Bio

Sam Holdsworth currently serves as Managing Director of Sword Rowe and has an over thirty-year career as an entrepreneur and operating executive, private equity investor, investment banker, and turn-around specialist in the media and entertainment sector. Sam was a founding partner at JPMorgan Entertainment Partners, a private equity fund, from 1999-2006. He was also Chairman and CEO of Ryko Corp., a diversified music company in the portfolio that he turned around and successfully sold to Warner Music Group in 2006. From 1991-1999, Sam led an investment banking practice that specialized in M&A, turn-around situations, and fundraising within the media, entertainment and lodging sectors. Beginning his entrepreneurial career in publishing, Sam founded Musician magazine in 1976 which he later sold in 1981 to Billboard Publications, which he and a partner subsequently acquired in a leveraged buyout and renamed BPI Communications. Sam served as President of the Entertainment Group and facilitated hands-on acquisitions and turn-arounds of numerous publications including The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek, Backstage, Broadcast Data Systems, and others. Additionally, Sam founded and served as Executive Producer of the Billboard Music Awards Show on the Fox Network.