Fame

For the most part, promoters aren't household names. Within the industry, however, you could reach rock star-like proportions—without watching what you eat or fending off paparazzi! Besides, who cares if anybody knows your name when you have Jay-Z's home number?

Along with the mighty Mr. Azoff, other famous promoters include Bill Graham, a West Coast impresario who shook up the San Francisco music scene, Beatles promoter Sid Bernstein, and Don King, a controversial boxing advocate who made a splash with matches involving legends like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. And let's not forget one of the original event promoters: P.T. Barnum. Probably best known these days for lending his name to the circus, Barnum was a master of gimmicks who made a name for himself by selling tickets to view attractions like Siamese twins, a two-foot tall man, and a taxidermied monkey. The gag-happy Barnum was an inspiration to film director William Castle, who used skeletons and seat buzzers to shock his audiences (sometimes literally).