HBSE Names Joe Giordano Jr. Entertainment Booking Chief
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment has hired Joe Giordano Jr. to lead entertainment booking across its venues ahead of the Loew's Jersey Theatre reopening.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in People
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment named Joe Giordano Jr. senior vice president of entertainment booking, overseeing bookings across its portfolio including Prudential Center and Loew's Jersey Theatre. The company announced the hire on November 4, 2026.
Why it matters
The appointment places a veteran venue programmer over HBSE's entertainment operations as it reopens the restored Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, expanding its role beyond sports. For New Jersey audiences, the move signals a push toward year-round programming at major local venues.
Giordano brings nearly 20 years of venue programming and booking experience, and HBSE's Prudential Center was rated a Top 10 worldwide venue by Billboard in 2025. The company has not disclosed booking volume or revenue targets for the new role.
The players
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
HBSE is the sports and entertainment company that owns the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Delaware Blue Coats, and Utica Comets, and operates Prudential Center in Newark.
Joe Giordano Jr.
Giordano is a venue programming and booking executive with nearly 20 years of industry experience who previously led Oak View Group's alliances division.
The details
Giordano most recently served as head of Oak View Group's Alliances, where he oversaw a portfolio of roughly 40 marquee theaters, and previously was vice president of stadium, arena and theater alliances there. In the new role he will oversee entertainment booking across HBSE's properties, including the Prudential Center and Loew's Jersey Theatre.
Timeline
2025: Billboard rated Prudential Center a Top 10 worldwide venue.
November 4, 2026: HBSE announced Giordano's appointment as senior vice president of entertainment booking.
November 13, 2026: Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City reopens following its restoration.
Market Landscape
HBSE's push to expand entertainment programming follows Prudential Center's 2025 Billboard Top 10 worldwide venue ranking, positioning the company to compete more directly with national venue operators. The move places HBSE in a broader race among sports owners to diversify revenue through concerts and year-round cultural events.
New Jersey concertgoers and sports fans may see a broader mix of year-round music and cultural events at Prudential Center and the reopened Loew's Jersey Theatre. Ticket availability and pricing for those events have not been announced.
The takeaway
Expanding entertainment programming can diversify a venue operator's revenue beyond sports, and HBSE's hire signals a deliberate push in that direction. New Jersey audiences should watch the Loew's Jersey Theatre reopening for the first signs of that strategy.
What happens next
The Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City reopens on November 13, 2026, the next scheduled milestone for the new entertainment booking programming.
Further reading
Explore more in People for executive moves shaping New Jersey's entertainment venues.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NJBIZ.
