On Wednesday, Los Angeles FC co-owner and President Tom Penn unveiled Banc of California Stadium Entertainment, a division that will handle events at the venue.
BOCS Entertainment will serve as a division of LAFC Sports, LLC, with Adam Friedman announced as its first President and EVP of LAFC Sports, LLC. BOCS Entertainment will be headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles with Friedman reporting to Penn.
BOCS Entertainment will be responsible for the optimization of the Stadium through the development, operation and management of all events at Banc of California Stadium, other than MLS matches of the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), including: headline music concerts, radio shows, music festivals, and multi-cultural music events; international, national and local sporting events; a wide range of special events with top brands and Fortune 500 companies such as corporate, convention, trade, and brand communication events; charity events and fundraisers; public events at the national, regional and local level; experiential events and installations; fairs and festivals; and private events and celebrations. In addition to events at Banc of California Stadium, BOCS Entertainment will also host large scale concerts and sports events at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and multi-stage, large scale music festivals incorporating the Stadium, the Coliseum, and adjacent grounds of Exposition Park.
BOCS Entertainment will make history with its first concert event at the venue on Saturday, June 2, when it hosts iHeartRadio Wango Tango by AT&T. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the concert will feature performances from global superstars including Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Meghan Trainor, Backstreet Boys, 5 Seconds of Summer, NF, Miguel, Janelle Monáe, Sabrina Carpenter, and Marshmello, with a special guest performance by Logic, and more to be announced. Earlier, on Tuesday, May 22, BOCS Entertainment will host LAFC and German Bundesliga Club Borussia Dortmund (BVB), one of the most traditional and successful teams in Germany, in the first-ever international friendly match at Banc of California Stadium.
With over 25 years in the live entertainment industry, Friedman has played a key role in building and growing some of the most iconic brands in the business as CEO of Nederlander Concerts, EVP/Division Head of House of Blues Concerts, and SVP of Universal Concerts. He entered the industry at MCA Concerts in 1992 after practicing as a commercial real estate attorney at Rudnick and Wolfe (now DLA Piper) in Chicago. Most recently, he has been a consultant advising various stakeholders in the entertainment eco-system with respect to the development, operation, and programming of live entertainment facilities including LAFC and Banc of California Stadium. Friedman is a past President of the North American Concert Promoters Association and currently sits on the Advisory Boards of Universal Production Music (a division of Universal Music Group), Songlily, an online music licensing marketplace, and Ampsy, a social media aggregation firm.
“Adam is an experienced, talented, and highly respected leader in the entertainment world,” Penn said. “We are thrilled to have someone of his stature leading the launch of Banc of California Stadium Entertainment and growing it into a world-class brand.”
Friedman said, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to join Tom, the ownership group, and the entire LAFC family in growing Banc of California Stadium into the entertainment icon it is destined to become. I am delighted to be surrounded by such incredible people and look forward to building the BOCS Entertainment team and bringing exciting and unique events into the entertainment capital of the world – the City of Los Angeles.”
LAFC’s ownership group is comprised of local leaders, athletes, celebrities, and innovators of industry with intellectual capital, financial prowess, operations expertise and success in the fields of entertainment, sports, technology, and media. In addition to Penn, the ownership group includes Larry Berg, Brandon Beck, Bennett Rosenthal, Peter Guber, Henry Nguyen, Ruben Gnanalingam, Vincent Tan, Will Ferrell, Mia Hamm Garciaparra, Nomar Garciaparra, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Goodwin Gaw, Chad Hurley, Tucker Kain, Kirk Lacob, Mitch Lasky, Mark Leschly, Mike Mahan, Marc Merrill, Irwin Raij, Tony Robbins, Lon Rosen, Paul Schaeffer, Brandon Schneider, Allen Shapiro, Mark Shapiro, Jason Sugarman, Harry Tsao, and Rick Welts. LAFC Ownership is invested in the world’s game and Los Angeles, constructing and developing Banc of California Stadium and a top-flight training center on the campus of Cal-State Los Angeles.
Located in the heart of Los Angeles in Exposition Park, next to the L.A. Coliseum, the California Science Center, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the California African American Museum, and close to the University of Southern California, Banc of California Stadium is the first open-air stadium built in Los Angeles since Dodger Stadium in 1962. The stadium is a $350 million, state-of-the-art venue is specifically designed to present all types of star-studded live entertainment and creates an unparalleled fan experience for music, sports, and more. At a capacity of 23,000 for concerts (22,000 for soccer), the venue’s unique design provides for an intimate experience with excellent sightlines of the stage from every seat and superior quality sound throughout the house. Banc of California Stadium sits atop the hallowed grounds of the former Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, which hosted some of the most legendary music artists of all time — befitting its history, the new stadium will continue the tradition of hosting the very best in live entertainment.
The Stadium presented its opening event on April 29, 2018, the first home game of the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), the newest team in Major League Soccer, in which LAFC beat the Seattle Sounders improving their first season record to 5-2.
In 2028, the stadium is slated to serve as a participating site in the Los Angeles Olympics.