Simon James Moran is a concert promoter in the United Kingdom, managing director of SJM Concerts, director of the Academy Music Group of venues and owner of the Warrington Wolves Rugby League team. [1] [ failed verification ] He is in charge of major London venues including the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire and O2 Brixton Academy.
In 2011, The Guardian credited Simon Moran as the catalyst for Take That reforming in 2005, after he offered to promote a comeback tour. [2] The band "heaped praise on music mogul Simon Moran" at the BRIT Awards 2008, for his work arranging their sell-out tour. [3]
Promoted by Moran, Take That's Progress Live in 2011 tour was the biggest live tour in UK and Irish history. [4]
SJM Concerts promotes tours by many well-known artists, [5] including Morrissey, Spice Girls and The Killers and the company's management arm, SJM Management manages the careers of The Script, The Coral, and Paul Heaton. [6]
Simon Moran is also a board member of the Academy Music Group, which owns and runs venues including Carling Brixton Academy, Shepherd's Bush Empire, and Carling Academies in Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds and Glasgow. [7]
Moran is a shareholder in a joint-venture label with Gary Barlow, Future Records. [8]
SJM Ltd is a company with a registered office in Manchester, England, UK.
In 2011, The Guardian named Simon Moran as No 9 in the Music Power 100. [9] In the same year he was listed by the Evening Standard as one of London's 1000 most influential people in the Pop & Rock category. [10]
Simon Moran was also referenced as the "most influential music executive of the Noughties." [11]
In 2003, he was honoured at Music Manager Forum's (MMF) Roll of Honour, which took place at London's Park Lane Hilton hotel. He was named manager of the year and dedicated his award to Jo Strummer, whom he worked with for five years. [12]
Simon Moran and SJM Concerts won the Music Week award as best UK promoter in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013 (it didn't run in 2012) On 16 July 2013, Moran was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music by his alma mater, the University of Sheffield.
In 2003, Moran bought rugby league club, Warrington Wolves. Since then, he has seen the team rise to upper tier of the Super League and win back-to-back Challenge Cup crowns in 2009 & 2010, the League Leader's Shield in 2011 and 2016 and the Challenge Cup in 2012 and 2019. [13] Moran led the team out at Wembley Stadium.
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine were an English indie rock band formed in 1987 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and off-beat wordplay-loaded lyrics. They reached the height of their fame in 1992. Over the following years the band took on new members, reaching a six-piece, but struggled to regain their earlier popularity. They initially split up in 1998 after releasing seven albums.
Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South West London, in the Lambeth district of Brixton.
The Halliwell Jones Stadium is a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England, which is the home ground of the Warrington Wolves. It has also staged Challenge Cup semi-finals, the European Nations Final, the National League Grand Finals' Day, two games of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and four games of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
The O2 Academy Oxford is a night club and live music venue in Oxford, England, operated by Academy Music Group.
Matt King is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative centre or wing, he played in the Super League for English club the Warrington Wolves and in the National Rugby League (NRL) for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Melbourne Storm. During his time in England he won the 2009 and 2010 Challenge Cups with Warrington Wolves and was also named at centre in the 2010 Super League Dream Team.
NX Newcastle, formerly known as the O2 Academy Newcastle, is a music venue in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It opened in the former Majestic Ballroom building on 14 October 2005 as the Carling Academy, and was renamed for Telefónica Europe's O2 mobile network brand in 2008. The venue was managed by Academy Music Group until early 2022, when Electric Group took over the operation of the site. Following a complete refurbishment, it reopened as NX Newcastle in September 2022.
Academy Music Group (AMG) is a leading owner-operator of music venues in the United Kingdom. They operate a number of medium-sized venues, the majority of which took the name Carling Academy after their sponsor Carling. Some of these also contain smaller venues used for less well known acts; these typically take the title 'Academy 2'.
Great Sankey High School (GSHS) is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is a member of the Omega Multi-Academy Trust (OMAT). The school was first built in the 1970s and extensions have included a mathematics & humanities block and theatre. The school also has a linking leisure centre and arts theatre. GSHS has been awarded, and retained, an Artsmark Gold award, the highest award for the Arts.
Tony Smith is a professional rugby league coach and former player
Jon Clarke is an English former professional rugby league player who played as a hooker. He is currently a strength & conditioning coach for the England and British & Irish Lions rugby union teams. He played for the Wigan Warriors, London Broncos, Warrington Wolves and Widnes Vikings.
The O2 Academy Glasgow (formerly the Carling Academy Glasgow) is a music venue on Eglinton Street in the Gorbals (Laurieston) area of Glasgow. It holds 2,500 people. It was one of two Academy Music Group venues in Glasgow, until the O2 ABC Glasgow closed due to fire damage in 2018.
The DCBL Stadium is a multi-purpose rugby league, football and American football stadium in Widnes, Cheshire, England. It is the home of Rugby League side Widnes Vikings of the Betfred Championship, football team Widnes Football Club of the Northern Premier League who play their home games at the stadium, and also the American football side Halton Spartans of the BAFA National Leagues, the Halton Spartans having competed in the BAFANL national American football league since 2015. The stadium is all seater and has a total capacity of 13,350.
Live Nation UK is the United Kingdom subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment. They are best known for promoting concerts, operating venues and running festivals.
Michael Keith Gregory was an English professional rugby league footballer and coach. As a player, Gregory played either as a second-row or loose forward, and spent most of his club career at Warrington, making over 200 appearances between 1982 and 1994, but also had brief spells with Salford and Australian club Cronulla Sharks. He won 20 caps for Great Britain, nine of them as captain, and took part in the 1988 and 1990 Lions tours.
Ryan Lee Hall is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Betfred Super League, and for England and Great Britain at international level.
The O2 Academy Sheffield (formerly the Carling Academy Sheffield), is a live music venue in the centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is a £3 million refurbishment of the former "Roxy Nightclub" and opened on 11 April 2008.
The O2 Academy Leeds (formerly known as the Town and Country Club) is a music venue situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is run by the Academy Music Group, which has other music venues around the UK. The Academy was nominated for the TPi Awards 2010 for the country's favourite venue.
Camilla Kerslake is an English classical crossover singer from London who was the first signing to Gary Barlow's record label. She released her debut album on 23 November 2009 in the UK.
Daryl Clark is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the St Helens in the Super League and England at international level.
George Williams is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a scrum-half and stand-off for Warrington Wolves in the Super League and England at international level.
