2025 Impact 50 Honoree: Shawn Gee

SHAWN GEE
President & Co-Owner
Live Nation Urban

LAST JOB NOT IN THE LIVE BIZ: Private Banking
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Shawn Gee, last year’s Impact 50 cover honoree and prime mover behind Live Nation Urban, shows no signs of slowing down. To put it more accurately, and invoke Young Gunz’s 2004 jam and Jeff Chang’s touchstone 2005 book, Gee just “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” – and that’s a good thing for music, fans and the live industry. 

It would be hard to top Gee’s feats from last year – which included promoting the three largest festivals in three major U.S. markets: Atlanta (ONE Music Fest), Washington, D.C. (Broccoli City Festival) and Philadelphia (The Roots Picnic) – and yet he continues to steadily build LNU’s business adding new dimensions. 

Gee cites several investments, tours, festivals, and artist partnerships that he says “delivered amazing cultural and financial return.” 

“Our capital investment in the tech company Breakr and investing/partnering with the owners of the multi-city vendor festival Black on The Block were two of the most rewarding accomplishments of the year.” 

Founded in 2020 by brothers Anthony and Ameer Brown, Breakr established itself as a leading platform in pairing creator marketers with brands. Black on the Block, according to the company, is a “dynamic platform propelling black-owned businesses, creatives and professionals through monthly events and programs across various cities.” It was founded in 2021 by siblings Lanie and Char Williams. 

Other Live Nation Urban tentpoles include a Hot Boys reunion, with Lil Wayne, Turk, Juvenile and B.G. in New Orleans, “yielding one of the highest viewed music streams across the Amazon platform,” and an emerging artist tour with Elmiene, a British-Sudanese artist from Oxford, England. With an uneven economic outlook, Gee remains focused and intentional.

 “Even in these volatile times, our thesis at Live Nation Urban hasn’t changed. We are going to find amazing business opportunities and provide underrepresented black founders / owners with the support needed to build out their ideas and businesses. I am proud to be able to continue to deliver on this promise.”