Live Nation is getting a new board member, Maverick Carter, who will join Beats founder Jimmy Iovine and uber-agent Ari Emanuel on the board of directors as they help guide the growth and evolution of the events promoter and talent group.
Carter is a natural fit for the entertainment giant. He has been running SpringHill Entertainment with his childhood friend LeBron James (maybe you’ve heard of him?) since 2008, where they have helped bring a slate of film and television projects to life, including the HBO series The Shop and the forthcoming Ryan Coogler-directed Space Jam sequel. Carter also serves as the CEO of the other two companies he and James cofounded, Uninterrupted, a digital multi-media platform for athletes, and the integrated marketing agency The Robot Company.
If those obligations didn’t keep him busy enough, he also watches over the LRMR Ventures holding company that oversees the duo’s investments and assets, and helps guide James’s expansive, diverse career off the court, which runs the gamut from entertainment to content creation to marketing and business development, including working with Nike to create one of the most successful shoe lines in the company’s history. In short, he is bringing a lot of experience to the Live Nation board.
“I’m incredibly proud of Maverick for earning such a prestigious appointment, but it should not be a surprise to anybody,” James tells Fast Company. “Live Nation is all about the talent and how to support the artists. There isn’t anyone today who understands the business of talent and the importance of empowerment better than Maverick Carter.”
“At the core we are an artist- and talent-based business who helps artists onstage and off, grow their business,” says Michael Rapino, president and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment. “Someone like Maverick Carter who has worked with one of the greatest talents in sports history, LeBron James, understands the complexity of dealing with an artist, finding them new ways to create revenue, and bringing their story to life. We look to Maverick as we continue evolving our artist-centric strategy.”
“We just think he is a great addition that brings new energy,” adds Rapino.
For his part, Carter says he is honored to be joining the board. He has worked with Rapino, Emanuel, and Iovine for at least a decade and is looking forward to bringing his talent for understanding, well, talent to help “grow an already big company, and help them keep growing it.”
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