2026 Impact NextGen Honoree: Parker Badger

PARKER BADGER
Talent Buyer | AGE: 28
C3 Presents/Live Nation

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“I’m the captain of a sand volleyball team, and while it’s all in good fun, my competitive side definitely comes out.”

Parker Badger looked at the Disney Channel and saw the future.

“When I was little, I was absolutely convinced I was going to grow up to be Hannah Montana. My parents offered to sign me up for voice lessons, guitar, piano—you name it—but I insisted I was already talented enough,” she says. “Turns out they were right … I’m definitely not Hannah Montana. Looking back though, I think that little girl always knew she wanted to be part of live entertainment somehow.”

Of course, the great lesson of Miley Cyrus’ “Hannah Montana” was that you have to find the best of both worlds. In Amy Corbin, her boss and mentor at C3, Badger — who was promoted to talent buyer at C3 Presents a year ago — has found it.

“A great boss knows when to push you and when to have your back. Amy has an incredible ability to meet people where they are. Even though she’s the President of Live Nation South and Head Talent Buyer for ACL Fest, talking to her feels like talking to your most trusted colleague,” Badger says. “She knows when it’s time to take the training wheels off and encourage you to get uncomfortable, but she’s also there to support you if things don’t go as planned. As I continue to grow in my career, that’s the kind of leader I hope to become — someone who invests in people who genuinely care, work hard and want to keep getting better.”

Corbin’s mentorship has proven fruitful. In her first year in her new position — she was previously a Casinos Marketing & Talent Buying Intern, then a Casinos Marketing Assistant — Badger has “worked on Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds, helped book entertainment for the FIFA Fan Festival Dallas surrounding the World Cup and started overseeing booking for Oklahoma venues, including Tulsa Theater and The Criterion.”

And when the next generation steps up to take the reins of the industry, Badger believes they’ll have to meld the old ways with the new. 

“We have access to more information and better data than ever before, which helps us make smarter decisions and reduce risk. At the same time, social media has made it harder to separate a viral moment from an artist with real staying power,” she says. “I also think we’ve lost some of the relationship-building that naturally happened over the phone — everyone’s connected all the time now, but sometimes in a less ‘connected’ way.  My dad also taught me the value of a handwritten note which I feel is somewhat of a lost art, and I’ve incorporated that into my professional life.”

You know: the best of both worlds.