“Paul’s creativity and enthusiasm were key factors in our decision to move the ESPN X Games to Austin.  His vision and leadership in expanding the X Games into a festival model culminated in the largest revenues in X Games history.

Scott Guglielmino
SVP Programming
ESPN, X Games & FIFA, UEFA, USSF, MLS.

“Paul has been a great resource for us here at LAFC / Banc of California Stadium.  In our development phase he helped us work through ticketing opportunities, event opportunities, and with aspects of our concert production designs.  Since opening Paul has already brought us a successful weekend festival, and we look forward to working with Paul on many more in the future.  Paul is a good negotiator, but always within the framework of creating win-win deals that can lead to annual events.”

Larry Freedman,
EVP and Chief Business Officer
Los Angeles Football Club

“Paul has been a favored promoter of WME for close to two decades now.  I have enjoyed my long relationship in working with Paul as he is aggressive but detailed in his approach. He looks for winning opportunities where artists, agents, managers, venues, the fans, and his company can all come out winners.  I believe that has been key to his long running success in the industry.”

Marc Geiger
Head of William Morris
Endeavor’s Music Division

“Paul’s depth of experience is impressive and I am grateful for his numerous contributions to The Circuit of the Americas.  Of great significance, Paul played the lead role in bringing the X Games to the circuit.  To “win” the bid, Paul had to draw upon his tremendous breadth of knowledge.  Among the skills he wields is a thorough grasp of music booking and production, concessions, sponsorship, ticketing and marketing strategies, crowd control, parking logistics, set construction, and media interaction.  By combining his mastery with his ability to be articulate, Paul organized our victory.”

Bobby Epstein
Chairman
Circuit of The Americas

“Paul has a knack for positioning and marketing his properties that grabs attention. The bottom line is, our business has prospered by being aligned with that kind of creativity, promotion and activation.”

Susie Gray
Publisher
Austin American-Statesman

“If Paul called me to partner a show I was in.  I knew he would have done his research and I trusted in his judgment.  Paul has a sharp eye for the numbers, and a creative spirit that he brings to selling tickets.” 

Jeff Trisler
President
Live Nation Northwest

“Paul is a real professional.  Partnering with Paul on events is always an easy decision for me as I know he is going to produce a winner.” 

Larry Vallon
Sr. Vice President
National Booking – AEG Live

“Paul and his TAG Presents team are top notch professionals in planning and delivering unique experiences of monumental proportions like the 2019 Wonderfront Festival of music and attractions on San Diego’s downtown waterfront. Paul assembled and led a staff brimming with event expertise and dedication in a tireless pursuit of excellence in every detail that culminated in a truly amazing Wonderfront!”

Yvonne Wise
Director
Waterfront Arts & Activation, Port of San Diego

“Paul was instrumental in leading the charge to develop our revenue strategy, design our fan experience, and negotiate some impressive media sponsor deals for our Austin Aztex. He has creative ideas and doesn’t hesitate to execute on them.” 

Rene Van de Zande
CEO & Chairman
Austin Aztex Professional Soccer Team

“Paul has a knack for getting brands to see his vision for an event, and motivate them to jump in with both feet.  But what impressed me most was his absolute determination to make sure the activation exceeded the expectations.” 

Ben Cahalane
Chief Sales Officer
Circuit of The Americas

“I’ve always enjoyed working with Paul, mostly because he makes my job easier as I thoroughly trust in his abilities.  He is an innovative marketer who methodically maps out his marketing and PR moves to capture the most attention and build excitement. His attention to the details always impresses me.” 

Allison McGregor
Head of Marketing
CAA

“We have partnered with Paul Thornton and his companies since the mid-90’s.  He has a shrewd business mind, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.  He has strong convictions and is committed to doing the right thing for our business.  He is confident, and courageous….not afraid to take on new challenges or stand up for things that don’t seem right.  We have enjoyed a close business relationship, and are proud to also call him a friend.” 

John Cunningham
President
Block 22 – Idaho Steelheads, CenturyLink Arena

“Paul produces winners. It’s really as simple as that. When he calls me to get behind a project we rally the troops here at iHeart Media and jump in a room with him to start brainstorming. He thrives on designing unique experiences, and we love partnering with that kind of attitude.”

Todd Harris
Sr. Vice President
iHeart Media

“Paul Thornton is a rare, unique and special individual. His passion, vision and ability to simply make things work is unparalleled. If you give Paul a blank canvas, he will paint you a masterpiece (on time, on budget and as promised). He was always the smart, young, go to concert promoter in the Northwest and every artist he worked with always looked forward to his shows, from Tom Petty to Fleetwood Mac. Recently, he has added amazing street and city festivals like Austin’s Formula 1 Austin Fan Fest and The Summer X-Games. If you’re given the opportunity to work with Paul, take it by all means, as he will make you, your group, business or brand look good, while building something great, period.” 

Donnie Graves
CEO & Founder
NCompass

“Paul was a great partner.  He was like a sponge, always learning quickly and putting it into action.  He has great instincts, a quick problem solver, and thrives in a fast paced environment.” 

Bill Silva
Owner
Bill Silva Presents & Bill Silva Management

“Paul can be a relentless negotiator making sure he stays true to his vision, but because of that everyone wins bigger in the end. He brought a creativity to our negotiations that I hadn’t seen before, and one that is going to pay dividends for both the Aztex and Admiral.” 

Paul Hamburger
Owner & CEO
Admiral Sports

“It was Paul’s experience and seasoning in the industry that made us totally comfortable in putting our brand’s reputation in his hands. That decision has paid big dividends on multiple fronts – as Paul promised – and was culminated in February 2014 when I was sitting beside him in Nashville’s famous Ryman Theater when the Austin360 Amphitheater was announced as Pollstar’s Best New Major Venue (world-wide).” 

Susie Gray
Publisher
Austin American-Statesman

“Paul has the insight to see what’s beyond the big picture, and knows how to put together a plan to capitalize on it. His foresight into running and expanding organizations in today’s turbulent marketplace is what gives him the edge over all others.” 

Jonathan Ferraiuolo
CEO
The Pacific Holding Corporation

“I have worked with Paul in many of our venues.  He’s a tough negotiator but fair, and he always made us money in our partnerships.  He is an aggressive marketer and knows how to emotionally charge people into buying tickets.” 

Cord Pereira
President
Diamond Sports & Entertainment

“Paul is truly one of the good guys in the industry. He’s a straight shooter and tells it like it is, which is quite refreshing in the live entertainment world. Paul got everyone’s attention by figuring out how to make the tougher markets profitable, as you can tell he loves a good challenge.” 

Ernie Hahn
General Manager
AEG San Diego

“Paul and his team have been great partners in helping our city land some very beneficial pieces of business.  Paul exhibits a very professional manner and his wealth of experience in promotion, event production, and logistics was evident every step of the way.” 

Matthew Payne
Executive Director
Austin Sports Commission

“Univision has worked with Paul on many projects now.  I have found he has great vision for designing an events experience with the fan first in mind, and his delivery is spot on.  When Paul calls us with a new project we are ready to jump at the opportunity.”

Luis Patino
Sr. Vice President, General Manager
Univision

“As a new event organizer, I had numerous obstacles to overcome on the way to success. Paul’s due diligence of my event, venue and demographic was more than I expected. I appreciate the way Paul and his team embraced my vision while complimenting my concepts with their own ideas and experience. I am very grateful for the relationship with his organization, as well as the trust and comfort that comes with it. Paul clearly has our best interests at heart and has gone far beyond what I expected. I look forward to us continuing to build MissionFest into the entertainment franchise we envisioned.”

John Iavarone
Founder
MissionFest

“As ROT Rally organizers, we have been promoting music events in Austin for 25 years. We were lucky to meet and eventually contract with Paul Thornton and his team at Tag Presents five years ago.  Paul’s background and knowledge of the industry offers you sound advice when making costly decisions about your talent.  Tag’s production team handles every stage of the production process with organization and follow through.  We were hooked after the first year!”

Colleen Bragg
Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally

“Paul’s experience and talent in building and managing large-scale events is impressive. He was instrumental in helping me and my team develop a business plan for our pitch to secure a multi-year event partnership.”

​Norb Garrett
President
Adventure Sports Network (Dew Tour, Surfer, Powder, Bike, TW Skateboarding, Newschoolers).