Brad Saks Joins Durham Performing Arts Center As Programming Director

https://www.facebook.com/DPACNC/ – Durham Performing Arts Center
DPAC (via Facebook)

Longtime concert promoter Brad Saks has joined Durham Performing Arts Center in North Carolina as director of programming for concerts, comedy and special events, effective May 21.

“Brad has years of experience promoting shows in virtually every genre of music and entertainment: rock, pop, bluegrass, hip hop, metal, electronic, comedy and family entertainment,” said DPAC general manager Bob Klaus.  “In our recent candidate search, Brad stood out as having the knowledge, skills and relationships to contribute to the continued success of DPAC.”

Saks will be responsible for booking all concert, comedy, and special events at DPAC. He has more than 15 years of experience in the live entertainment business, including eight years with AEG Live, where he promoted more than 100 events per year in clubs, theaters, arenas and outdoor venues in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Illinois. Most recently, he has been the talent buyer for Knitting Factory Presents and its 3,000-capacity concert venue in Minneapolis.

– Brad Saks

DPAC is an active concert venue with upcoming shows including Paw Patrol Live, Lyle Lovett, James Bay, Joan Baez and others.  Pollstar has the capacity listed as 2,712 – with 1,953 for a closed-balcony setup and 2,683 Broadway setup.

For 2017’s Year End Ticket Sales, DPAC was No. 6 on Pollstar‘s the Top 200 Theatres chart, with more than 420,000 tickets sold on the year. It’s already on pace to do similarly in 2018, at No. 4 on the Q1 Top 50 Theatres chart.

Recent boxoffice reports include Gabriel Iglesias March 24, which sold out two shows with 5,372 tickets and $320,945 grossed, and Jerry Seinfeld, who also sold out two shows March 15, grossing $500,875.

Saks began his career at the William Morris Agency and completed two more years on the talent agency side of the business at Monterrey Peninsula Artists before moving into concert promotion.  

His first promoting role was booking shows in and around New York City and the Northeast with Metropolitan Talent Presents.  He was later responsible for promoting larger shows with New York-based international promoter Ocesa Presents before working with AEG Live.