Appointments and exits across the US live sector

Jared Smith, global chairman of Live Nation’s Ticketmaster, announced that he is planning to step down from his role at the company at the end of this year.

According to Sportico, which first reported the departure, Smith said his exit will help Ticketmaster to bring in new leadership for the post-Covid-19 era.

“The company deserves to have the person who’s going to be here long-term making the decisions right now of what it should look like,” Smith told Sportico.

Smith, who has been with Ticketmaster for more than 17 years, was appointed to his current role earlier this year. He has previously served as the company’s president of North America, and COO.

Elsewhere, former UTA agent Anthony Paolercio has been appointed as a partner at Patchwork Presents, a talent buying, event promotion and consulting company.

“Anthony and I cut our teeth together at The Agency Group over 15 years ago and I’m very excited to have him join Patchwork and our mission of supporting artists and bringing high-quality entertainment to independent venues nationwide,” says Patchwork president Dave Poe.

“The company deserves to have the person who’s going to be here long-term making the decisions now of what it should look like”

Paolercio adds: “I consider Dave Poe my closest friend and colleague in the business. I trust him completely, which is the most important part of building a strong and enduring partnership. There aren’t many agents turned promoters in our business, so I feel that I have a unique perspective to offer.”

During his time at UTA, Paolercio specialised in festivals for its roster of clients, working with artists including Guns N’ Roses and Post Malone.

Superfly, a live entertainment and brand experience company which founded US festivals Bonnaroo and Outside Lands, has also made a new appointment.

Former Momentum Worldwide executive Richard Black is stepping into the role of president and general manager of Superfly’s agency business, effective immediately.

The newly created role will involve Black building clients’ brands and their businesses. Black will be based at Superfly’s New York headquarters and will report to co-founder Rich Goodstone.

“Superfly was born experiential,” says Black. “We build communities and fandoms around brands through thought-provoking and cutting edge ideas that drive business results. I’m honoured to join this talented team during these transformative times and am looking forward to shaping the future and redefinition of experiential.”

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