Features
Andrew Lustgarten Named President of Madison Square Garden Company
– Andrew Lustgarten
Andrew Lustgarten is taking over as president at Madison Square Garden Company, a month after president/CEO David O’Connor unexpectedly resigned. Lustgarten, who joined MSG in 2014 as EVP of corporate development and strategy, will continue to report to MSG’s executive chairman and interim chief executive officer, James Dolan, who will retain that position.
“Andy is the perfect person to help lead MSG at this point in its history,” Dolan said in a statement. “His unique experience in sports, live entertainment management and corporate development will be critically important as we continue to focus on enhancing our core businesses and identifying compelling opportunities that further our presence and influence in live experiences.”
Lustgarten helped oversee MSG’s acquisitions of controlling interests in TAO Group; Boston Calling Events, and Counter Logic Gaming (an esports organization); as well as MSG’s purchase of a minority stake in Townsquare Media. Lustgarten also played an integral role in MSG’s investment in DraftKings and spearheaded strategic investments in virtual reality leaders, Jaunt and NextVR.
Previously, Lustgarten spent seven years at the National Basketball Association, where he served as Senior Vice President, global strategy, and before that, Special Assistant to the Commissioner. Prior to joining the NBA, Lustgarten worked at Cablevision Systems Corporation in finance and in investment banking at Bear Stearns & Co.
The Madison Square Garden Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment.
The Company’s venues include Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, The Chicago Theatre, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA.
MSG Sports owns and operates the New York Knicks. the New York Rangers, the New York Liberty, the Westchester Knicks, and the Hartford Wolf Pack MSG Media’s television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the New York Spring Spectacular, both featuring the Rockettes.
“MSG is unlike any other company in the world,” Lustgarten stated. “There is so much opportunity for our incredible assets to grow and to further expand MSG’s position as the world’s leading sports and entertainment company. I am deeply honored to take on this new role and look forward to working with the extraordinary people across MSG to realize the enormous potential ahead of us.”
Lustgarten is also on the board of directors of the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, the nation’s largest private supporter of pancreatic cancer research. He earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, with concentrations in finance and management, and received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Full-disclosure: Irving Azoff, who is a partner in Pollstar’s parent company the Oak View Group, is a principle in Azoff MSG Entertainment, a joint venture between Azoff Music Management, LLC and The Madison Square Garden Company.