SHIRLEY MATTHEWS, Partner & Head of Event Operations, is a senior producer with over 25 years of event execution experience. Over her career, her scope of work has included concert, television, and experiential production as well as marketing and venue operations.
For seventeen years she worked at the World-Famous Apollo Theater in Harlem where she variously produced Amateur Night at the Apollo, worked on Showtime at the Apollo, and, for the last five years of her tenure, served as Director of Operations overseeing all Front of House and event logistics for the venue.
A lover of Gospel music, Shirley co-created and produced I-Gospel, an international music cable television show on the Inspiration Networks for 4 years. She subsequently moved to Trevanna Entertainment in 2013 as the Senior Events Manager, where she worked on seven years of Red Bull Music Festivals, including New York, LA, and Atlanta, and took the lead in event logistics for Spotify’s Best New Artist parties in 2018 and 2019. Additionally, Shirley worked on various live gaming events around the US including Red Bull Conquest (celebrating 20 years of Streetfighter) and Red Bull Battlegrounds in Washington DC.
For over five years, she played a hands-on role in the annual execution of Hot 97’s On Da Reggae and Soca Tip, taking place on Labor Day weekend in such disparate venues as Pier 97, Governors Island, and the Coney Island Amphitheater.
A native New Yorker and graduate of Hunter College, Shirley began her career working as the Director’s Assistant and Casting Director on Samuel Goldwyn’s film “Straight Out of Brooklyn.”