2025 Impact 50 Honoree: Jeff Cuellar

JEFF CUELLAR
CEO
Sixthman

LIFE-CHANGING CONCERT: ”June 11, 2004, Bonnaroo.”
DISLIKES: ”Two things I will always avoid any spot FOR IS shitty coffee or swill bourbon.”

Getting his start with Bonnaroo and AC Entertainment before joining Sixthman in 2021, Jeff Cuellar knows a thing or two about experiential events and, as CEO, has taken the themed cruise charter company to the ends of the Earth and back, literally.

“This was our biggest and most successful spring season in company history, with 16 events across 74 nights,” said Cuellar, noting events like the Emo’s Not Dead Cruise and Summer of ’99 and Beyond with Creed have doubled in size and are still selling out. “While music will always be the core of our business, we have also diversified growth into new verticals outside of music with comedy, podcasts, Broadway, culinary, TV/film, sports and more.”

Music continues to be a cornerstone for Sixthman, with Cuellar’s background in live events and the continued development of new and varied content to take to sea and expand the definition of the word “cruise.”

“We celebrate Sixthman’s 25th anniversary next year and kick off 2026 with the event that started it all, The Rock Boat,” Cuellar said. “We will have more than five new events that continue to expand the idea of an immersive festival at sea with Nate Bargatze’s Nateland at Sea, Modest Mouse’s Ice Cream Floats, Femme it Forward’s Femmeland at Sea, This is Important’s This Cruise is Important and some really exciting events yet to be announced.”

Sixthman has continued to build resources and staff to match, with investment in new people, training, tools and more to support future and current growth.
“This fall into next spring is all about new ports, bigger ships, more ships and multiple events at once,” he said. “This space provides such a unique opportunity for artists and their communities to do something special, catered directly to them, and it is such a pleasure to be able to bring it all to life. Come sail with us, and I promise we will show you our brand of special hospitality and an immersive experience that you did not know was possible.”