2022 Impact 50: Rob Light

Head Of Music, Partner & Managing Director
CAA

Agency vet Rob Light has been handling touring acts approaching four decades at CAA, and the two-year-long pandemic didn’t slow him down, either. During the last two years, CAA booked some 250 streaming events, with a roster that runs the gamut from legends Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder, to still-viable rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers (headlining L.A.’s SoFi Stadium July 31) and Arcade Fire, to emerging new superstars Harry Styles, H.E.R., Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X and The Weeknd, CAA boasted two of the three headliners at the most recent iteration of Coachella. And the company’s Music Brand Partnerships team struck deals with Jennifer Lopez at Coach and Cardi B at Balenciaga.

Light admits transitioning out of the pandemic to a full-time touring model, while still not being in the office, was a huge undertaking. “We are always focused on the same fundamentals: client service, creativity, teamwork and communication.”

Rob does have concerns about issues facing the live industry, including inflation, but remains bullish on the space.

“There was not necessarily a pent-up demand for concerts, the demand was to get out of the house and live our lives again, so we needed to make sure music was a big part of that. With each great show, consumer confidence grows and the demand gets stronger.
I am not as concerned about ticket prices, [rather] the overall cost of going to a show on a family budget, but we are a smart industry and I believe the leadership of all the companies will adjust in a consumer-friendly way.”

For Light, there are still the smaller pleasures, like driving to Coachella with his wife: “She always makes me feel special.”

As for returning to the office, Rob admits, “I am not a remote person. I love being around people, the creativity it spawns, the interaction on ideas, concepts and learning. That’s just not replaceable.”