NEW YORK – For more than 20 years, the Greek Cypriot-American entertainment and music mogul, Mike Savas has contributed to a thriving and ever-growing entertainment scene all over the country, as well as across the globe.
Working with some of the world’s biggest names, including Bon Jovi, Metallica, Queen, Katy Perry, and more, he has established one of the nation’s most successful live entertainment companies, Superfan Live.
Speaking with The National Herald, Mike Savas revealed insight into his business, his inspirations, his proudest moments and overall goals as someone passionate about music.
Who is Mike Savas?
Mike Savas shared how he had worked alongside Oprah Winfrey for many years. (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Savas)
Savas is a New York born, New Jersey-raised CEO and founder of Superfan Live – a boutique VIP experiential management agency that was established back in 2019, took a brief pause due to COVID, and then re-opened the following year.
The business itself specializes in creating VIP packages and creating elevated fan experiences and is driven by Savas’ passion for bringing people together.
As a popular name in the entertainment industry for so many years, Savas has helped transform the modern concert experience through his work with some of the world’s biggest touring artists.
Although it’s been an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding two decades for him, he told The National Herald how being in his line of work might have its perks, however it’s never been money or status for him, but for the “love of music” and for the people.
“Yes, some people are driven by money, but most people are just driven by supporting artists and supporting fans, attending shows and that love of the ethereal mix of music, spiritual energy, and, you know, grief, reprieve from the monotony of the world,” Savas expressed to TNH.
Mike Savas has also worked alongside Guns N’ Roses. (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Savas)
Reflecting on his work and what he loved most about the entertainment scene, he shared – “it’s a beautiful blend of the love of music, the love of the artists, and the love of helping people just escape and have a moment of enlightenment or serenity.”
Getting into the industry
Discussing how he first got into the entertainment industry, Mike Savas shared how while still in college, he kept busy keeping up multiple jobs and even called himself a “hustler.”
“I had four jobs stacked on top of each other, and they were all connected to music in one way or another,” Savas explained.
“I did things like being a radio station DJ, I worked at a small agency and I worked at a small management company – I was just hustling.”
Shortly after, Savas landed his first full-time job out of college, at Atlantic Records, where he stayed for a year and then decided he wanted to follow his love and passions for travelling instead.
“I made the conscious decision to leave the business and follow a different passion in life, which was traveling and then I became a certified tour director,” he said. “I started getting paid to lead trips, which was amazing.”
Mike Savas and Barack Obama. (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Savas)
The call that changed it all
Spontaneously one year after his travel adventures, in 2008, Savas then received a call that changed everything: he was asked to join Bon Jovi on tour as part of his management team.
“It was kind of out of nowhere, but based on many decisions I had made, and my luck and good fortune, as well as working hard, I got this opportunity and then started touring with Bon Jovi,” Savas said.
“That opportunity lasted five years, and I did four world tours with the band as part of his management team. In that time, what was occurring unbeknownst to me was the birth of a new sector of the live entertainment industry – VIP Experiences.”
“Factually speaking, Bon Jovi was the first global touring artist to ever offer a VIP experience to his fans, and I was the young Greek kid who they hired to execute that program, so over the course of five years, we were able to develop this service offering, this product, in different regions around the world, upgrade it, and go on tour after tour.”
Mike Savas and Katy Perry. (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Savas)
Savas said this experience of blending hospitality with music, merchandise, and autographed items to create customized experiences throughout his time working with Bon Jovi across five years, led to a staple business and service in the industry.
A global career
The Superfan Live CEO shared how his professional career then led him to travel across the globe, where he was able to blend his love for music with travel, while representing his major clients.
At the time, he said when he was not on tour, there were memorable moments where he was able to go out with artists like Britney Spears, the Black Eyed Peas, and even Janet Jackson.
Following this, he then decided to venture off down under, where he worked exclusively in Australasia from 2014-2019 with Paul Dainty – a legendary concert promoter in the region.
“Paul became my only client, and we began creating the VIP experience for a global concert tour,” Savas said.
Commenting on his observations during that time, he shared: “I saw that Australians were very avid concert goers and can appreciate and had a huge thirst for live entertainment.”
Making this observation then led him to create a VIP experience department in Australia alongside Dainty, which then became incredibly successful.
Mike Savas is the CEO for Superfan Live. (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Savas)
“We worked with everyone from Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Hugh Jackman, Cat Stevens, Oprah, Guns N’ Roses, Queen, and Adam Lambert…there were, like, 40 artists all together, so it was a wonderful relationship,” he said.
The future of Superfan Live
As someone with a passion for working with people and a strong motive to make his mark and leave an “imprint on the music industry,” Savas shared how one of his biggest personal aspirations is “to curate and produce the world’s most exotic and compelling shows in unique destinations.”
“These could be events in the seven wonders of the world, or in beautiful places, incredible resorts around the world and hotels that want to partner with musicians and do weekend-long fan experiences,” he said.
When asked what separates Superfan Live from any other entertainment business, Savas said it is one recognized for its “premium hospitality experiences, high customer touch, high creativity, and unique programming.”
Mike Savas has taken his career across the globe, including to places like Australia for the Bruno Mars concert in 2022. (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Savas)
“We have a lot of passion, a lot of ideas, and we’re not owned by any large entity, so we can move quickly and try unique things,” he said.
“There are companies that do what we do when it comes to VIP packages and experiences, but we’re the only ones who think about it in terms of multiple services that are vertically integrated. Beyond VIP, we offer travel experiences, such as hotels, shuttles, tickets to concerts, all packaged together, and we offer social impact and charity initiatives too.”
“When you look at all of those things holistically, it’s much more than just VIP services…and we think beyond just the dollars and cents and try to do something more creative, more exciting, more memorable.”
To learn more about Mike Savas and his work, visit www.superfan.live.
