Cara Lewis

Anchored by humble beginnings as a receptionist, agent Cara Lewis has made herself an industry legend. Rising quickly through the ranks from the switchboard to the board room, Cara paved the way for previously unnoticed genres to take the world by storm. Frequenting dark clubs and befriending DJs, she focused her energy on validating the art of dance music artists and getting such acts paid for touring. With the help of longtime friend and champion, Russell Simmons, Cara was able to emerge in the urban music world; solidifying hard-ticketed dates for her clients and garnering the attention of corporate sponsors, linking entertainers to commercial brands. Lewis is responsible for much of the success surrounding acts like LL Cool J, Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, Curtis Blow and The Fugees. Credited as one of the first people, regardless of gender, to identify the crossover potential of urban music, Cara mentored acts as they grew from playing in clubs to selling out 12,000 seat arenas. As a result, it is no surprise that many of her clients praise her for legitimizing the hip-hop industry.

Cara’s success should not be mentioned without paying due to her unparalleled instincts and work ethic. In an interview for Variety, Cara was quoted saying “The key to success in this business is tenacity, ethics, creativity, resourcefulness and perseverance.” She prides herself on understanding the importance of maintaining realistic expectations for her clients along with developing effective strategies to grow and sustain their business in the touring industry. Her unique approach to packaging, pricing tickets and exposing artists highlights her keen ability to think outside of the box - arguably her strongest asset. One such brainchild was the Smokin’ Grooves Tour featuring the Fugees, Cypress Hill and A Tribe Called Quest. A tour that continued for 6 years and hosted the likes of Cee-Lo Green, The Black Eyed Peas, Outkast, Nas and The Roots.

The Anger Management Tour brought together the likes of Eminem, Limp Bizkit, 50Cent, Papa Roach, Ludacris and Lil Jon. This endeavor married rock and rap, and grossed upwards of $21.6 million. It was also the only hip-hop tour between 2003 and 2007 to be named one of Pollstar’s Top 20 North American tours. Soon thereafter, the Roc The Mic Tour followed Lewis’ formula joining Jay-Z, Missy Elloit, 50Cent and Snoop Dogg with corporate sponsors Reebok and Footlocker. Cara was also instrumental in the creation of th