Our People | The John Gore Organization

John Gore

John Gore originally trained as an actor and director at London University, playing such diverse roles as Jean in Strindberg’s Miss Julie and Ralph in John Godber’s Bouncers. He started producing in 1987 and has since gone on to win 25 Tonys, 2 Oliviers, 2 Emmy Awards and the Actors Fund & UJA’s Medals of Honour. 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 over 45 theaters across North America.

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, 2024 NY Emmy Awards). 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. In 2023, John became the owner of the iconic Hammer Films and in January 2025 he launched the John Gore Studios whose upcoming release of The Duchess & I stars Golden Globe winner Joan Collins as Wallis Simpson and Academy Award nominee Isabella Rossellini. He is currently shooting Frank and Percy starring Sir Ian McKellen and is prepping a film about Parkinson’s disease starring Laura Linney.

A committed philanthropist, John provides support to more than 60 organizations including the Princess Grace Foundation USA, underwriting Hamilton’s education programs and the Arthur Miller Foundation, which nurtures theater educators in NYC public schools.. 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, an organization that works to advance equality for LGBTQ families. John’s company also recently sponsored the construction of the Rita Moreno Arts Building in West Hollywood and secured free tuition in perpetuity for all MFA acting students at Juilliard 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 Theater. During his most recent stint at Broadway Across America, he revitalized its North American Presenting and Theater 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 Theater, Motorsports, Sports, International Music, International Theater. 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 45 markets across North America and reaches more than 60 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 theater related matters, including presenting, ticket sales, theater 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 an 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, CEO, Theatre Division & CMO, has been promoting live entertainment for more than 30 years with a broad background in commercial entertainment, non-profit regional theater management and ticketing technology. Today, Rich oversees Broadway Across America’s presenting and venue operations business, bringing touring Broadway to more than 45 markets in North America. Additionally, as CMO, Rich leads all marketing and communications for the company as well as oversight of the company’s nationally syndicated weekly television program, The Broadway Show.

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 premiere 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 by spending a decade with MSG/Radio City in various roles, including Marketing Director overseeing family entertainment, concerts, boxing, college basketball, tennis and institutional branding for Madison Square Garden. Rich is proud to be a member of the Broadway League, serving on the Board of Governors, Intra-Industry and Audience Engagement committees and is the current co-Chair of the Business Development committee.

Susie Krajsa

Susie Krajsa is President of Broadway Across America (BAA). In this capacity, she oversees BAA’s Presenting business, working with 12 regional offices that, in turn, manage the network of over 45 markets where BAA has a presence. She also collaborates with Broadway partners in various venues in each market and with local staff and management to develop day-to-day and long-term business strategies for single and season ticket campaigns. Susie has been part of the BAA team for over 30+ years. During her career, she has supervised teams that have presented more than 750 weeks of touring Broadway, representing over 10 million customers. She directly supervises the presenting relationships in the Florida markets for Broadway Across America.

Susie is an active member of The Broadway League, where she sits on the Board of Governors, the Audience Engagement Committee (serving as Co-Chair), the Biennial Planning Committee, the Business Development Committee, and the Intra-Industry Committee. Susie additionally served as Co-Chair for The Broadway League’s 2023 Spring Road Conference. She has also been the recipient of the prestigious Samuel J. L’Hommedieu Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management Award. Additionally, Susie serves on the Executive Committee and on the Trust Board at the Adrienne Arsht Center.

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 theater-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 is 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 theater, 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 originally trained as an actor and director at London University, playing such diverse roles as Jean in Strindberg’s Miss Julie and Ralph in John Godber’s Bouncers. He started producing in 1987 and has since gone on to win 25 Tonys, 2 Oliviers, 2 Emmy Awards and the Actors Fund & UJA’s Medals of Honour. 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 over 45 theaters across North America.

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, 2024 NY Emmy Awards). 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. In 2023, John became the owner of the iconic Hammer Films and in January 2025 he launched the John Gore Studios whose upcoming release of The Duchess & I stars Golden Globe winner Joan Collins as Wallis Simpson and Academy Award nominee Isabella Rossellini. He is currently shooting Frank and Percy starring Sir Ian McKellen and is prepping a film about Parkinson’s disease starring Laura Linney.

A committed philanthropist, John provides support to more than 60 organizations including the Princess Grace Foundation USA, underwriting Hamilton’s education programs and the Arthur Miller Foundation, which nurtures theater educators in NYC public schools.. 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, an organization that works to advance equality for LGBTQ families. John’s company also recently sponsored the construction of the Rita Moreno Arts Building in West Hollywood and secured free tuition in perpetuity for all MFA acting students at Juilliard by funding their first year.

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.

Jin Yokoi

Jin Yokoi, Board Director, is Executive Officer of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc. (TBS), a major television network that produces and televises new programs, dramas and sports on their 28-affiliate network throughout Japan. TBS also produces and presents live entertainment projects and theater productions in Japan, including the musicals Chicago, Rent, A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, West Side Story, Billy Elliot, and Mary Poppins. TBS owns and operates the prominent TBS Akasaka ACT Theater, which is currently a home for the Japanese language production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which TBS co-produced with Ambassador Theatre Group and HoriPro in association with John Gore Organization and Toho, drawing over 1.3 million attendees since its opening in 2022.