Ownership

Independent live entertainment brand Breakaway is expanding its leadership team with two new partners: Cultural entrepreneur Shaun Neff and entertainment executive Nick Gross, who have officially joined Breakaway’s ownership group, it was announced Wednesday (Oct. 8). It’s a move that underscores the company’s ambition to scale beyond festivals into music, media and lifestyle ventures.

The announcement follows a milestone year for Breakaway, which in 2025 staged its largest festival season yet: With events across 12 U.S. cities, it became the nation’s largest multi-city touring festival. Earlier this year, the company launched Breakaway Projects, a record label and artist management arm dedicated to nurturing emerging talent aligned with the brand’s creative DNA.

“Bringing Shaun and Nick into the Breakaway family is like adding rocket fuel to everything we’ve been building,” said Adam Lynn, Breakaway’s co-founder and CEO, in a statement. “They understand Breakaway’s broader strategic vision — evolving beyond live events by developing new formats and engaging audiences across multiple platforms. As Breakaway evolves, we’re building a team that reflects that direction.”

Breakaway chief revenue officer William Van Orsdel added, “Breakaway isn’t just a festival anymore — it’s a movement. We’re proud of the culture we’re building and even more proud of the ownership group we’ve assembled to take us to the next level.”

Neff and Gross bring a blend of creative entrepreneurship and industry experience that mirrors Breakaway’s cross-platform ambitions.

Neff, best known as the founder of Neff Headwear, built his reputation through collaborations with icons like Snoop Dogg, Kevin Durant and Wiz Khalifa before co-founding Beach House Group, the brand incubator behind celebrity ventureslike Moon Oral Care with Kendall Jenner, Pattern with Tracee Ellis Ross, BÉIS with Shay Mitchell and Florence by Mills with Millie Bobby Brown. He was also part-owner of Sun Bum, which was acquired by SC Johnson in 2019, and now sits in the ownership groups of both X Games and Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC).

“Breakaway has already built something powerful — a national platform that resonates with Gen Z culture,” said Neff. “Our goal now is to scale that foundation intentionally, and expand in a way that deepens cultural relevance and community connection.”

For his part, Gross — through his Gross Labs umbrella — operates Big Noise, the record label he co-founded with producer John Feldmann; Find Your Grind, an edtech and career discovery platform for K-12 students; and Noise Nest Studios, his content and recording facility in Los Angeles. Gross’ portfolio spans investments across sports, entertainment and lifestyle ventures, including Tiger Woods’ TGL Golf League, X Games and Oklahoma City’s professional soccer franchise. As a musician himself, Gross has toured globally with Avril Lavigne and Machine Gun Kelly.

“The mission is clear: amplify artists, empower fans, and break the mold,” Gross said in a statement. “That’s what drew me to Breakaway.”

Lynn added that expanding ownership to include creative entrepreneurs like Neff and Gross is a deliberate move to strengthen Breakaway’s foundation for the future. “We’re not just building festivals,” he said. “We’re building a brand that can live across every medium — from stages to screens to the products people use every day.”