Innovation Arts & Entertainment (IAE) has hired music industry veteran James Macdonald to oversee all festival and live event operations. Macdonald comes to IAE with over two decades of experience producing and promoting live entertainment events including the Life is Good Festival. Macdonald will oversee all IAE festivals on Martha’s Vineyard and beyond including Black Dog presented Beach Road Weekend, Vineyard Campout, MV Oyster Festival and MV Food and Wine Festival. Macdonald will also help develop new events and experiences as IAE continues to expand its operations across the country.
Macdonald brings over two decades of music industry, marketing and festival production experience to Innovation Arts and Entertainment. Throughout his career he has developed festivals, events and marketing programs for The Life is Good Company, Virgin Records America and many others.
During his time at The Life is Good Company, Macdonald led and oversaw all aspects of the brand’s entertainment marketing initiatives, developed the Life is Good Festival into a Pollstar nominated brand positioning statement, raised $4 million for charity and presented over 80 Artist partnership with Superfly Productions, creators of the legendary Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
In 2016, Macdonald founded Six Chair Productions, a Boston-based entertainment company specializing in festival development, music marketing and events consulting, supporting events such as the Levitate Music and Arts Festival, Guster’s On The Ocean Weekend, the Boston Calling Music Festival and with Northland collaborates design from Waitsfield, VT. Six Chair’s signature event, “Festival at the Farm,” in Canton, MA, has forged a unique identity by combining nationally known musicians with a unique farmers’ market atmosphere and lively programming for all ages.
“James is the perfect complement to what we do at IAE. At Life is Good, he has proven he knows how to build a successful event that draws audiences from around the world while giving back to the community,” said Adam Epstein, President and CEO of IAE. “What we’re doing on Martha’s Vineyard is just the beginning; James will help us expand our existing portfolio of events and develop original experiences across the country.”
“I am extremely excited to join Adam Epstein and the team at Innovation Arts and Entertainment in this new role in event and festival development and production. Throughout my career, my passion has been to bring people together through great music, amazing food, and a true sense of community. I can’t think of a more exciting opportunity to organize than one-of-a-kind events that bring to life all that Martha’s Vineyard has to offer.”
Black Dog’s Beach Road Weekend features three days of some of music’s biggest names across two stages at Veteran’s Memorial Park August 26-28. The festival has already been approved by the City of Tisbury to continue through 2024. The Vineyard Campout is a new festival created by IAE and will take place on September 9th + 10th at the Vineyard. The Oyster Festival and the MV Food and Wine Festival both have longstanding traditions on the island and will now be owned by IAE and operated by Macdonald.
