Biography

Barrett Wissman has served for over 20 years as the Chairman, CEO and now Chairman Emeritus of IMG Artists. the global leader in the performing arts talent management, touring, event management and consulting business. While at the helm of IMG Artists, the Company expanded its presence across the Americas, Europe and Asia. IMG Artists represents over 500 artists, arts organizations and companies in addition to founding and operating festivals and working with non-profit arts organizations around the globe.

Barrett Wissman is the Executive and Artistic director of the Taormina Film Festival. The 2023 and recent editions of the Festival have showcased a wealth of incredible films, premieres and masterclasses, and have hosted world-famous stars such as Harrison Ford, Nicole Kidman, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Richard Gere,  Zoe Saldana, Russell Crowe, Michael Douglas, Willem Dafoe and Amber Heard to name just a few.

Held in the picturesque town of Taormina, the Taormina Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in Europe and Italy, attracting international filmmakers, actors, and film lovers from all over the world. The screenings take place in the stunning Ancient Theatre of Taormina.  The 2023 Festival hosted over 60 films and screenings including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, as well as masterclasses from A-List talent such as Willem Dafoe, Abel Ferrara and John Landis.

Mr. Wissman founded and is currently a principal and partner in technology, and investment companies as well as on the boards of several non-profit enterprises. He has continued to be actively involved in music, serving on the boards of arts institutions including the Fondazione Accademia Internazionale di Imola, one of the most prestigious academic institutions of higher learning in music performance. Mr Wissman is also the Chairman of the Del Sole Foundation for the Arts and Humanities which supports performing arts organizations, talent and events around the globe.

Barrett Wissman’s commitment to music began at an early age with serious piano study. He made several debuts as a concert pianist with prominent orchestras from the age of 11 and won several national and international competitions thereafter. He graduated cum laude from Yale University and went on to receive graduate degrees in music from Southern Methodist University and the Accademia Chigiana in Italy.

Mr. Wissman founded the Festival del Sole in Cortona, Italy and Festival Napa Valley as well as the Singapore Sun Festival in Singapore, The Palm Springs Life Festival in the Coachella Valley and the Placido Domingo Festival in Seville Spain, which have all celebrated the performing, visual and culinary arts as well as theatre, dance and wellness.

As part of his work in the arts, Barrett Wissman has collaborated as a producer and collaborator with such great artists and luminaries as Robert Redford, Jeremy Irons, Placido Domingo, Harrison Ford, Sophia Loren, Anthony Hopkins, Sting, Renee Fleming, John Malkovich, Robert De Niro and many others.

Mr. Wissman has been given the honor of being a Honorary Citizen of Italy or “Cittadino Onorario” by the Italian government and has received an award from the Italian American Association as one of the most influential Americans in business in Italy for his accomplishments there by the Mayor of Florence and later the Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi.

Mr. Wissman has most recently founded one of the leading management firms in the social media business advising talent, brands, companies and non-profit organizations on their strategies in the social media business.

Mr. Wissman recently co-founded the W Preserve in Montana with Nina Kotova to create a haven for performers, visual artists, writers and thinkers alike. Against the spectacular backdrop of the Beartooth mountains and millions of acres of national forest in south central Montana, W Preserve is a retreat where artists can meet, collaborate, exchange ideas and perform in the midst of untouched natural beauty.

In 2021, Mr. Wissman founded Domus Artium, which brings international artists, actors and musicians to Rome to perform in venues of architectural and historical significance. The project and its elements can be seen on its website, www.domusartium.org .