2025 Women Of Live: Christy Castillo Butcher

Christy Castillo Butcher
SVP Programming & Booking | Sofi Stadium, Youtube Theater & Hollywood Park

WORDS TO LIVE BY | “I’ve always been a proponent of women supporting women.”
WHERE IT ALL STARTED | From Roland Heights To The World!

Christy Castillo Butcher has helped transform the venue agglomeration in Inglewood into a wondrous mecca of live entertainment. She’s done so with brilliant outside-the-box bookings backed by experience and strategic vision along with a kindness and authenticity that’s earned her success and universal respect across this industry.

“In the last year, we successfully combined sports and music programming, hosting events like international soccer games and concerts,” she says. “We opened The Shops at Hollywood Park’s retail district, which required us to change our marketing and programming strategies. We shifted from focusing on short-term events to building long-term retail partnerships, which now enhance the year-round visitor experience at Hollywood Park alongside SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theater.”

While this has meant top-notch music bookings like The Rolling Stones and Mavis Staples’ 85th Birthday Bash at YouTube Theater with Bonnie Raitt, Chris Stapleton and Hozier, among others, and festivals like Fool In Love and Rolling Loud, Castillo Butcher finds opportunity outside of the typical boxes.

Castillo Butcher really shines outside-of-the-box bookings: “The Honda Battle of the Bands’ West Coast debut earlier this year, was a spectacular success,” she says. “The event energized the entire 300-acre Hollywood Park, featuring six HBCU marching bands in a showcase at the stadium.  A college expo took place at the Shops at Hollywood Park and Black on the Block featured local vendors surrounding the stadium adding to the electric atmosphere, making it a perfect celebration of Black History Month.”         

The year ahead looks even better with SoFi debuts by Mexican artist Julión Álvarez with three shows followed by George Strait and Chris Stapleton, Kendrick Lamar and SZA and K-pop superstars Stray Kids.

“This year we are hosting two marquee women’s events at SoFi for the first time, including the gold-medal-winning US Women’s National Soccer Team and the Women’s Nike half marathon,” Castillo Butcher says, also noting major girl power between five Beyoncé shows, BLACKPINK and Shakira at SoFi Stadium, while YouTube Theater will host Yuridia, LISA, and Marisela, among many others.