NEW YORK, April 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE: MSG ) today announced that Darren Pfeffer has been named executive vice president of MSG Live, effective May 17. Mr. Pfeffer joins the company after spending the last two decades at iHeartMedia, a leading media and entertainment company, where he most recently served as senior vice president of Music and Entertainment Marketing.
In this newly-created role, Mr. Pfeffer will oversee MSG’s live entertainment events – including concerts, family shows, performing arts and special events – that are presented or hosted in the Company’s diverse collection of venues. Those venues are: Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Forum, The Chicago Theatre and the Wang Theatre. MSG also produces outdoor festivals through Boston Calling Events, the entertainment production company responsible for New England’s premier music festival – Boston Calling. With the overarching goal of maximizing the utilization of the company’s venues and delivering top tier talent, Mr. Pfeffer will be responsible for setting the strategic direction for MSG’s bookings, which includes exploring opportunities to develop new signature events, artist residencies and unique experiences for MSG’s customers. In addition, he will play a key role in the future success of MSG’s venue expansion strategy, including the company’s plans to build a groundbreaking new venue in Las Vegas. Other priorities will consist of daily oversight of financial and operational matters; identifying and building key strategic relationships; and working with colleagues across the company to create marketing and sales plans. Mr. Pfeffer will report to MSG’s president and chief executive officer, David O’Connor.
“Darren has spent more than 20 years in entertainment, overseeing some of the industry’s most popular events and creating opportunities to leverage talent. His relationships, along with his experience developing compelling programming, will serve us well as we remain focused on growing our live event business by exploring new and better ways to utilize our world-class portfolio of venues,” said Mr. O’Connor. “We look forward to having him as part of our leadership team as we continue to build on MSG’s outstanding tradition of delivering unique and exceptional live experiences.”
“The Madison Square Garden Company is peerless in its portfolio of iconic venues, world-class partners and access to top-tier performers and events,” said Mr. Pfeffer. “I am thrilled to join the team, and look forward to not only continuing to grow the live event business, but to providing unforgettable experiences for MSG’s customers and partners.”
Mr. Pfeffer joins MSG after more than 20 years with iHeartMedia, where he has held a number of positions with increasing responsibility. Most recently, as senior vice president of Music and Entertainment Marketing, Mr. Pfeffer was responsible for overseeing all aspects of more than 160 iHeartMedia events including: overall event strategy, operations, and sponsorship and partnership opportunities, as well as any production and broadcast elements. These high-profile events include: the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, the iHeartCountry Festival and the iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina. Mr. Pfeffer has also served as executive producer of Z100’s Jingle Ball since 2006 – turning the annual holiday concert into an iconic New York City event that is nationally televised on The CW Network – and oversaw the multi-market iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, which includes stops in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and Miami.
In addition to delivering exceptional live experiences for consumers, Mr. Pfeffer spearheaded iHeartMedia's B2B event strategy, producing a number of industry events at shows throughout the world, including CES, Cannes Lions, SXSW and AdWeek. He also worked directly with iHeartMedia's marketing partners to create innovative event integrations and promotions for brands such as Target, Pepsi, State Farm, Chase, Verizon and Macy's. Mr. Pfeffer started at iHeartMedia as an intern in 1995.
About The Madison Square Garden Company The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live sports and entertainment experiences. The company presents or hosts a broad array of premier events in its diverse collection of iconic venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, CA; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang Theatre in Boston. Other MSG properties include legendary sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA), along with two development league teams -- the Westchester Knicks (NBADL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). In addition, the Company features popular original entertainment productions -- the Christmas Spectacular and New York Spectacular – both starring the Radio City Rockettes, and through Boston Calling Events, produces outdoor festivals, including New England’s preeminent Boston Calling Music Festival. Also under the MSG umbrella is TAO Group, a world-class hospitality group with globally-recognized entertainment dining and nightlife brands: Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, The Stanton Social, Beauty & Essex and Vandal. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com
Contact: Mikyl Cordova / Mikyl.Cordova@msg.com / 212-631-4337
