2025 Impact NextGen Honoree: Tierra Booker

TIERRA BOOKER
Manager, Booking & Talent
Live Nation Urban

TEAM COCO
In 2014, Booker was a summer intern for “The Conan O’Brien Show.”

In 2002, when she was 10 years old, Tierra Booker fell in love with live music when she saw Lil’ Bow Wow’s “Scream Tour 2.”

Now, 23 years later, the aptronymic Booker books, routes and builds tours, books festival talent and curates unique lineups
and packages for Live Nation Urban as the manager for booking and talent.

Her journey in the business began as a production intern for Conan O’Brien and has seen her sell newspaper advertising, work as an executive assistant, account manager, distribution channels coordinator and more at various companies as she wound her way to Live Nation’s arm focused on hip-hop, R&B and gospel.

It’s no surprise, then, that she respects those who are flexible in their professional growth.

“I watch and admire professionals that pivot when they want,” she says. “It reminds me that I don’t have to get locked into a career box.”

Booker acknowledges her generation has been through a lot —coming of age during the war on terror and the Great Recession and finding their professional footing just as COVID roiled the world. But, she says, all that adversity and unpredictability gives her cohort a superpower.

“I think millennials have perfected the balance of being ‘unserious’ grownups,” she says. “We’ve experienced a lot in our lifetimes, but we aren’t afraid to joke about it and keep it moving.”

In November 2024, at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center, Booker had what was both a professional and personal highlight.

“My biggest highlight was Lil’ Weezyana Fest 2024, which took place in November in New Orleans,” she says. “The show sold out, streamed on Amazon Music, and saw a surprise reunion of the Hot Boys on-stage. It was truly one for the books!”

Another highlight: the legendary Lenny Kravitz’s debut at Roots Picnic at Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. Though his performance began with technical hiccups, the icon battled through it to deliver a lauded set (do we expect any less from him?). Booker put it best, saying Kravitz is “truly a rockstar.” No argument here.

As Booker climbs the ladder, she says being a “woman of integrity” will ensure she’s a strong leader.

And her advice for everyone facing the world’s craziness? It’s a sign of strong leadership, too.

“Be more empathetic,” she says. “Everybody is going through something that you know nothing about.”