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Meet TOm Ewald

I’m a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the ticketing and live entertainment industries. Throughout my career, I’ve held leadership roles at companies such as Ticketmaster and Ticketfly, excelling in sales, strategy, and client acquisition. I’ve had the privilege of working with independent venues, promoters, and ticketing companies, bringing unmatched industry expertise and a collaborative approach to every project. Guided by values of honesty, curiosity, accountability, bravery, and fairness, I’m passionate about building strong partnerships and driving success.

Shpeen Consulting

Driving revenue growth for emerging and established companies through innovative sales and marketing strategies. Specializing in market research, competitive analysis, and strategic partnerships. Proud to have collaborated with a variety of organizations, from tech startups to established enterprises, to help them achieve their business goals.

Key Achievements

  • Hive: Collaborated with the CEO to define sales strategies, identify target audiences, and build partnerships for a music marketing software platform. Secured multiple enterprise-level clients by orchestrating a promotional campaign targeting higher-level prospects and untapped sales partners.

  • Tech Startup: Tripled the number of meetings booked with enterprise prospects for a tech startup entering the ticketing industry by making introductions and reviewing sales proposals.

  • Prism FM: Served as interim Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), leading a 5-member team in marketing SaaS accounting software for the entertainment industry. Set sales targets, developed industry strategies, and successfully attracted new accounts.

TicketWeb & Ticketmaster

  • Hired as a founding employee of TicketWeb, specializing in small to midsize venues and event promoters across the U.S.

  • Secured and managed high-profile clients, including independent music venues, Teatro ZinZanni, the San Francisco International Film Festival, museum events like Georgia O’Keeffe at the Palace of Fine Arts, and Thomas the Tank Engine (still a major client after 20+ years).

  • Managed and supported up to 11 sales staff in their daily revenue generation activities.

  • Played a key role in doubling the company’s business, contributing to its $30 million acquisition by Ticketmaster.

Key Achievements

  • Increased TicketWeb revenues year-over-year to exceed $10 million in sales and $90 million in gross ticket value prior to acquisition.

  • Recognized as one of the first ten employees to receive the Employee of the Quarter award among 3,000+ global staff at Ticketmaster Online/CitySearch.

Ticketfly & Eventbrite

  • Joined as Ticketfly’s 5th employee and member of the Executive Team, tasked with creating and implementing a scalable enterprise sales strategy.

  • Recruited, hired, onboarded, and led a high-performing team of 20 sales professionals.

  • Managed a client roster that sold 7M+ tickets annually, generating $250M in Gross Ticket Value per year.

Key Achievements

  • Scaled the company from $0 in revenue to over 1,600 clients, $60+ million in annual revenues, and $250+ million in gross yearly ticket sales by developing initial sales strategies, marketing materials, and a culture of collaboration and success.

  • As a “Key Person” I played a pivotal role in the acquisition of Ticketfly by Pandora in 2017 for $300+ million and was later named again as a “Key Person” during Eventbrite’s acquisition of Ticketfly from Pandora.

  • Spearheaded the successful transition of a 14-member sales team into Eventbrite, ensuring seamless integration into the new company culture.

  • Achieved a 95% client retention rate and 90% employee retention rate by prioritizing exceptional client support and team empowerment.

  • Exceeded quarterly and annual revenue targets for 20 consecutive quarters at Ticketfly.

  • Conceptualized and managed FlyCon, recognized as the premier conference for independent music venues during its time.

Flymachine

  • Booked musicians and entertainers for Flymachine’s virtual concert platform.

  • Generated qualified leads to expand the client base, and onboarded new venue partners and streaming events.

  • Delivered compelling sales presentations and negotiated contract terms.

  • Played a key role as part of the executive team in shaping the company’s strategy and growth.

Key Achievements

  • Secured $1.5 million in new revenue within 18 months by building a network of 25 exclusive concert venues across North America.

  • Facilitated the broadcast of 100+ live events, showcasing Flymachine’s innovative virtual concert capabilities.

Spotify Ticketing

  • Played a key role in a start-up initiative within a large corporate environment to establish a new concert ticketing division.

  • Recruited to build an initial client base and foster relationships with music festivals, concert promoters, and venues.

  • Collaborated with the software development team to provide industry insights and contribute to the creation of a new ticketing platform.

Key Achievements

  • Secured commitments from multiple venues to serve as the inaugural ticketing partners before the project was disbanded.

  • Successfully signed partnerships with music festivals, concert promoters, and venues to launch a new enterprise marketing strategy, incorporating email campaigns and push notifications to promote shows on the Spotify app.

I believe that revenue generation doesn't just mean signing contracts, but includes developing ideas that involve product Enhancements, marketing strategy, and out-of-the-box thinking

Ticketfly

  • Conceptualized and developed FlyCon, the industry standard for nightclub conferences, shaping the ticketing conference landscape.

  • Collaborated with the product team to develop the roadmap, pushing features such as integrated email, marketing and financial reporting, third partner integrations.

  • Successfully signed the first reserved seating clients and proposed the ticket count app, pushing for visual reports over traditional number-based data.

  • Strengthened partnerships with music agencies, driving collaboration and growth.

  • Played a key role in delivering the first marketing materials and go-to-market strategy for Ticketfly.

  • Built and managed a high-performing sales team of 16, setting goals, defining territories, and fostering a culture of teamwork and success.

Ticketmaster

  • Signed clients and built their events, ensuring seamless integration with the ticketing platform.

  • Developed custom reports tailored to client needs, enhancing their event management experience.

TicketWeb

  • Worked closely with clients to lead the development of key software features such as membership validation, reserved seating, and credit card presales.

  • Successfully secured $100k in funding from Ticketmaster to host TicketWeb IndieMix, the first user conference focused on nightclubs.

  • Developed TicketWeb's sponsorship strategy for industry events such as SXSW and established the company’s presence in the music industry conferences and events.

  • Recognized at a Ticketmaster global leadership conference by the CEO for contributing the best business ideas, including proposing the use of chat for ticket buyer support — five years before it became commonplace.

Flymachine

  • Initially Flymachine focused our streaming events only on music, but I expanded our live offerings to include streaming successful drag shows, modern dance, and a puppet show!

More About Tom

Originally from Warren, Michigan, I’ve lived in Detroit, Minneapolis, and Oakland before making my way back to the Midwest. I now live in Oak Park, IL with my wife and two college-aged children. A proud Detroit Lions fan before it was cool, I’m also a Chicago Fire season ticket holder. If I could book my dream festival, it would be headlined by The National, Caamp, Frank Turner, Lucero, The The along with younger artists such as Girl in Red, Young Fathers, and Cardinals.