Andy Gensler Joins OVG

Oak View Group (OVG) today named veteran music industry journalist Andy Gensler as Executive Editor of its Media & Conferences division. 

Gensler will be based out of OVG’s Los Angeles offices and report directly to Ray Waddell, the company’s President, Media & Conferences, with whom he will formulate and execute editorial strategy for the firm’s media holdings which include two of the live entertainment and venue space’s preeminent publications in Pollstar and Venues Today.

The move gives Pollstar an important presence amid the critical Los Angeles-based music and entertainment industry, where OVG is headquartered and will continue to bolster its media, sponsorship, and conference base. 

– Andy Gensler

Gensler previously worked as an editor and writer at Billboard.biz, Billboard’s music business vertical where he covered every aspect of the music business including touring, labels, digital, branding/sponsorships, and executive changes. Other stops on Gensler’s varied career include the New York Times T-Style Magazine, VH1.com and Spin, and he has written for many publications, including The Village Voice, Rolling Stone and the New York Times, among others. Gensler is also co-founder of Legalize Dancing NYC, an advocacy group dedicated to repealing New York’s cabaret laws, and played in several (“criminally underrated”) bands including the Homefries and The (Very Nice) Plants.

“Having worked in the editorial trenches with Andy for years at Billboard, I am well familiar with his strong work ethic, vision, and ability to break the most important and relevant stories in our business for today’s 24/7 news cycle,” said Waddell. “As OVG continues to build out its media and conferences division and launch compelling industry news vehicles, Andy is the perfect leader to help us navigate this dynamic marketplace for both print and digital. I look forward to connecting him with Pollstar co-founder and Editor-in-Chief Gary Bongiovani and Venues Today founder Linda Deckard as they craft the next chapter for these respected media brands.” 

“It’s a privilege to be able to join OVG,” Gensler said. “To be able to work for a company whose assets include Pollstar, the gold-standard in the touring industry, along with a supremely talented team led by Tim Leiweke’s strategic vision and Ray Waddell, whose experience covering the live music space is unparalleled, along with the input of the living music business legend that is Irving Azoff, is just an incredible and irresistible opportunity.”

In July 2017, OVG acquired Pollstar, which includes its weekly print publication, Pollstar.com,Pollstar Pro and the industry-leading Pollstar Live! conference. In December of 2016, OVG purchased the leading live-entertainment facilities platform Venues Today and in July of this year launched the hugely successful VenuesNow conference, which quickly blew up the paradigm for the sports and live entertainment conference space. The company also is a majority lead investor in SportTechie.com, a sports technology media company.

“Bringing Andy into the OVG fold is a critical move as we commit resources to building media and conferences dedicating to serving the sports and live entertainment industry,” said OVG CEO Tim Leiweke. “We look forward to tapping into Andy’s considerable talents and industry savvy as we set out to deliver provocative editorial and insightful data that informs and entertains the decision makers in our industry.” 

OVG was founded in 2015 by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff to be a positive disruption in sports and entertainment and currently has offices in Los Angeles and New York. OVG’s business divisions include OVG Business Development, OVG Global Partnerships, OVG Media and Conferences, Prevent Advisors and the Arena Alliance. 

For more information, please visit www.OakViewGroup.com.