Music Festival Brand Breakaway Adds Shaun Neff and Nick Gross to Ownership Group

October 9, 2025 E Jazz Reporter

Entertainment

The brand is looking to expand beyond festivals into music, media and lifestyle ventures.

Nick Gross and Shaun Neff

Caleb Alvarez

Trending on Billboard

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 Breakaways ownership group, it was announced Wednesday (Oct. 8). It’s a move that underscores the companys 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 nations 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 brands creative DNA.

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

Breakaway chief revenue officer William Van Orsdel added, Breakaway isnt just a festival anymore its a movement. Were proud of the culture were building and even more proud of the ownership group weve assembled to take us to the next level.

Neff and Gross bring a blend of creative entrepreneurship and industry experience that mirrors Breakaways 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, BIS 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 Citys 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. Thats what drew me to Breakaway.

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

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