LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Gary Gersh, President of global touring at AEG Presents, plans to step down after almost a decade at the company.
His exit, which was first reported by Billboard, was announced by AEG Presents chairman Jay Marciano, who broke the news to AEG staff in a memo.
“Gary played a vital role in the development and growth of Global Touring; his energy, passion and initiative helped nurture an embryonic idea into a powerhouse team that has made a substantial impact on both our business specifically and the industry as a whole,” Marciano told staff in the staff memo obtained by CelebrityAccess. “I know I speak for all of us when I say thank you, Gary, for your many contributions to AEG Presents these last eight years. We wish you nothing but continued success in your future ventures.”
According to Marciano, Gersh will be succeeded in the leadership role by AEG Presents’ Vice President of Global Touring Rich Schaefer.
“Stepping into Gary’s role as President, Global Touring will be our very own Rich Schaefer. Rich, who has been SVP of the division since joining the company in 2018, has an extensive resume and years of experience beyond his current duties here. He started his career in artist development at a record label before moving into management, where he spent two decades working across all aspects of artists’ careers while also developing a specialty in touring. He brings a thorough understanding of our business to the job and is looking forward to hitting the ground running and executing at the highest level on behalf of both Global Touring and AEG Presents. Rich will continue to be based out of New York, but we should all expect to be seeing more of him in Los Angeles,” Marciano stated.
“This was not a decision I came to lightly, as working alongside everyone at this company these past eight years has been a career highlight for me, but I’m excited about the prospects ahead and look forward to us crossing paths again in the future. And while it’s sad to leave this incredible team behind, I couldn’t be more proud to place the global touring division in the very capable hands of my longtime friend and partner in business Rich Schaefer,” Gersh added in a farewell note to staff.
Gersh joined AEG in 2015 but he began his career in the 1980s, serving as an A&R exec at Geffen Records, where he played a key role in signing artists such as Sonic Youth and Nirvana to the label.
During the 1990s, Gersh led Capitol Records and launched G.A.S Entertainment with John Silva. A veteran talent manager, Gersh also lead The Artist Organization, representing artists such as Lenny Kravitz and John Legend.
