Molly Rowan Hamilton | Vice President of Brand Strategy at Blueprint Studio on Venue Branding

Honestly, this recognition feels like an achievement for the entire team. I’m just one part of Live Nation’s Blueprint Studio, an incredible group of architects, builders, interior designers, art directors, strategists, and experience specialists. These venues take years to bring to life, so this award is really a reflection of the collective effort, creativity, and dedication our team has invested over the years.

We recently opened The Vinyl Room, and it’s amazing to think that it began as a simple idea and now exists in multiple cities around the world. Seeing concepts evolve into real spaces filled with fans and embraced by artists is something that never gets old.

As I mentioned earlier, this entry was just as much about showcasing our team’s work as it was about me. Our Communications team actually nominated me internally. We grabbed matcha, sat outside at our Los Angeles office, and brainstormed the entire submission together.

They do an incredible job of telling the stories behind our venues to the media, fans, and local communities, so it was especially meaningful to see that storytelling focus turned toward the people behind the work. We’re friends as well as colleagues, which made the entire process both enjoyable and memorable.

Before joining Live Nation, I spent nearly a decade working at creative agencies in both London and the United States. I’m also a founding partner at JENKI Matcha. While I loved agency life, I always knew I wanted to build brands within an industry I genuinely cared about. Agency work taught me a tremendous amount about brand building across a wide range of categories.

Over the years, I worked on everything from pet food and feminine care products to luxury whiskey, Korean skincare, and even a technology-driven oyster farm. While the industries varied, the core principles of brand and design strategy remained the same.

Whether you are creating a brand for a beauty influencer, a craft brewery, or a music venue, success comes from deeply understanding the audience, analyzing the competitive landscape, and expressing a clear brand position through compelling storytelling and a strong visual identity.

Music has always been a major part of my life. I was a music scholar in school and can play six instruments, so finding a role that allows me to work at the intersection of branding and music felt like coming home.

The biggest challenge has been the scale and complexity of what we do. Building a venue is a long-term endeavor that can take years to complete, involving large cross-functional teams and a shared commitment to ideas long before they become physical spaces.

Learning to navigate that process has taught me the importance of patience, resilience, and collaboration. Bringing together diverse disciplines around a single vision is both challenging and rewarding, and every successful project is the result of a collective team effort.

This award validates the work we are doing as a team and as a company. It is meaningful recognition of the effort, creativity, and collaboration that go into bringing these projects to life.

We have an exciting future ahead, with new venues, new partnerships, and immersive experiences on the horizon. While much of my recent focus has been on the United States, expanding into new markets across Latin America and Europe has been especially exciting.

There is tremendous opportunity to continue reimagining how live music experiences are designed, built, and experienced, and I am excited to be part of that journey.

It is widely recognized that the music industry remains male-dominated, but I have always felt that I have a seat at the table, and winning this award is a meaningful reminder of that. I feel fortunate to have been supported, mentored, and inspired by so many incredible women throughout my career.

Mentoring the next generation of women in the industry is something I care deeply about. One of the most rewarding organizations I have become involved with through Live Nation is Femme It Forward, a female-led music and entertainment company that also provides mentorship opportunities for emerging talent.

I have especially enjoyed mentoring Yana Obiekwe and watching her grow professionally. She is exceptionally talented, and I have no doubt that she has a bright future ahead of her.

My boss, Mietra Beyer, has been one of the most influential people in my career. She has played a tremendous role in shaping how brand and experience are understood and expressed across our venues, and I am constantly amazed by her energy, leadership, and ability to bring people together.

One of the most meaningful things she shared with our team was the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. What inspires me most is that she genuinely lives by its principles of positivity, integrity, and kindness, bringing those values into every conversation and decision.

I would also mention Kelly Chappel, our EVP of Artist Development. She is endlessly energetic, incredibly creative, and has taught me so much about building authentic relationships with artists. That ability to foster meaningful connections is at the heart of what we do, and I have learned a great deal from her example.

What excites me most is the rise of artist residencies within the touring industry. As artists spend longer periods in a single city, venues have a unique opportunity to become more deeply connected to the surrounding community. This allows for more ambitious productions without the demands of constant travel, while creating experiences that feel more local, comfortable, and rooted in place.

Artist residencies also create opportunities to build stronger relationships with neighborhood hospitality partners and local businesses. Being a good neighbor is important to us, and longer stays allow us to help connect artists with the communities, partners, and cultural networks that make each city unique.

When I was six years old, I carried around a plastic briefcase and told everyone I wanted to be a businesswoman—or a Spice Girl. At the time, I had absolutely no idea what either role actually involved, but looking back, I think I managed to find a pretty good balance between the two.

We’re continuing to expand Blueprint Studio’s global footprint while pushing the boundaries of how venue brands are imagined from day one. As we enter new markets and develop new experiences, our focus remains on creating venues that are culturally relevant, community-driven, and memorable for both artists and fans.

Live music remains one of the most direct ways to support artists. It is where they earn a living, grow their careers, and build meaningful connections with audiences in ways that streaming alone rarely replicates. It is also one of the few places where discovery still feels genuinely human.

If you are looking for your next favorite artist, check the bulletin board at your local venue and take a chance on someone you have never heard of. By doing so, you are not only supporting the performers on stage, but also the community, creativity, and culture that exist around live music.