With an entertainment industry facing its biggest upheaval yet, TheWrap and Pollstar hosted an inaugural forum, “Culture & Capital,” last week bringing together C-suite leaders from across music, film, television to debate the opportunities created by this disruption.
Music mogul Irving Azoff, whose business interests range from owning venues to managing musicians, owning music catalogues and beyond, teamed up with yours truly to create “an opportunity mindset” to share ideas and strategies with executives and influential industry figures.
There’s never been a more critical time for the invitation-only, C-level event, scheduled just ahead of the Milken Institute’s Global Conference taking place this week. “Culture & Capital” was built on the idea that entertainment is at yet another inflection point with the rise of AI and changes in how we consume media, which is impacting traditional business models and time-tested financial assumptions.
The discussion ranged from technological advances driven by AI, to the shifting consumer behavior in the post-COVID era, consumer trends around the central role of live entertainment and the limits and benefits of streaming vs. theatrical experiences. Executives shared how they are thinking about the new paradigms offered by technology, and how they have pivoted their own strategies to adapt and grow.
The event was off the record to encourage candid conversation. After a networking lunch, I interviewed California candidate for governor Matt Mahan about his plans to bring production back to California, and Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim about the pending merger between Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery.
The lively exchange included industry heavyweights, among others:
* Michael Rapino, CEO and President, Live Nation Entertainment
* Jon Feltheimer, CEO of Lionsgate
* Scott Ratner, Co-Founder and COO, OBB Media
* Tom Staggs, Co-founder and co-CEO, Candle Media
* Producer Jerry Bruckheimer
* Peter Guber, CEO, Mandalay Entertainment; co-owner Golden State Warriors, LA Dodgers
* Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial, Spotify
* Isaac Lee, Chairman and CEO of HYBE America
* Patrick Healy, CEO, Hellman & Friedman
* Paul Wachter, Founder and CEO, Main Street Advisors, Chairman of UTA
* Richard Weitz, Co-Chairman of WME
* Andy Howard, CEO, Shamrock Capital Advisors
Check out more photos below:
Sharon Waxman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap and Irving Azoff, Chairman & CEO, The Azoff Company
Sharon Waxman and Producer Jerry Bruckheimer
Richard Weitz, Co-Chairman of WME, Paul Wachter, Founder and CEO, Main Street Advisors and Chairman of UTA, and Irving Azoff
Sharon Waxman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap and Makan Delrahim, Chief Legal Officer, Paramount Skydance attend TheWrap’s Culture and Capital
Makan Delrahim, chief legal officer for Paramount
Sharon Waxman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap and Matt Mahan, Mayor of San Jose and candidate for California governor
Mayor Matt Mahan, candidate for governor
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer beside David Duxin, head of media partnerships, OpenAI
Michael Rapino, CEO and President, Live Nation Entertainment
Irving Azoff, Chairman and CEO of The Azoff Company
Ethan Sawyer, Global Head of Media Investment Banking UBS
Sharon Waxman and Irving Azoff
Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, sports co-owner of LA Dodgers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles FC
Omar Al-Joulani, President of Touring, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation
Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial, Spotify
Isaac Lee, Chairman and CEO of HYBE America
Susan Genco, Co-President, The Azoff Company with Patrick Healy
John Kulback, Loeb & Loeb
Paul Wachter, Founder and CEO, Main Street Advisors, Chairman of UTA
Allison Statter, Founder & CEO, Blended Strategy Group and Jeffrey Azoff
Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO of the Hyde Park Entertainment Group
Guests joined for a networking lunch at TheWrap and Pollstar’s inaugural Culture & Capital
Sharon Waxman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap, Irving Azoff, Chairman & CEO, The Azoff Company and Jerry Bruckheimer, Director/Producer
Makan Delrahim, Chief Legal Officer, Paramount Skydance and Sharon Waxman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap
Patrick Healy, CEO, Hellman & Friedman and Sharon Waxman
Ross Gerber, CEO & President, Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management and John Kulback, Loeb & Loeb
Patrick Healy and Irving Azoff
Paul Wachter, Founder and CEO, Main Street Advisors, Chairman of UTA
Irving Azoff
Sulinna Ong and Isaac Lee
Sulinna Ong, Richard Weitz and Irving Azoff
Jon Feltheimer, CEO, Lionsgate and Shelli Azoff, The Azoff Company attend
Paul Wachter, Irving Azoff, and Makan Delrahim
John Kulback and Isaac Lee
Edward Menicheschi, President and COO, TheWrap
Edward Menicheschi and Susan Genco
Ross Gerber, Hatem Dhiab, Founding and Managing Partner at Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, and Susan Genco