Coran Capshaw

A longtime Deadhead, Capshaw took aspects of the way the Grateful Dead connected with its audience and applied it to the careers of Dave Matthews Band and Phish — then professionalized the Dead’s idea of self-contained merchandise, fan outreach and ticketing. His Red Light Management has 400 clients and over 70 managers, as well as a label, online commerce and financial stakes in festivals and venues. “I think of myself as a manager who leads an entrepreneurial management business,” he says of his multifaceted operation. “But, yeah — I’m still a manager.”