Messina Touring Group Promotes Five To Executive Positions

Louis Messina and Messina Touring Group have promoted several longtime staffers following a management restructuring. Mike Dugan has been upped to President, Rome McMahon and Kate McMahon have been promoted to Executive Vice President positions, and Bridget Bauer and Sara Winter have been upped to Senior Vice President positions.

“It’s no secret that every successful company gets that way because of the people working every day to make it grow,” Messina said. “Mike, Rome, Kate, Bridget and Sara have been making this company great for years, decades in some cases. I’m so proud of everyone and these promotions are well-deserved.”

Dugan and Winter worked on Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour, the McMahons helped guide Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival run of stadiums and Bauer oversaw Eric Church’s The Outsiders World Tour. Together, Kate McMahon and Bauer guided the launch of George Strait’s upcoming Las Vegas Arena exclusive engagements, in which all eight shows are sellouts, including two shows in 2017.

Dugan began his career in the concert business in 1991 with Nederlander Concerts and soon began his relationship working with Louis Messina for PACE Concerts at the Starwood Amphitheatre outside Nashville. In 2004 he joined the Messina Group in Houston and has been involved in promoting the tours for Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Nickelback, Sugarland, Gretchen Wilson and Ed Sheeran while at TMG. In 2009 he became TMG’s point person for Taylor Swift’s Fearless Tour and continued that involvement on the 2011 Speak Now Tour, the 2013 RED Tour and the 2015 1989 World Tour. Taylor’s 1989 World Tour was the highest grossing tour in 2015, grossing over $250 million in tickets sales worldwide.

Rome McMahon has been working with Louis Messina for over 20 years, first at PACE Concerts, then SFX Entertainment, Clear Channel Entertainment and finally helping to form The Messina Group in 2001. The 2016 Kenny Chesney tour will mark his 13th tour with the performer. McMahon plays an integral role overseeing promoter duties as well as acting as Chesney’s tour accountant. McMahon has a hand in guiding many other office projects–including tours for Eric Church, George Strait and Ed Sheeran. Prior to touring with Chesney, he toured as a promoter rep with Aerosmith, The Dixie Chicks and The George Strait Country Music Festival.

Kate McMahon has worked with Louis Messina for 20 years and helped form The Messina Group in 2001. In that time, she has marketed the last 13 Kenny Chesney tours, played an integral role in marketing George Strait shows, from 1996 to present, including The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, the exclusive engagements in Las Vegas in 2016-17 and the George Strait Country Music Festivals from 1998-2001. She has been named one of Billboard’s Women of The Year three times. She oversees all country acts with the marketing department.

Winter was Director of Tour Marketing at Messina Touring Group for seven years, spearheading Taylor Swift’s tour marketing since her first sold-out headlining tour through her record-breaking sold-out 1989 World Tour. In 2014 she added Ed Sheeran to her list of clients, taking the helm of marketing for his first U.S. arena headlining tour as well as his North American tour in 2015. Winter has taken on the position of overseeing all pop artists within the marketing department as Messina Touring Group welcomes clients Vance Joy and Shawn Mendes.

Bauer’s career in the music industry spans more than two decades. Her experience at CMT, the William Morris Agency, and six years overseeing day-to-day management and touring operations for Asleep at the Wheel provided the groundwork needed to take on the management of Louis Messina and his office. She is also the promoter rep for the George Strait tour. Alongside Louis Messina and Kate McMahon, Bauer produced the final show on Strait’s The Cowboy Rides Away Tour in 2014 at AT&T Stadium. The show was the largest indoor concert in North American history. In 2010, MTG teamed up with Reba McEntire to promote her All the Woman I Am Tour that Bauer ran point on, and she currently manages Eric Church touring.