(CelebrityAccess News Service) — Jim Lewi has joined Clear Channel Entertainment – Music as senior vice president for the newly formed Festival/Events Group and Frank LoPresti has been promoted to vice president of the Festival/Events Group.
The Festival/Events Group will be responsible for creating new and exciting content for Clear Channel venues and tours. Lewi and LoPresti will also develop and coordinate unique event specific programs, such as open houses, holiday and consumer interest shows and auctions. In addition, they are planning to launch several new music festivals in America, similar to the hugely popular festivals in Europe.
Lewi began his career in the mid-eighties as a manager for Megaforce Records and Crazed Management, working with Anthrax, Ministry and Suicidal Tendencies. Later, Lewi formed Tour Together, currently LiveWorks, a tour and event production company that specializes in festivals such as Metallica Summer Sanitarium Tour, H.O.R.D.E., MP3.Com Tour, The Yahoo! Out Loud Tour as well as Coachella, Field Day and Woodstock 99'. During his extensive career he has been able to obtain artist clients such as Grateful Dead Productions, Dave Matthews Band, Metallica and The 3 Tenors and has had the opportunity to consult numerous major record companies including a three-year joint venture with Walt Disney Company's Hollywood Records. Lewi will split his time between Clear Channel Entertainment's Los Angeles office and an office in Aspen.
LoPresti will be responsible for identifying, managing, coordinating, and facilitating new event business opportunities while supporting the infrastructure and operations of all company festivals and events. He began his career in the event business in 1982 assisting in the production of the National Rib Cook-Off, currently the Great American Rib Cook-Off. He then relocated to Minneapolis in 1992 and created a partnership with the Target Center/Ogden Entertainment by producing the Twin Cities Ribfest, and became events manager of the Target Center. LoPresti continued on with his career as the Food and Beverage Manager at Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus and in 1995 was named the executive director of Deer Creek Music Center, currently Verizon Wireless Music Center, in Indianapolis where, in 1996, he created the Indianapolis Rib America Festival- currently in its eighth year. In 2000, he was appointed executive director for Rib America Festivals for Sunshine/SFX and has successfully assisted and/or produced rib festivals in markets throughout the country including St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Raleigh, Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Cleveland.
LoPresti will continue working out of the Indianapolis office. Bill McAfee will assume duties of general manager of the Rib America Festivals and will also support LoPresti in his new position. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
