Our People | The John Gore Organization

John Gore

John Gore has won 22 Tonys, 2 Oliviers, 2 Emmy Awards and the Actors Fund & UJA’s medals of Honor. For the last 5 years he has been listed in Variety’s 500 most influential media business leaders in the world. The John Gore Organization family of companies include Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, and Group Sales Box Office presenting such hits as Wicked, Hamilton and Disney’s The Lion King in a circuit of 50 theaters across North America. The group is solely owned and managed by John Gore.

As a Film and TV Producer, his work includes the film Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story (2010 Emmy nomination) and the nationally syndicated Broadway entertainment news program, The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal (2021 NY Emmy Award). In 1991, he entered the Guinness book of records for directing and co- producing the fastest ever made feature film called “The Fastest Forward”. This was made in 13 days from scratch to premiere and was the first ever feature film use of time-coded film. He directed the only stage adaptations of Batman and Star Trek and produced the record breaking Thunderbirds FAB, which, at the age of 26, made him the youngest ever successful West End producer. The show is the most revived in the history of the West End and is the only new derivative work from Thunderbirds to make a profit in the last 50 years. In 2023, he became the owner of the iconic Hammer Films whose current release stars Suzy/Eddie Izzard as Doctor Jekyll and which is streaming in the US.

A committed philanthropist, John provides support to more than 60 organizations including the Princess Grace Foundation USA, underwriting Hamilton’s education programs and providing theater educators in NYC public schools through the Arthur Miller Foundation. He partnered with Scarlett Johansson to organize an all-star benefit reading of Our Town featuring Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. and the stars of the Avengers, raising $500,000 for Hurricane Maria Relief. Via Broadway.com he is an avid supporter of Family Equality advancing equality for LGBTQ families. His company recently sponsored the building of the Rita Moreno Arts Building in West Hollywood and made possible free tuition for all acting students at Juilliard in perpetuity by funding their first year.

Miles Wilkin

Miles Wilkin, the Vice Chair of The John Gore Organization, is one of the leading innovators of the international entertainment industry, with over 30 years of experience. He provides the vision for Broadway Across America’s significant touring network and Broadway.com’s vast e-commerce network.

Wilkin, an original founder of Broadway Across America, is more broadly recognized as one of the founders of North American Touring Theatre. During his most recent stint at Broadway Across America, he revitalized its North American Presenting and Theatre operation. Prior to BAA, he worked with Live Nation and its predecessors (Clear Channel Entertainment, Clear Channel Europe, SFX Entertainment, PACE Entertainment and PACE Theatrical) in various senior management positions where he was responsible for all divisions within the company, including: North American Music, North American Theatre, Motorsports, Sports, International Music, International Theatre. Miles is the recipient of numerous awards including: 6 Tony Awards for producing (Spamalot, Hairspray, The Producers, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway), a Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award from The Broadway League, and at the 2016 Tony Awards was honored with a Special Tony Award.

Lauren Reid

Lauren Reid, President of the John Gore Organization (JGO), has channeled her lifelong passion for live entertainment into a three-decade career working at the highest levels of the theater industry to extend the reach of Broadway. Throughout her tenure at JGO, Lauren has helped steer the company to become a leading presenter, distributor, and marketer of commercial theater from coast-to-coast, with a proven track record of managing, promoting and delivering high-quality productions. In addition to its dozens of productions currently on Broadway and around the world, JGO presents theater in more than 40 markets across North America and reaches more than 35 million fans each year through its variety of digital platforms. JGO’s family of companies, all of which are under Lauren’s operational oversight, includes Tony Award-winning Broadway Across America, Emmy Award-winning Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, Broadway Brands and Group Sales Box Office.

Before joining JGO, Lauren was the COO of BASE Entertainment, where she oversaw worldwide operations, produced Broadway shows, live music acts and managed the construction and operation of multiple venues. Additionally, Lauren played a crucial role as the Chair of the Board of the Broadway League during a key period from 2020 to 2023. Her leadership was particularly significant as she helped guide the organization through the unprecedented pandemic shutdown of Broadway, and then steered the industry through its successful reopening.

Lauren is a passionate advocate for creating access to professional opportunities in the entertainment industry, and has spearheaded and championed several early career training and mentorship programs, including both The Broadway League’s Rising Star and Fellowship programs, the BAA/BTC Regional Apprenticeship program, and the UTNY internship program, to name a few.

She also serves on the boards of trustees for The Entertainment Community Fund, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, The Hobby Center in Houston and Texas Performing Arts in Austin.

Paul Dietz

Paul Dietz is the CFO for the John Gore Organization, where he leads all finance and accounting functions. Paul has over twenty years’ experience in corporate finance, including seven years with Live Nation as CFO of its Global Theatre Division (2007) and Vice President of Strategic Planning & Corporate Development (2000-2006). Prior to joining JGO, Paul was the founding COO/CFO of Unigo.com, a start-up that was chronicled in The New York Times Magazine and entered into a joint venture with the Wall Street Journal within six months of launch. Earlier in his career, he spent nine years with Sony Corporation of America in various finance and business development roles principally involving Sony’s entertainment units. Paul received his MBA from Columbia University’s School of Business and a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Connecticut. He is a licensed CPA in the State of New York (inactive).

Sheila Lavu

Sheila Lavu acts as General Counsel for the John Gore Organization, overseeing the legal function across all business units including Broadway Across America, Broadway Across Canada, Broadway.com, Group Sales Box Office, Broadway Brands, BroadwayBox.com, and The Broadway Channel, as well as venue operations at The France Merrick Performing Arts Center and The Charles Playhouse. Sheila provides legal, compliance, risk management, governance and business development advice for a diverse range of Broadway and theatre related matters, including presenting, ticket sales, theatre operations, show editorial and marketing development, distribution of content, corporate sponsorships, venue licensing agreements, and customer relations.

Hailing from Syracuse, New York, she pursued undergraduate studies at Columbia University in part so that she could be near the buzz of Broadway and New York City’s many cultural offerings. She subsequently obtained a Masters in French Cultural Studies from Columbia University in Paris, France. After earning legal degrees from both Cornell Law School and the Université Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris, Sheila began her legal career at Shearman & Sterling LLP, where she practiced in Capital Markets and Litigation. In addition, while there, a substantial part of her work included pro bono representation of clients seeking asylum. She will always remember the first Broadway show she attended (the original Broadway production of Rent) and how it changed her life for the better.

Kumiko Yoshii

Kumiko Yoshii is the Executive Vice President/ Head of International Business Development for The John Gore Organization, where she is responsible for initiating its global business strategies, managing international investment deals for productions on Broadway and in the West End, as well as bringing touring Broadway productions to Asia. Her selected producing credits prior to joining JGO include Pacific Overtures (Broadway), Big River (North American Tour), The Producers (Japan) and The Sound of Music (Japan). She is also the Executive Producer of Japan Day @ Central Park, an annual event in its 8th year. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of The New Group. She is a recipient of the 10th annual Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award, and she was acknowledged by the Minister of National Policy of Japan for her outstanding contributions and activities representing Japan in 2012. She has a MFA in Performing Arts Management from The City University of New York.

Debbie Adelsberg

Debbie Adelsberg, Senior Vice President, People and Culture, has over 20 years of experience as an HR professional in the entertainment industry. Debbie joined the John Gore Organization in 2019, moving across the country from Los Angeles to become a full-time New Yorker. At JGO, Debbie is a trusted advisor to C level executives and part of the strategic leadership team responsible for driving company culture and employee engagement. Debbie oversees the HR function across all business units including Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, Broadway News, BroadwayBox.com, Group Sales Box Office, and The Broadway Channel. In this role, she oversees a team responsible for HR operations, payroll, compliance, 401K administration, recruiting, onboarding, benefits, employee engagement, compensation, learning and development, EDIA, and immigration.

Prior to joining JGO, Debbie served as the Vice President of Human Resources at IMAX Corporation, an entertainment technology company specializing in large format motion-picture presentations. In that capacity, she was the HR Business Partner for Global Marketing, Legal, and IMAX Entertainment, responsible for all compliance, employee relations, and HR programs for US employees. Prior to joining IMAX, Debbie was the Director of Human Resources and Administration at THQ Inc., a developer and publisher of interactive software. Debbie holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from Arizona State University.

Rich Jaffe

Rich Jaffe, Co-CEO, Theatre Division & CMO, has been promoting live entertainment for more than 25 years with a broad background in commercial entertainment, non-profit regional theater management and ticketing technology. As Co-CEO of the Theatre Division, Rich is overseeing Broadway Across America, with a specific focus on sales, marketing, pricing, sponsorship and ticketing for Broadway Across America’s 48 markets. As CMO, Rich oversees all marketing and communications for the company.

Rich joined BAA in 2010 to lead Broadway In Boston, overseeing BAA’s Broadway presenting business and venue operations in the Boston market. Prior to joining BAA, Rich was part of the leadership team at one of the country’s leading regional non-profit theaters, Trinity Repertory Company. Prior to Trinity Rep, Rich founded and launched the ticketing industry’s first web-based sales analytics company, Live Audience Business Solutions (LABS), introducing yield management principles to the live entertainment industry with clients such as Radio City Entertainment, Big Apple Circus, Disney Theatricals and Dodger Theatricals. Rich began his career spending a decade with Madison Square Garden/Radio City in various roles, including Marketing Director overseeing family entertainment, concerts, boxing, college basketball, tennis and institutional branding for Madison Square Garden.

Susie Krajsa

Matt Kupchin

Matt Kupchin founded BroadwayTheater.com in 1997 and subsequently sold it to Hollywood Media Corp in 2000, where it was relaunched as Broadway.com. Matt has overseen the business since its foundation and does so now in partnership with Jerome Kane, including the management of the BroadwayBox.com and Group Sales Box Office brands. In addition, Matt manages software development and information systems for JGO.

Jerome Kane

Jerome Kane, Co-CEO of the Interactive Division of The John Gore Organization, in partnership with Matt Kupchin, oversees all aspects of the Broadway.com, Broadwaybox.com and Group Sales Box Office businesses. Jerome previously worked for Disney Theatrical Productions for a 10 year period, holding various positions from Box Office Manager to Vice President of Ticketing. Prior to his time at Disney, Jerome worked for 18 years at the Nederlander Organization as Treasurer of the Palace and Richard Rodgers Theaters.

Stephanie Lee

Stephanie Lee, President and CEO of Group Sales Box Office (GSBO), provides the leadership, oversight and the creative vision for GSBO. Founded in 1962, GSBO remains the largest Broadway group ticketing agency in the industry. After spending a lifetime as an avid theatre-goer, growing up in her family business, Stephanie acquired GSBO in 2002. In 2012, under the JGO umbrella (formerly Key Brand Entertainment, Inc. at the time), a joint venture was formed, aligning the group sales of GSBO, Broadway.com and Broadway Across America.

Stephanie enjoys shepherding the continued growth of GSBO through innovation and technology while prioritizing the strength of decades-long relationships with her industry colleagues and clients. She takes great pride in leading and collaborating with her dedicated marketing and sales teams, relying heavily on their contributions while adapting to dynamic times.

Her passion for bringing more audiences to Broadway is equaled by her determination to increase tourism to NYC and while wearing many “hats” over the years, one of Stephanie’s greatest accolades; serving as the first female supplier-member on the Executive Board of the American Bus Association (ABA) and most recently, as the chair of its annual conference, Marketplace 2025.

Stephanie’s greatest pride however, are her two children and outside of the office you can find her running lines with her daughter, an actress, or cheering rink side, for her son, an ice hockey goalie. She’s also thrilled that they are equally enamored of live theatre, as her family’s third generation of Broadway babies!

Peter Schneider

Peter Schneider is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The John Gore Organization and an internationally-acclaimed producer and director. He is the recipient of a Best Musical Tony Award for producing The Lion King on Broadway, and he directed productions of My Life with Men…and Other Animals (New York, Italy, Romania), Pal Joey (Pasadena, CA, Little Rock, AK), Sister Act, The Musical (London, Atlanta, Pasadena), and Hot L Baltimore (Romania). Schneider also produced the award-winning 2009 documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty about Disney Animation from 1984 – 1994. During a seventeen-year tenure at the Walt Disney Company, he spearheaded the creation of over fifty films including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast (Golden Globe Award), The Little Mermaid, Toy Story and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In addition to JGO, Schneider serves on the boards of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The American Theatre Wing (co-producer of the Tony Awards). He is also a world champion bridge player, having won the Transnational Open Teams in Estoril, Portugal.

John Gore

John Gore has won 22 Tonys, an Olivier and two Emmy Awards. He is a British producer who is Chairman, C.E.O. and sole owner of the John Gore Organization family of companies. These include Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, Group Sales Box Office, and Broadway Brands.

The company produces shows on Broadway, in London’s West End, Japan, China and presents in over 45 cities across North America. Presentations include The Phantom of the Opera, Disney’s The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon and Hamilton. Recent U.S. investments include Ain’t Too Proud; Chicago; Dear Evan Hansen; Hamilton; Mean Girls; Moulin Rouge! and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.

As a film producer, his work includes the film “Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story” (2010 Emmy Award nomination) and, the television special, WCBS-TV’s “At The Tony’s with Imogen Lloyd Webber” (2018 NY Emmy Award). He directed the only stage adaptations of Batman and Star Trek and produced the record breaking Thunderbirds FAB, which at the age of 26 made him the youngest ever successful West End producer. He followed this with the hit Wallace & Gromit on stage at Sadler’s Wells. His show investments include the original London productions of Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and Hamilton.

A committed philanthropist, John and his companies provide support to a diverse array of more than 60 organizations spanning virtually every conceivable sector of not-for-profit theater work. Recent programs include establishing a new award supporting emerging artists with the Princess Grace Foundation USA, underwriting Hamilton’s education programs with the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History, providing theater educators in the NYC public schools through the Arthur Miller Foundation, as well as supporting Columbia University’s T-Fellowship Program, and the American Theatre Wing’s Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative. In 2017, John partnered with Scarlett Johansson to organize a one-night-only, all-star benefit reading of Our Town featuring Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. and the cast of the Avengers, raising $500,000 for the Hurricane Maria Community Relief & Recovery Fund.

Thomas P. Benson

Thomas Benson, Board Director, was most recently the Executive Vice President and CFO of Core Media Group, where he led the company through a $250 million initial public offering. Core Media is the owner of several leading entertainment brands, including the television properties American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Prior to Core Media, Thomas served as the Senior Vice President and CFO for SFX Entertainment, where he played a leading role in analyzing, negotiating, closing and integrating over 50 acquisitions of local and regional entertainment businesses in North America and Europe. Thomas then went on to serve as the Senior Vice President and CFO for FXM, a private investment firm founded by former executives at SFX Entertainment He has also held senior financial positions at SFX Broadcasting Inc., American Express Travel Related Services, Inc. and Ernst & Young, LLP.

Miles Wilkin

Miles Wilkin, the Vice Chair of The John Gore Organization, is one of the leading innovators of the international entertainment industry, with over 30 years of experience. He provides the vision for Broadway Across America’s significant touring network and Broadway.com’s vast e-commerce network.

Wilkin, an original founder of Broadway Across America, is more broadly recognized as one of the founders of North American Touring Theatre. During his most recent stint at Broadway Across America, he revitalized its North American Presenting and Theatre operation. Prior to BAA, he worked with Live Nation and its predecessors (Clear Channel Entertainment, Clear Channel Europe, SFX Entertainment, PACE Entertainment and PACE Theatrical) in various senior management positions where he was responsible for all divisions within the company, including: North American Music, North American Theatre, Motorsports, Sports, International Music, International Theatre. Miles is the recipient of numerous awards including: 6 Tony Awards for producing (Spamalot, Hairspray, The Producers, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway), a Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award from The Broadway League, and at the 2016 Tony Awards was honored with a Special Tony Award.

Kenichi Kambe

Kenichi Kambe, Board Director, serves as Deputy Director for the Events Project Department of Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc. (TBS), a major television network which produces and broadcasts TV programs across its 28 affiliate networks and various streaming platforms. In addition, TBS plays a prominent role in live entertainment, cultural projects, film production, video distribution, education, real estate, and retail business in Japan and internationally. TBS produces and presents theater productions in Japan, and its past shows include Cabaret, Chicago, Rent, The Producers, A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, West Side Story, Million Dollar Quartet, and War Horse. TBS also owns and operates the prominent TBS Akasaka ACT Theater and IHI STAGE AROUND TOKYO. Most recently TBS co-produced the Japanese language production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which opened in Summer 2022 at TBS’s own TBS Akasaka ACT Theater.