2025 Impact NextGen Honoree: Ryan Soroka

RYAN SOROKA
Vice President, Music
Wasserman Music

FIRST INDUSTRY GIG
“Promoting firehall concerts when I was in seventh grade for my band and our friends’ bands.”

Going with one’s gut is sound advice that has helped many of the live industry’s notable figures rise through the ranks, but finding the right balance between intuition and heart can not only lead to such success but to a more fulfilling career.

At least it has for Wasserman Music’s Ryan Soroka, whose passion for diverse sounds has led him to work with artists all over the globe and to help them expand into new markets.

As vice president of music, Soroka helped Japanese band ONE OK ROCK ascend into arenas last October with a show at Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. It was the band’s biggest headline show in the States, grossing $721,707 off 10,350 tickets sold, and they’re not the only ones to reach new heights with Soroka. Cimafunk was one of the most booked Latin artists in the festival circuit over the past year, and Soroka is building acts like Guitarricadelafuente (an indie singer from Spain), The Warning (a female rock band from Mexico), South Arcade (pop-punk from England) and Josiah and the Bonnevilles (American folk). It’s quite an eclectic taste from Soroka, and he credits his father for his appreciation of all sounds.

“He brought me and my brother to shows ever since we were kids,” Soroka says of his father. “He’d come with us to go see Warped Tour, we’d go with him to go see whatever variation of the Grateful Dead was touring. At most concerts, he showed us how to sneak backstage so we could see what was happening behind the scenes.”

Live music quickly made its way into Soroka’s veins, and he had his first taste of working on a show as early as seventh grade, promoting local firehall concerts for his band as well as his friend’s.

“The first show at Future Sound Studios in Fairfield, New Jersey — we profited around $300, and I thought we were immediately rich,” he says.

Fast forward about two decades and Soroka, 33, continues to work behind the scenes, serving the needs of his clients at a high level. He believes the industry is full of opportunities for everyone, especially young people.

“There’s less gatekeeping to get into the industry — whether you are an artist or want to be on the industry side,” Soroka says. “If you are interested in pursuing something, you have the means to figure it out from learning online and networking with people with similar interests.”

In some ways, Soroka is still that kid trying to sneak backstage to witness the magic of live music, and he was reminded of that passion while at a festival in 2024.

“Bruce Springsteen at Sea.Hear.Now. You can’t beat The Boss on the beach in Asbury Park playing for hours,” Soroka says.