Ari Nisman is the President and CEO of Degy Booking International and Degy World LLC.  Ari got bit by the music bug as a college student at the University of Michigan.  Interested in finding a job in either sports or music, he pursued both options at Michigan to see which one would stick.  Sports began and ended pretty quickly, when an internship in the Cleveland Indians organization made him realize it was a slow, long grind to get to the top of any sports organization.  So, he looked at the entertainment world with earnest as a nineteen-year-old junior in college.  An internship with Polydor/Atlas Records and then Capitol Records as a college marketing representative set him on his track.  His internship work at these labels allowed him to help artists such as Jimmy Eat World, George Clinton, Radiohead, Mazzy Star, and Lucious Jackson.  Ari formed his first music company at 21 years old, when he signed the band playing the fraternity scene on Michigan’s campus.  Six months later he scored them a record deal contract with a division of Warner Brothers.  Soon after, he added three more bands to the roster, and was off and running in the music business at the rip age of 22.  A few years later, while having issues getting his own management clients booked, Ari bought out a booking agency in Colorado and formed Degy Booking International, Inc. 

Degy Entertainment is now responsible for nearly 3000 events and bookings a year in 30 countries around the world.  With two very separate divisions (and a third with virtual since COVID), Degy maintains a roster of nearly 150 entertainers, speakers and dance parties while also having a robust talent buying division.  Degy is one of the largest buyers in the world for the US Military/Department of Defense, colleges, corporations, minor league baseball teams, summer camps, and more.  Among the many acts recently booked by Degy for its clients are Pitbull, Maroon5, Imagine Dragons, Train, John Legend, Charlie PUth, Florida Georgia Line, Spike Lee, The Chainsmokers, Tim McGraw, The Avett Brothers, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Boyz II Men, Snoop Dogg, Old Dominion, H.E.R., Sam Hunt, Sara Bareilles, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Future, Kesha, Chase Rice, Brett Eldredge, Abby Wambach, Jon Bellion, Nick Offerman, DNCE, Gabby Douglas, Bob Dylan, Chris Young, Alex Rodriguez, and so on. 

Ari is a happily married man residing full time in Delray Beach, FL.  He is the father of eight-year old twins (boy/girl) who keep him extremely busy, and further reduce his sleeping hours.  His interests include tennis, golf, clubhouse rooms, sports in general, and trips to Disney World. 

Our Vice President at Degy Booking International, Jeff Hyman, has been in the Entertainment Industry for over 25 years. Starting off as a College Programmer, then working in the college division of Swank Motion Pictures, Inc., and then at Auburn Moon Agency as Vice President and Director of the College Division. Jeff has been working with College and University Clients, Festivals and Fairs, High Schools, Performing Arts Centers, Corporations, Experiential Marketing Groups and Theaters all around the world booking music, comedy, poetry, speakers and celebrities. He has previously represented international touring clients and was the responsible agent on booking Kevin Smith’s speaking engagements and Red State Movie Tour.

Jeff has previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) serving in the role of Associate Member Representative to the Board and to the Executive Committee for 4 years. He has held numerous leadership positions on the regional level for NACA as well including the Mid-Atlantic, Mid-America and Northeast Regions, and AAG. He has won 6 Associate Member of the Year awards.
Hyman has been involved in NACA since a student at York College of PA. He received his MBA from Bloomsburg University. He is happily married and living in upstate New York with his lovely wife and daughter.

Evan’s personal and professional career path is nothing short of incredible. After the tragic loss of his mother in 2000 and father in 2005, he knew that he had two options for his life path. He could either allow the tragedy get the best of him or use the adverse experience as a foundational pillar that shapes the rest of his life. As his parents would have wanted, Evan chose the latter.

In 2007, Evan graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Simpson College, a small, private liberal arts college in Indianola, IA. During his time at Simpson, he had got involved in the Campus Activities Board (CAB), Student Government Association (SGA), Student Ambassadors, Storm Sports Announcer, Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, and more. His interest turned from being a music teacher to being in Higher Education and working with college students to produce events.

In 2009 Evan received his Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN. While attending SCSU, he worked for the University Program Board (UPB) as a Program Advisor working with student leaders to produce university wide events.

In February 2010, Evan got a call from Arizona State University (ASU) asking him to join their team advising the programming board and overseeing international programs. Shortly after arriving to ASU, Evan’s experience was soon tapped with creating and producing large scale student events. HE did an exceptional job with integrating the student learning aspect into producing them for students that had an interest in learning about large scale event management.

While at ASU, Evan became actively involved in the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) as a West Regional Block Booking Coordinator. In May 2013, he was selected as the NACA National Block Booking Coordinator. During this time, he began a two-year transformation of the NACA Block Booking system which helped elevate the accessibility of the collegiate buying experience.

In the fall of 2014 Evan was hired by the Arizona Super Bowl XLIX Host Committee as an Operations and Logistics Coordinator working with a team to oversee the transportation, aviation, parking, game day operations. One month after the Super Bowl concluded, Evan proceeded to start working on his biggest challenge yet — planning his wedding. He admits it was spectacular planning. Since then, he worked closely with the Downtown Tempe Authority producing their large scale events including the largest New Year’s Eve Block Party in Arizona which hosted the state’s second ever open container campus (next to the Downtown Super Bowl XLIX events).

Evan is one of only seven in the state of Arizona who hold a CSEP (Certified Special Event Professional) and this September, he will complete his Certified Special Event Executive (CFEE) certification through the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA).

Evan currently lives in Tempe, Arizona with his beautiful wife Elizabeth and two black pugs, Penny and Sheldon. After a fairy tale engagement of earning a $12,000 engagement ring during halftime of an ASU football game, he dropped to one knee right there on the goal line and proposed [VIDEO]. Fortunately for him, she said yes and they were married on March 27, 2015 (just one month following his appointment with the Super Bowl).

Tiara found her passion for the music industry in a unique way! After graduating from Stockton University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Language Pathology, she was faced with a decision. In front of her were two acceptance letters for graduate programs to continue her education in the speech field. Unsure of where she wanted her career path to go, she chose to take a year off. In that year, she stumbled upon a nannying job that would later change her life. How is that possible, you ask? And, how did nannying lead to the entertainment industry? Simple! Her boss was the CEO of Degy, Ari Nisman!

Within a few months of working with Ari’s children, observing Degy’s inner workings and knowing the impact music/entertainment can have on people’s lives, Tiara was offered a part time position with the company. Still unsure of her future, accepting the position seemed like a no-brainer! After another few short months, Tiara was offered a full time position with the company, accepted without hesitation and has been with Degy ever since; elevating her role to CFO of the company. And the rest is history…

Most importantly, in Tiara’s personal time, she enjoys being with her beautiful daughter Charlotte, her husband Scott and their family and friends. She’s an avid gym goer, a food enthusiast and animal lover!

Adam’s passion for event operations from the technical side first came to light in grade school and high school. Enjoying working behind the scenes, Adam’s interest in events and technology lead him to serve and lead multiple event production teams through high school and college. Adam also has a strong history of combining marketing and event management as a freelance audio engineer and designer for local events.

Adam has a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication and minor in Business Administration from Truman State University. His first job at Truman was Media, Production, and Technology Intern for the Student Union. While attending college and after graduation, Adam continued his professional career at Truman State University with several roles of increasing responsibility leading to, most recently, Assistant Director of Union & Involvement Services where he advised the Activities Board and several other event, facility, technology, and marketing focused teams.

Adam is excited to bring his technical, higher education, and event management background to the DEGY team.

Outside of work, Adam enjoys exploring Kansas City with his girlfriend, spending weekends with his family on the lake, and cooking at home.

Eric W. Bakerman, a Certified Management Accountant, joined Degy Booking International as its Finance Manager in June 2021. In this Capacity, he is responsible for the management of the financial matters of the company. He oversees the development and monitoring of control systems for the safeguarding of company assets and the accurate reporting of financial performance of the company and its affiliates. He also represents the company to various stakeholders including investors, banks, customers, vendors and others. Mr. Bakerman is a member of the executive management team charged with leading the company into new areas of opportunity and growth.

Mr. Bakerman brings over 30 years of experience leading organizations seeking to create shareholder value and improve operations. In his career, he has held executive positions in both private and publicly held companies and has been involved with several startups. He has consulted with clients evaluating acquisitions and divestitures, implemented management reporting systems and has advised senior managers seeking greater returns on their investment in technology, people and business assets.

Mr. Bakerman is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts where he was awarded both a BBA and an MBA with a concentration in Finance. He is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants and serves as an alumni member of the North American Board of Trustees of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).

Eric and his wife, Earlene, are the proud parents of Philip and Dr. Sara.

Autumn McGuffie is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, where she studied Environment with a minor in Performing Arts Management. In college, she served on the board of a student-led event production organization on campus that planned and promoted entertaining events for students on campus. In July of 2020, Autumn joined Degy Entertainment as part of the first group of Intern VEPs in Degy World. One year later, she is excited to start her career in the entertainment industry as an Agent Assistant to Degy’s VP & Senior Agent Nick DiRoma. In her free-time, Autumn enjoys watching & discussing films, learning new languages, and reading a good book!

Sophie Low is a recent graduate of Belmont University where she received her degree in Music Business. She is excited to start her career in the entertainment industry working as an agent assistant at Degy Entertainment. Sophie is a dog lover with two American Bully’s at home, and in her free time she enjoys working out, taking her dogs on walks, and cooking healthy meals.

Samantha holds a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management with a minor in Event Leadership from Temple University, she also holds 12 industry-related non-degree certificates. Over the past 6 years, Samantha has been involved in events (planning, logistics, ops, budgeting, vendor management for 30-1500 attendees in the University and Influencer spaces), concert promotions, tour travel coordination, road management, talent management, independent label administration, artist marketing & branding, creative copywriting, A&R admin, influencer marketing, artist and label services, music video production, and artist/talent relations. She is excited to join the Degy team and push forward on her 7^th grade goal to focus her career on touring and events.

In 2020, Samantha created and developed her own position “Executive Fan” that breaks the current boundaries of the music industry by allowing an employee to utilize all of their strengths in multiple departments with artists that they are genuinely invested in; working with artists like G Herbo, Waka Flocka, Yung Bans, and Desiigner. In 2022, Samantha launched The Executive Fan Career Development program in partnership with IndustryWorks and Girls Behind The Rock Show, to teach highly motivated fans how to build an effective career in the music business by utilizing their inside knowledge as a member of an artist’s fanbase. She hopes to continue to build other programs focusing on neurodiversity, improving mental health, and addiction awareness in the music industry in the future, and become a millennial voice for necessary change in the entertainment world.