True AF Podcast

A passionate connector and Los Angeles native, seasoned entrepreneur Brian Toll is the Co-Founder and Co-President of The h.wood Group. He and his partner and longtime friend, John Terzian, are responsible for some of the most iconic hospitality brands in the world. Today, Toll oversees operations, finance and business strategy as The h.wood Group expands globally. With a track record spanning almost two decades, he brings a wealth of knowledge and established industry relationships to his work. His diligent approach has garnered a reputation for trust, integrity and professionalism, and his business acumen is driving The h.wood Group's growth. With a deep understanding of the inner workings of the industry, Toll's perspective keeps The H.wood Group ahead of the curve.

Liv Johnson a producer, promoter and visionary.

Damian has spent the last 20 years becoming one of the most successful electronic music artists and entrepreneurs in the world - playing 150+ shows a year and throwing his own parties in Tulum, Israel, Miami, New York, Berlin, Mykonos et al which The Guardian calls some of the best in the world. He also just wrapped another full-summer Hii Ibiza residency alongside Black Coffee and celebrated the 20th anniversary of his label Crosstown Rebels. All this while raising two kids on a remote goat farm in southern Italy.

Prime Video is gearing up for an exciting stunt, both big in size and impact, to celebrate the Season 2 release of their Original Series "Reacher", starring Alan Ritchson, which is set to premiere on December 15th. Taking place during Thursday Night Football on December 14th, a towering 15-foot action figure of Jack Reacher will make an appearance at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, uniting Raiders and "Reacher" fans alike. Guests will also have the chance to enjoy the outside activation space, featuring a live DJ, "Reacher" challenges, photo ops, prizes and much more.

Trevor Lawrence Jr. is a highly acclaimed drummer, producer, and songwriter whose versatile skills and distinctive sound have made him a sought- after musician in the music industry. Born on February 17, 1974, Trevor Lawrence Jr. hails from Los Angeles California, and has made a significant impact on the contemporary music scene with his exceptional talent and creativity

Oak View Group (OVG), the global venue development, advisory, and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, today announced the appointment of Francesca Bodie as chief operating officer (COO). In this newly established position, Bodie's role will increase from capital development, mergers, and acquisitions to a focus on new revenue streams including overseeing all day-to-day operations for OVG globally, as well as leading OVG's executive committee of highly diverse and accomplished executives into this next stage of growth. Bodie's promotion comes as OVG announces a major strategic investment in Family Entertainment Holdings (FEH), as well as newly announced Navarro's activations in partnership with Christian Navarro following OVG's April 2023 announcement of the venture. Bodie served as the architect of both deals that bring new premium entertainment offerings to OVG venues and partner venues globally. OVG adds hugely popular touring family content with the investment in FEH, the developers of family-oriented live events including toys-to-life shows of Mattel's legendary Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, Magic of Lights®, and more. The brand extension with Christian Navarro, one of the world's most influential leaders in the premium wine & spirits industry just celebrated its first ultra-deluxe lounge with Baltimore's The NINETEEN 62 Club at CFG Bank Arena, premium concession kiosks at 4 venues, and this week launched navarroswine.com, a new e-commerce destination for Holiday gifting and hard to source wines.

There is something satisfying about watching an act progress. DRAMA first hit my radar at the Life is Beautiful festival, Las Vegas in 2021. They played a late afternoon set on the second stage and presented something which I had not much seen: a duo fronted by Via Rosa, a charismatic performer backed by Na'el Shehade, who was building the complex sounds live on an entire cluster of instruments and soundboards. It was different, engaging and as sometimes happens at festivals, the music coming from the stage drew an ever increasing crowd.

18-Year Old Rising Super Star, Zia Victoria, first gained recognition on TODAY (her powerful voice brought Hoda to tears!) when she was just 11 years old. Fast forward 7 years and she just opened for music legend Seal at the UK/Paris leg of his European tour. She is a powerful, young female artist, with a voice that 'moved music legend Seal to his core' so much that he personally invited her to open for him! She is also very involved in mentoring and giving back to the next generation of young artists.

On top of his busy schedule, Frank always makes a point to give back in any way that he can. Since 2018 he has been touring the world in partnership with School of Rock, SJC Drums, and Vans Shoes performing motivational workshops for kids. These workshops not only teach kids how to drum, but serve as a way of opening up a conversation with them about mental health awareness and teen suicide prevention. "I want to use my spotlight to do something for the youth and I feel that's my responsibility. Being a father is the greatest gift and seeing the joy music brings my sons inspires me beyond." He continued: "I'm honored that the kids and parents feel so comfortable discussing really hard topics. It's truly beautiful and there have been so many touching and beautiful moments."

Robert Scott "Bob" Lefsetz is an American analyst and critic. He is the author of The Lefsetz Letter, an email newsletter and a blog.

Anti Social Camp, the largest songwriting camp in the world, took place for the third time June 12-17 across New York City. Over 150 superstar artists, songwriters, and producers like Moby, Andy Grammer, WALK THE MOON, Grace VanderWaal, X Ambassadors and Kimbra celebrated the art of collaboration. This week-long event is essentially the SXSW for Songwriters, featuring 100+ recording sessions and a packed calendar of shows and parties celebrating NYC.

Vibee, the new music-led destination experience company founded by Live Nation that is transforming the way fans travel and connect with their favorite artists. The company launched earlier this year (in April) and has already announced a slate of exciting partnerships with festivals like EDC, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits as well as one-of-a-kind curated experiences with artists like Lionel Richie, Tiësto, and U2.

Chris Nilsson is a 20 year veteran of the music business, having spent 15 of those years at 10th Street where he has been the primary manager for rock icons Mötley Crüe and their founder/bassist/songwriter Nikki Sixx. In addition, Chris has been instrumental in cultivating and growing acts like Motley Crue, Five Finger Death Punch, Breaking Benjamin, Ice Nine Kills, Bailey Zimmerman, Sixx:A.M., Dorothy, Hollywood Undead, Bad Wolves, Papa Roach and In Flames.

A former William Morris Agency (WME) and United Talent Agency (UTA) trained talent agent who turned his career into being one of top Manager/Producer/Creators in the business. David has set precedence's for brokering some of the biggest talent deals in the "Pop Culture" entertainment business space. Weintraub has produced over 1000 of television episodes for (VH1, A&E, E Entertainment!, WeTv, Bravo, Reelz, Fox, CW, MTV, CMT, Food Network, TLC, HGTV, NICK, TV One, Bet and Discovery). His company manages over 100 "Pop Culture Celebrities" from all walks of life in the industry including Actors, Actresses, Reality Stars, Hosts, Fashion Designers, Chefs, Internet Stars, Models and "Controversial Personalities".

Founded in 1994 alongside her husband and producer Garry West, Brown's Compass Records has been hailed by Billboard as "one of the greatest independent labels of the last decade," and the idea all started out on a napkin that Brown sketched her plans on while on tour with 2x GRAMMY nominee Michelle Shocked after she quit her career in investment banking to pursue music. Compass Records celebrates its 30-year anniversary this year. At the time, there weren't many female leaders in the music industry, but Brown was used to defying the odds. As her ultra-feminist mother taught her, she had to be so good she couldn't be denied, and before launching the label, she had already become the first woman to win an IBMA in an instrumental category and the first female 5-string banjoist to be inducted into the American Banjo Hall of Fame.

As Noah Kahan changes, he casts those experiences onto songs like light through a film projector. At the core of the music's upbeat energy and unfiltered lyrics, you'll hear who he was before and who he became—almost in real time. The Vermont singer still pens songs straight from the heart and still cracks jokes with his signature, self-deprecating sense of humor; he's just changed in all of the right ways (and chronicled them via his songwriting). He gained that understanding through quite the journey from small town Vermont to global renown. He's racked up over two billion streams, released three full-length albums (Busyhead, 2019; I Was / I Am 2021; Stick Season, 2022) and a mid-pandemic EP (Cape Elizabeth, 2020), picked up a Gold Certification for "Hurt Somebody" feat. Julia Michaels, and performed on television shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, TODAY, and The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Created by Andy Levine, Topeka brings fans face-to-face with their favorite artists via live video Hang Sessions, creating once-in-a-lifetime moments. From mini-concerts and listening parties, to private lessons, workshops and more, Topeka offers an array of experiences to form personal relationships between artist and fan. The company was inspired by a scene in the movie "Almost Famous," explaining their goal of fostering these real, authentic connections.

Brett Goldberg was accompanied by executives from ticketing companies, as well as prominent travel companies, such as Airbnb, to discuss the topic of all-in pricing. As the industry leader in offering true all-in pricing, Brett shared more about the history of TickPick and how they were founded on the basis of providing consumers the best possible user experience in purchasing tickets while ensuring full price transparency – ensuring the first price you see is the price you pay.

This new partnership represents two leading entertainment brands converging at a one-of a kind, globally recognized sports and entertainment district in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. L.A. LIVE hosts more than 20 million visitors a year and showcases more hospitality options, events, award shows, sporting competitions, and concerts, than any other destination in the world. At the same time, Peacock Theater hosts over 125 music, family shows, dance performances and comedy acts, televised productions, corporate and shareholder meetings, and product launches annually. Since its opening in 2007, the theater has hosted more than 7.5 million guests and a variety of legendary artists and performances. As you know, it is also home to internationally renowned events such as the annual GRAMMY Awards Premier Ceremony Primetime Emmy Awards, BET Awards, and much more.

Sports Illustrated Tickets will be making regarding the future of live event ticketing. This announcement impacts how event hosts, organizers, creators, owners, promoters, artists and performers monetize ticket sales, as well as how they engage with fans, guests and attendees.

In the ever evolving world of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) the subset is those performers who play actual instruments in addition to manipulating sound through their consoles. Los Angeles based performer Gryffin creates his melodic house style music by employing both piano and guitar. His sound is more familiar to the uninitiated, and thereby accessible to a wide audience.

Acclaimed electro-pop trio A R I Z O N A will be releasing their anticipated self-titled third album next month on Friday, May 12 via Fueled By Ramen. In tandem with the announcement, the band also unveiled an optimistic, infectious, and upbeat new single from the LP, ironically titled "Dark Skies." A R I Z O N A have amassed over one billion worldwide career streams, sold-out a series of headline tours, and played well-received sets at the major U.S. festivals: Coachella, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Hangout, Firefly, and Governors Ball. They've also performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, provided direct support for Panic! at the Disco (at famed venues like Madison Square Garden, Staples Center, and O2 Arena) and collected acclaim in the press along the way. The forthcoming album marks an exciting next chapter for the beloved group, who show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

You may have heard that two of the most iconic American brands, Jack Daniel's and Coca-Cola, are partnering to bring you summer's newest "it" cocktail: Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola Ready-to-Drink (RTD). Inspired by one of the most popular "bar-calls," the new canned cocktail combines Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and Coke, delivering a taste and experience consumers love in a convenient and portable way. To help celebrate, musicians Teddy Swims and Bryce Vine teamed up to perform a very special set in honor of the canned cocktail at the Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola Ready-to-Drink launch party in Los Angeles at the launch party this month.

You may have heard that two of the most iconic American brands, Jack Daniel's and Coca-Cola, are partnering to bring you summer's newest "it" cocktail: Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola Ready-to-Drink (RTD). Inspired by one of the most popular "bar-calls," the new canned cocktail combines Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and Coke, delivering a taste and experience consumers love in a convenient and portable way. To help celebrate, musicians Teddy Swims and Bryce Vine teamed up to perform a very special set in honor of the canned cocktail at the Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola Ready-to-Drink launch party in Los Angeles at the launch party this month.

Thirty years ago, SPIN launched with a self-deprecating but sincere introduction from founder Bob Guccione Jr. "The world needs a lot of things before it needs more magazines," he wrote. "However, I thought a lot of people might want SPIN, including myself." And he was right. Over the past three decades, SPIN has proven that even in the face of paradigm shifts in the media and music industries — the decline of print, the record business bust, our own changes in-house (including Guccione's departure in 1997, after selling the magazine) — that there is no shortage of people longing to read features, interviews and more from writers "with real excitement about music."

I spoke over video with Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group. Leiweke has impeccable live entertainment credentials having been the head of one of the world's largest global players in live entertainment, Anshutz Entertainment Group (AEG), from 1996 until 2013. Those were the years as AEG built up the Coachella festival in this region.

The versatile Australia-born artist has had an incredibly strong 2022 campaign so far and will be looking to close the chapter as Holy Ship! Wrecked will be one of his final events of the year. And as one of the more popular acts on the lineup, the G-House icon knows better than most that this festival produces unforgettable moments both in and out of the DJ booth. Holy Ship! Wrecked is one of the most intimate, tropical concert settings on the planet. Come to Mexico for four days and nights of non-stop bangers on December 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th.