Movers & Shakers: CTS Eventim, Live Nation, UTA

CTS Eventim

Germany-headquartered ticketing and live entertainment giant CTS Eventim is expanding its product and tech leadership team.

Karl Pitrich will take on the newly created role of senior vice president of software engineering as of 18 August 2025. Dennis Kieselhorst will return to Eventim on 1 September 2025 as vice president enterprise architecture, also a new position. Both will report to Karel Dörner, CTO of CTS Eventim.

As part of this leadership expansion, Christoph Bodi, managing director of CTS Eventim Solutions, will focus more closely on the further development of the group’s tech operations.

UTA

The global talent agency has tapped Gabe Tesoriero and Kate Cafaro to lead music, film and TV communications.

Based in New York and Los Angeles respectively, Tesoriero and Cafaro will both serve as vice president of corporate communications, with Tesoriero leading communications for UTA’s global music division and Cafaro heading up communications for the agency’s Filmed Entertainment division.

Both will report Cassandra Bujarski, who joined the agency in February as chief communications officer, and to senior vice president Claudia Russo.

Tesoriero previously served as EVP of media & brand strategy for Def Jam Recordings/Universal Music Group and spent over ten years overseeing the company’s communications practice.

Cafaro comes to UTA from Amazon MGM Studios, where she helped lead corporate and executive communications.

Live Nation

James Pyrah has been appointed tour marketing director for Live Nation Asia, overseeing strategy across its 10 markets from the firm’s Singapore base. He will be working alongside Tom Matthews, the recently appointed director, talent & touring at Live Nation APAC.

Pyrah began his career as head of marketing for the UK’s The Warehouse Project and Parklife Festival, before moving into international event marketing with the global sailing league SailGP.

Cara Lewis Group

Agent Ashley Ventura has joined the Cara Lewis Group, an independently owned boutique entertainment agency founded in 2016 by one of the pioneering agents in the hip-hop world.

She has worked as an agent in the hip-hop and R&B space for the past five years and will be bringing clients with her, including Anycia, Bay Swag, Bhad Bhabie, Bktherula, French Montana, Gashi, K Camp, and Kentheman.

“CLG is an obvious fit for her talents,” founder and CEO Cara Lewis said in a statement. “The entire Cara Lewis Group team is thrilled to have her as a valued addition. We look forward to continuing our mantra of artist development, creating stars and long-lasting careers.”

Aarhus Festival

As the Aarhus Festival prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary next month, the organisation has appointed Jakob Tekla Jørgensen as the Danish event’s new director.

Jørgensen most recently served as director of Kolding Regional Theatre and previously worked with Teater Nordkraft in Aalborg and White Hole Theater in Viborg, part of a 15-year career in theatres and cultural institutions across the region.

Rikke Øxner, who has served as the festival’s director for the past decade, will step down in October after overseeing the anniversary edition. The 2025 Aarhus Festival will run from 28 August to 7 September.

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