LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) AEG Presents, which recently announced the formation of AEG Global Touring, the company has hired several music industry veterans to fill a number of key positions in the new division.
David Rappaport will serve as serve as Chief Operating Officer AEG Global Touring and Michael Harrison who was appointed Senior Vice President, AEG Global Touring, it was announced by Gary Gersh, President AEG Presents Global Touring and Talent. Both executives will be based in Los Angeles.
The company also announced that former StubHub senior executive Michelle Swing will be joining the new Global Touring division as Director of Artist Development while Victoria Torchia who most recently served as Head of Marketing & Partner Management for AOL has been named Head of Digital Marketing, AEG Global Touring.
“I am very excited by the additions of Michael, David, Michelle and Victoria. I have known Michael for many years through our long-term friendship with Frontier Touring. He is one of the most respected touring professionals I know and he will bring his worldwide touring experience to our entire team. I have also known David through the years and have watched him progress from an attorney and partner to a successful executive at Google. Adding both Michelle and Victoria along with Michael and David, brings a wealth of knowledge to our growing team.”
Most recently, Rappaport was Head of Artist Relations (Americas) at YouTube Music / Google Play Music where he spearheaded new education and strategy initiatives geared towards artists, management companies and agencies. Rappaport also led promotional initiatives with several artists, including Camila Cabello, Panic! At The Disco and Led Zeppelin. Prior to YouTube, Rappaport was an artist attorney, first at Davis Shapiro & Lewit and then at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. Rappaport’s clients included Diplo, Major Lazer, Mad Decent, ODESZA, Dillon Francis, Phantogram, Miike Snow, Twin Shadow, Dirty Projectors, Liz Phair, Cold War Kids, and FIDLAR. In 2016, Rappaport was featured in Variety Magazine’s annual Hollywood’s New Leaders in Law and Finance list.
Harrison, who has been the Tour Director for Michael Gudinski’s Frontier Touring Company, Australia & New Zealand’s premier international concert promoter for the last 26 years, has promoted concert tours by some of the biggest names and greatest stars in modern music including most recently Arctic Monkeys, Portugal. The Man, Flight of The Conchords, Royal Blood, Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes, Midnight Oil, Lorde and The Killers. Having begun his career as a booking agent in 1992, Harrison assisted Frontier on Australian and New Zealand tours including Coldplay, Ministry of Sound, Muse, Norah Jones and Moby.
It was also announced by Gersh that several executives currently based in New York will be transitioning into the new Global Touring division including Donna DiBenedetto who has been promoted to VP Global Touring, Jenny Heifetz Henault who was named Sr. Director Global Touring, Jessica Smith who has been promoted to Sr. Manager of Marketing and Derek Tucker who was named Vice President of Ticketing in the new division. Nashville-based Laurel Hilburn has also been promoted to Manager of Touring.
“I am also thrilled with the promotions of Donna, Jenny, Derek, Jessica and Laurel. It is gratifying to see our people move up internally and watch them thrive as we strongly position AEG Presents for continued growth in the global live touring industry.”
