Passion. Experience. Diligence.

Don Kelly started his work life as a corporate attorney at one the oldest and largest law firms in New Orleans. After nearly a decade of practice, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he conceived and produced A Joyful Noise, an all-star benefit concert in New Orleans on December 5, 2005. The show was covered by NPR and was the spark that pushed Don out of corporate law and into work with artists, songwriters and festivals.

After several years of practicing entertainment law, Don became COO of Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans and later led negotiations to sell a majority interest in the festival to Live Nation. After acquisition, Don was COO of the newly created North American Festivals division at Live Nation. This led to a period of rapid acquisitions by Live Nation, and in 2015 Don shifted to newly LN owned C3 Presents, where he served as Festival Director until 2023.

While at C3, he was a part of the senior leadership team behind some of the most successful and well known festivals in North America, including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Festival, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, When We Were Young, Lovers & Friends, Innings Festival, Austin Food & Wine and Catbird, as well as corporate events for the NFL and Ford Motor Company. In 2023 Don became COO of Summit Series.

Don believes what makes a live event business thrive is the passion that drives it balanced with the real world practicalities necessary for intelligent operations.