Pollstar Names Top 50 Most Impactful Live Business Executives for 2026

Welcome to Pollstar ’s 2026 Impact 50, our annual list recognizing the year’s most impactful executives in the live business. These best-in-class leaders represent a wide swath of the industry selected by Pollstar ’s editorial team, with input from the industry and informed by Pollstar ’s industry-leading box office data.

Congrats to Danny Wimmer, founder of leading independent promoter Danny Wimmer Presents, who is Pollstar ‘s 2026’s Impact 50 Cover Honoree. DWP is an influential powerhouse selling over one million tickets last year via it’s impressive rock-heavy festival portfolio that includes Bourbon & Beyond, Louder Than Life, Aftershock, Golden Sky, Welcome to Rockville, Sonic Temple and Inkcarceration. In April, Wimmer launched DWP Concerts, which is currently helping develop a 10,000-capacity outdoor amphitheater in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

This year’s Impact 50’s convergence with Pollstar ‘s 2026 Mid-Year Charts offers a unique opportunity to both quantify artist touring success and honor the executives who made that success possible. For example, among this year’s Impact 50 honorees are Rimas Ent.’s Noah Assad (Bad Bunny manager); Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel (Lady Gaga and Oasis’ promoter); MTG’s Louis Messina (Ed Sheeran, George Strait & Eric Church’s promoter); Red Light’s Mandelyn Monchick (Lainey Wilson’s manager) and Black Promoter Collective’s Gary Guidry (New Edition and Brandy & Monica tours). There’s far more examples in the write-ups below.

Congratulations to all the honorees! Your recognition is well deserved!

2026 Impact 50 Cover Honoree Danny Wimmer, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents

Mid-Year Business Analysis: What Blue Dot Fever? A Record-Setting Six Months

Ritmo Latino: Bad Bunny, Peso Pluma, Shakira Tours Bolster Mid-Year Chart

2026 Impact 50 Honorees

OMAR AL-JOULANI President, Touring Live Nation

LEE ANDERSON Co- President of Music THE·TEAM

DENNIS & JARRED ARFA Chairman / Global Head Of Music Independent Artist Group

NOAH ASSAD CEO Rimas Entertainment

CHARLES ATTAL & CHARLIE WALKER Co-Founder s & Partners , C3 Presents AMY CORBIN Promoter , C3 Presents S. Region Pres, U.S. Concerts , Live Nation

CLIFF BURNSTEIN Co-Founder Q Prime

CORAN CAPSHAW Founder & CEO Red Light Management

HENRY CÁRDENAS CEO Cárdenas Marketing Network BECKY COLWELL President, Programming and Content , Oak View Group CHRIS GRANGER Chief Executive Officer, Oak View Group AMY LATIMER Chief Business Officer, Oak View Group

ROBERT DAVARI CEO, Founder TIXR

LUCY DICKINS Managing Director CAA

AMIR ‘CASH’ ESMAILIAN Founder , YCFU Co-Founder, XO WASSIM ‘SAL’ SLAIBY Founder , SALXCO & UAM Co-Founder , XO

ARTHUR FOGEL Chairman of Global Music and President of Global Touring Live Nation

GARY GUIDRY CEO Black Promoters Collective

SAM KIRBY YOH & DAVID ZEDECK Partners & Co-Heads of Global Music, UTA Live United Talent Agency

JESSICA KORAVOS Chief Executive Officer Pophouse

JAY MARCIANO Chairman & CEO AEG Presents

ROB MARKUS Senior Partner & Head of International Touring WME

JUDI MARMEL Founding Partner Levity Live

SAUMIL MEHTA Global President Ticketmaster

LOUIS MESSINA CEO & Founder Messina Touring

MANDELYN MONCHICK Artist Manager Red Light Management/Find Out Management

AMY MORRISON CEO & Co-Founder Music Sustainability Alliance

NICK NUCIFORO Partner & Head of Comedy Touring / Co-Head, UTA Live United Talent Agency

LESLEY OLENIK & BRAD WAVRA SVPs, Global Touring Live Nation

MELISSA ORMOND COO , Goldenvoice COO Festivals , AEG Presents

JASON OWEN CEO & Founder The Sandbox

JENNA PARK ADLER Music Agent CAA

STEPHEN PARKER Executive Director National Independent Venue Association DESIREE PEREZ CEO Roc Nation

GREGG PERLOFF Founder & CEO Another Planet Entertainment

MICHAEL RAPINO President & CEO Live Nation

FRANK RILEY Founder High Road Touring

RICK ROSKIN Co-Head Of Global Touring CAA

SEAN SAADEH Chief Programming Officer & Head of Entertainment Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

RICH SCHAEFER President, Global Touring AEG Presents

KEITH SHELDON President of Entertainment & Brand Hard Rock International / Seminole Gaming

PETER SHAPIRO Founder & CEO Dayglo Presents

ADI SHARMA Co-Head & Agent The Neal Agency

KEVIN SHIVERS Co-President of Music THE·TEAM

SETH SHOMES Founder & CEO Day After Day Productions

DREW SIMMONS Manager & Partner Foundations

MICHAEL SMARDAK Founder & Co-CEO Outback Presents

KIRK M. SOMMER Global Head of Music WME

PAUL TOLLETT President & CEO Goldenvoice

JOSEPHINE VACCARELLO Executive Vice President, Live Madison Square Garden Entertainment/Sphere Ent. Co.

JAY WILLIAMS Senior Partner and Co-Head Nashville WME

THERESA WOLTERS Executive Director MusiCares

MATT YOUNG CEO Bravado

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/06/22/pollstars-2026-impact-50-honorees/)._