one-day, free event featuring Icelandic hip-hop talent. Snorri now heads up promoter Garcia Events, which to date has promoted acts such as Skepta, Sammy Virji, and Yung Lean, as well as many Scandinavian and Icelandic acts. He also manages the careers of many of Iceland’s hip-hop and electronic artists.
From being a runner to organising your own free festival 12 months later is astonishing. Looking back, what was the most challenging part?
Dealing with regulatory bureaucracy and convincing city officials that it would be a great idea to let a couple of 16 year olds put on a festival was the hardest part.
How does a young promoter persuade Skepta and others to visit Iceland?
Iceland is a very exciting place for artists from the UK or US, so the obscurity of Reykjavík is definitely a draw. Skepta definitely created a snowball for us, and the success of that show built the foundation for our current operations, so big thanks to Rebecca Prochnik for trusting us.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given so far?
To lead with kindness and aim to make friends with all of the festival sta ff, from the director to the volunteers.
Who on your roster should promoters around the world be looking out for?
Young Nazareth is one that promoters should keep their eye on. A world-class producer/artist creating dance music inspired by his upbringing in Icelandic hip-hop, his surroundings in Berlin, as well as the UK garage and grime scene.
