Transforming New Jersey into a Premier Entertainment Destination
NEWARK, NJ (CelebrityAccess) – In a world with fierce live entertainment competition, Sean Saadeh has been instrumental in positioning Newark’s Prudential Center as a go-to destination for top global performers. As Executive Vice President (EVP) of Entertainment, Saadeh, who boasts over 25 years of experience in the industry, has led the Prudential Center to record-breaking success. In 2023, under his leadership, the venue reached a historic milestone, ranking number five in Billboard’s End of Year Rankings—its highest spot ever. Most recently Saadeh was named to Billboard’s 2024 Power Player List.
I had the opportunity to sit with Saadeh in his castle before a show by multi-platinum-selling Country music star Jelly Roll. The grounded, humble, and affable executive shared some insight into his position, what makes the Prudential Center a record-breaking venue, and plans for the future.
It Begins …
Saadeh began his career on the West Coast, graduating from Santa Clara University with a degree in business marketing.
Saadeh: During college, I interned at a San Diego non-profit, and we were doing some really cool stuff there. After graduation, they offered me a job and I took it. After six or seven months in the position, I began to think about what I wanted to do long-term. What would excite me about getting up every day and going to work? I played sports in high school and was athletic, so I wanted to be around that environment. I played football, basketball, and golf in high school and went to a small private school that allowed me to play a sport every season, so it was a passion I wanted to follow.
Saadeh reached out to Ernie Hahn at the San Diego Sports Arena and asked how he could get into the business.
Stacy: Can you share a bit about how that went?
Saadeh: Sure! I started talking with Ernie and eventually, he offered me a position as a booking assistant. At the time, I didn’t even know what that was! I was just eager to be in the business and would’ve taken anything—even as a ticket taker or box office person. He was like, “I think there’s something that would suit you better, but give me some time.” A few months later, he called and offered me the job, and I jumped on it.
Stacy: Can you tell me more about your role as booking assistant?
Saadeh: I was assisting with booking events at the San Diego Sports Arena, which I really didn’t understand at first. I learned as I went, just soaking in everything. My first big concert there was KISS, though I wasn’t actually responsible for booking it. My job was to assist the general manager who did the booking, so I was constantly learning and building relationships. In this business, it’s all about relationships—knowing who to call so they’ll pick up the phone and answer you back.
A Competitive Marketplace, A Standalone Success
Situated in one of the busiest markets in the world, Prudential Center finds itself competing with countless venues across the tri-state area. Yet, Saadeh and his team have worked tirelessly to carve out New Jersey as its own independent market. In 2023 alone, the venue hosted over 60 concerts with consistently strong ticket sales, including selling over one million tickets for the very first time in the venue’s history this past year – demonstrating Prudential Center’s strength in a densely populated and highly competitive market.
Stacy: New Jersey’s entertainment scene is often seen as part of the competitive New York City market. How was the Prudential Center carved out its own identity and how does it feel to finally have such a strong presence in New Jersey?
Saadeh: New Jersey has such a unique market, which deserves its own spotlight, focusing on creating a space that speaks directly to New Jersey audiences, rather than simply mirroring New York City. It’s a testament to the whole team here that has embraced that vision and implemented that vision in driving content here. New Jersey is home to a population of nearly 10 million people, and its diversity is a reflection of the programming we provide at the Prudential Center.
Stacy: What else differentiates what you do with other markets and how do you manage it all?
Saadeh: It takes a great team. What’s interesting is that a lot of venues have one booker that books everything. And what HBSE has done is put the focus on the bookings themselves. For example, Tyler Bates has the sole focus on concerts and family shows and Dylan Wanagiel focuses on sports properties and special events. Shannon D’Amore works on all verticals and books a lot of content for White Eagle Hall.
We split it up, which allows for more individual attention. For instance, Tyler has built relationships within the concert market and instead of getting distracted with work on sports properties, he’s working on concert material. You focus on building relationships within your scope of work. The success of the crew here at the Prudential Center, it allows us to expand that into other venues and easily put that system into place.
Stacy: From a press perspective, New Jersey has emerged as its own entertainment hub and that’s a big shift. Was that a major goal?
Saadeh: Yes, absolutely. For a long time, New Jersey was seen as an extension of the NYC scene, as we discussed, or even viewed as secondary. Thank you for saying that. I’m very thrilled to hear that because that means it’s working. It means what we’re trying to accomplish within our industry is coming to fruition.
A Record-Breaking Year and Leading the Way Beyond Entertainment
Saadeh and his team booked 67 concerts last year – over 35 of which were sold-out shows, another record for the venue. The result? More than one million guests walked through the doors, generating a staggering $93 million in box office sales. A-listers such as Bruce Springsteen, the Jonas Brothers, and John Mayer headlined the Prudential Center stage, further solidifying its reputation as a must-play venue. Saadeh also brought the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) back to Newark for a third time in 2023, cementing the arena’s place as a major player in the entertainment industry.
Saadeh shared insights into the types of events they are booking and how they aim to cater to the diverse New Jersey market.
Stacy: What types of events are you focusing on to attract a diverse crowd?
Saadeh: Our goal is to offer a lineup that includes something for everyone—whether it’s K-pop, family-friendly shows, or even UFC events. New Jersey is incredibly diverse, so we’re programming events that resonate with the multicultural makeup here.
He emphasized that being close to New York without the additional NYC costs makes the Prudential Center an accessible option for both fans and artists. Over the last couple of years, they’ve seen growth in country concert bookings, an increase in comedy shows, and a rise in Latin and K-pop events.
Stacy: How do you decide what programming is best for a specific market or area?
Saadeh: When you look at the marketplace, you see what fan base you have, and you try to book that type of content into your building.
He highlighted how the diversity of markets like Northern New Jersey and even the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) areas allow for a wide variety of events to thrive.
Saadeh: As Josh [Harris] and David [Blitzer] look to expand their footprints, we’re there to help drive the right content to those spaces.
Sports remain a key pillar for the Prudential Center. The arena also hosted numerous global sporting events in the last two years, UFC 288, UFC 302 (the highest-grossing event in Prudential Center history), multiple professional boxing events, the USA Wrestling World Team Trials, the League of Legends LCS Finals, International Sumo Wrestling and numerous AEW events. In addition, Saadeh has expanded Prudential Center’s college basketball schedule, making Newark home to Seton Hall Men’s Division I basketball, the Never Forget Tribute Classic, and the HBCU Legacy Classic. Most recently, Saadeh and his team added another cornerstone basketball property as Prudential Center will serve as host of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball East Regional – making Prudential Center one of the most versatile venues in the country.
Stacy: Can you share some insight on the sports side of your work? How is that going thus far?
Saadeh: The Devils are our main tenant, but we also host PWHL’s New York Sirens and Seton Hall Men’s NCAA Division I Men’s basketball team. The Devils are one of the league’s top teams, and with their young, exciting roster, we’ve seen the entire state of New Jersey rally behind them. Having the Devils play at such a high level helps our business and vice versa. Dylan does a great job booking marquee sporting events. It’s exciting to take something new and make it successful.
Stacy: What is the difference between booking a smaller venue versus an arena? Saadeh explained that at clubs, they act as talent buyers, taking on the financial risk for each show.
Saadeh: We take a risk for every single show. In contrast, at larger venues like Prudential Center, the model is more about working with outside promoters such as AEG and Live Nation, where they rent out the facility. For sports and family shows, we sometimes co-promote or promote on our own, but concerts are primarily handled as rentals.
Stacy: And you have staff focused on an individual segment of the booking process, as you said earlier?
Saadeh: I think it’s important to have a booker in the market at the venue based on the specialty of those venues. Plus, you’ve got to make sure that the shows go well, the people come, and that the logistics are correct. You’re connecting to a lot of different partners. We’re also increasing our country, comedy, and Latin music lineups, ensuring that Prudential Center becomes a go-to destination for a truly diverse entertainment experience.
Saadeh’s ability to book a wide range of genres is what truly sets him apart. From K-pop and Latin music to country, comedy, and family shows, the venue hosted performances from artists like Marc Anthony, Eagles, Karol G., Missy Elliott, Suga, Aventura, Billie Eilish, Diljit Dosanjh, Iron Maiden, Jonas Brothers, Doja Cat, Carrie Underwood, SZA, Kevin Hart, Zach Bryan, Drake and Travis Scott. This diverse programming ensures that the Prudential Center remains at the forefront of the entertainment world.
Expanding HBSE’s Reach and Vision
Outside of the Prudential Center, Saadeh has also played a significant role in expanding the HBSE footprint. From overseeing programming at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City to leading efforts at the iconic Wollman Rink in Central Park and Loew’s Jersey Theatre, Saadeh’s influence continues to grow.
This year, his team nearly doubled the number of shows at White Eagle Hall, featuring acts such as Jeff Tweedy, Jack White, The Gaslight Anthem, and Kurt Vile. Additionally, Saadeh and his team are now responsible for booking live events at Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD, home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, further cementing HBSE’s presence in the DMV area.
Northwest Stadium, Washington, DC
Stacy: Where is HBSE going from here in terms of Northwest Stadium?
Saadeh: It was a leap of faith, I guess for HBSE to purchase the team after the previous owner left. The stadium is in awesome condition and we’re putting about $75 million into the venue over the next two years, and we’ve already done about $50 million in renovations. A lot of the things going on are things that you and I don’t see – like leaks and things that we are preventing for future events. We are upgrading the concession stands, some of our premium areas, and essential equipment that is needed to run the facility. We’re excited about some of the changes that we’re making.
Stacy: I’m assuming you and your team are looking to fill in the blanks when there isn’t a team playing at the stadium.
Saadeh: Yes, that’s what our job entails for any of our venues – White Eagle Hall, Prudential Center, Northwest Stadium, etc. We’re also in the process of renovating our 2,900-capacity seated / 4,000-capacity general admission Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Jersey City. We’re all in on Jersey when it comes to some of the rock venues so that we can continue to expand on this side of the river.
Stacy: Let’s talk about the VMA’s for a moment. You’ve hosted them at Prudential Center for 3 of the last 6 years (2019, 2022, 2023) Will you be hosting them again?
Saadeh: You know we can pretty much accommodate anything in our venues as far as technology is concerned. When it comes to most of our events, we’re more of a shell and they bring the production in. In terms of the VMAs, I do hope to see them again here. The biggest cost for them is bringing the talent in – so when they’re in LA or NYC, there’s a lot more talent in the area and that’s why we’re the perfect solution. I hope to see them here – hopefully next year.
Insights on Sean …
As the interview came to a close, we fell into an easy conversation as he answered a few more questions about what makes him tick and he even fired some of his own at me for good measure.
Stacy: What keeps you passionate about the work you do?
Saadeh: I just want to embrace what I do. I’ve always wanted to expand, and I’ve endeavored to grow with the company and have more venues to book. It’s a lot of work but I love doing it. I think it goes back to 20 years ago when I was looking at doing something that I really wanted to do. It gets me up every day to go to work and I am excited about it.
It’s still exciting for me when we’re doing a college basketball game and all the pageantry around it – the band, cheerleaders, etc. These are all things we’re a part of and that bring joy and excitement to our communities. And it is so important to us as human beings to be able to just, shut off for two, three, or four hours, put the phone in your back pocket, and just enjoy and not think about the stresses of the day. It never gets old because every night is a different audience.
Stacy: You’ve worked both, so which is it for you – East Coast or West Coast?
Saadeh: I love where I grew up, but I’m very very content and happy here on the East Coast. I love the seasons. Being up here, you know, the winters can be long at times, but we love it. My wife and I, our kids, are older now.
Stacy: Do you have a favorite artist that you’ve seen live or your most memorable show?
Saadeh: I can’t say I have a most memorable or favorite show because I have so many. It was cool seeing Bruce Springsteen in New Jersey and having Barbra Streisand be a part of the opening week at Barclays was amazing. Jay-Z opened the building with 8 shows and then Barbra after. My first show ever at San Diego (KISS) and I was saying to myself, ‘Wow, I get to do this every day now,’ that was literally what I was saying to myself watching Ernie take a picture with the band with his face paint on.
I take away something from every location that I’ve been to and continue to learn each day.
Stacy: What is your advice for those who want to do what you do and have a love of music and sports?
Saadeh: Embrace it, love it, just know you’ll probably have to move around a little bit. Be patient and proactive with meeting people. Understand the numbers, the financials, and what it takes to be creative in driving the content into your business. Know your surroundings and your region – find a way to differentiate yourself from everyone else.
A Vision for the Future
As the live entertainment landscape continues to evolve, particularly with the rise of viral social media platforms and hybrid live-streamed events, Saadeh is determined to keep the Prudential Center—and New Jersey—at the cutting edge. “It’s about reflecting the diversity and passion of our fans, while always thinking ahead to what’s next,” he says.
Whether it’s securing top musical acts, hosting international sporting events, or expanding venue programming, Saadeh is building a legacy—one that continues to elevate New Jersey and the venues under HBSE’s umbrella to new heights.
Saadeh fits perfectly within the markets he serves – and it shows.
