Podcast Summary: Trapital – "Steve Pamon on How to Create Moments That Matter"

Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Dan Runcy
Guest: Steve Pamon (CEO of Versus, IMAX Board Member, former Parkwood Entertainment, WWE Board, NFL, HBO)

Episode Overview

This episode features a powerhouse conversation between Dan Runcy and Steve Pamon, recorded live at the second annual Trapital Summit. The discussion dives deep into Pamon's career-long ability to turn cultural moments into impactful, lasting events, a skill sharpened throughout his tenures with organizations such as Parkwood Entertainment (Beyoncé), Versus, WWE, IMAX, and more. The pair break down what it really takes to engineer moments that resonate, how to balance business with artistry, extending value to the fan experience, and the pitfalls of profit-over-people in music and entertainment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Anatomy of Moments that Matter (02:18–07:36)

• Teamwork and Culture of Excellence
  • Pamon underscores the importance of team intentionality:
    “You judge the best institutions in the world not by who sits at the top, who are the entry level employees, right? ... If they're excellent and they're intentional about the excellence, it'll make all the difference in the world.” (03:18)
• Storytelling as Foundation
  • Events like Versus battles and Beyoncé tours were always rooted in a story bigger than the artist:
    “You start off with that story and the story can't be what is it about the event? It has to be, what do the people communicate about?” (04:11)
• Delivering Value (“8, 10, 12” Framework)
  • Framework: Cost (8), Price (10), Value Delivered (12) — always overdeliver.
    • Example: Making Beyoncé concerts exceed what fans pay:
      “We want to feel like, man, these guys overdid it, right? … If you feel like you got more than what you paid for, guess what? You're going to end up doing, coming back.” (05:11)
• Scalability and Fan Ecosystem
  • Concert events are conceived as part of a larger ecosystem: ticket sales, media (Netflix specials), merchandise, licensing.
    • “Coachella for us wasn't two performances across a week. It was an entire year... The stage is the entire venue.” (06:22)

Building Franchises, Not One-Off Events (07:36–08:54)

• Pamon presses the importance of creating ongoing brands rather than focusing on isolated events:
  • “The goal is to build Beyonce into a franchise. The goal is to build Versus into a franchise. So any individual event doesn’t have that much bearing compared to the overall franchise.” (07:16)
• The residually high value of NFL's Sunday Night Football is used to illustrate franchise-building:
  • “Sunday Night Football will always have 20 million, 25 million people… regardless of the matchup. Because there’s a consistency also in quality.” (07:36)

Aspiration vs. Execution & The People-Pleasing Business (10:33–12:26)

• Aspiration Should Lead Execution
  • “Aspiration and execution should never equal. Aspiration should always be ahead...” (10:36)
• Reframing the Music Business
  • The best businesses are those with a relentless focus on pleasing people, not just selling a product:
    • “We’re in the people pleasing business... If you can please people at a reasonable cost, you can make a lot of money.” (11:32)

The Pitfall of Greed in Live Events (12:26–15:11)

• Risks of Overpricing
  • Using Beyoncé and Taylor Swift as examples, Pamon warns against squeezing fans out of the experience:
    • “The fact that value is so close to price is greed. Greed breaks up the cycle. Because the hardest thing in the world isn’t to sell the tickets for the current tour. The hardest thing in the world is to sell future tours.” (13:09)
    • “My big fear, just to be honest, we’re pricing… the average fan out of a decent experience... In the quest for these super fans who are paying, to be quite honest, their last dime for this. And when they disappear, all your profits will.” (14:32)
• The Value of a Holistic Experience
  • Details matter—parking, restrooms, and safe transport are part of the value delivered.
    • “Life is by a thousand blessings, there’s death by a thousand paper cuts. You got to pay attention to the detail. Everyone wants to be us… Nobody wants to be me at 5am at these venues. And that’s the difference.” (16:45)

Lessons from WWE and the Power of Consistency (17:52–22:44)

• WWE’s Enduring Model
  • Consistency, storytelling, and embracing community as cornerstones of decades-long success.
    • “The thing people forget is that Vince… put on three television shows a week... He’s been doing that for 50 years.” (18:33)
    • “They weren’t buying a belt. They were buying the feeling of being involved.” (20:17)
• How Live Enhances TV (and Vice Versa)
  • WWE’s model proves that live and media meant to grow together—not cannibalize.
• Music’s Disrespect to Fans
  • Makes the case for starting shows on time, providing transparency, and respecting fans’ investment of time and money.
    • “It’s the disrespect we have for the customers. I used to fight with some of the biggest names in the business. Why wouldn’t we just say if it’s not going to start till 10, why wouldn’t that be on the ticket price?” (21:35)

The IMAX Experience and Entertainment Convergence (22:44–25:24)

• The Need for Premium Experiences
  • Audiences increasingly want to feel part of something special, whether at movies or concerts.
    • “If you’re going to do it, do it up…” (23:31)
• Applying Insights Between Industries
  • “It’s our ego that’s preventing the movie business from learning from entertainment... when actually we’re going after the same person.” (24:33)

Versus: Learning from Mistakes & Loyalty to the Core Fan (25:24–27:09)

• Regrets about Distribution Deals
  • A major lesson: don’t neglect or alienate your core audience for platform deals.
    • “We made a cardinal sin in that we focus more on distribution than the customers… we did the deal with X, which, you know, by definition we regret it like two seconds after signing it...” (25:29)
    • “When you have a core customer like the black woman, we’re supposed to over stimulate. We’re supposed to over satisfy…” (26:05)
• Standing by Values
  • The decision to forego further partnerships that don’t fit Versus’ value system—no matter the money:
    • “Until we can figure out the next distribution point outside of X, they can save the money and we’ll go about our business because it’s not worth it.” (26:57)

Notable Quotes

• On building intentional fan culture:
  “It’s not just her on the stage, the stage is the entire venue. Once you get people believing they're part of the story... it becomes circular, not linear.” – Steve Pamon (06:20)

• On greed vs. sustainability:
  “The fact that value is so close to price is greed. Greed breaks up the cycle. Because the hardest thing in the world isn’t to sell the tickets for the current tour. The hardest… is to sell future tours.” – Steve Pamon (13:09)

• On respect for fans in entertainment:
  “How many concerts, particularly in hip hop and R&B, are we going to, to start on time? ... it’s the disrespect we have for the customers.” – Steve Pamon (21:35)

• On learning from mistakes:
  “We made a cardinal sin in that we focus more on distribution than the customers for a second… we regret it like two seconds after signing it.” – Steve Pamon (25:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Formation of Moments That Matter – 02:18–07:36
• Concept of Franchising Events – 07:36–08:54
• Aspiration vs. Execution – 10:33–12:26
• Greed and Fan Accessibility in Live – 13:02–15:11
• Fan Experience: Beyond The Show – 15:11–17:52
• WWE’s Playbook and Respecting Fans – 17:52–22:44
• IMAX and Cross-Industry Learnings – 22:44–25:24
• Versus: Staying True to Your Base – 25:24–27:09

Memorable Moments

• Pamon’s “8, 10, 12” lesson – overdelivering on value as a guiding North Star for sustained fandom. (05:11)
• Brutal honesty about music industry greed and potential long-term damage of pricing out younger fans. (13:09–14:32)
• Behind the scenes on why details like bathrooms and transportation shape the fan experience as much as the show itself. (15:11–16:45)
• The candid acknowledgment and correction of strategic missteps with Versus’ X (Twitter) partnership. (25:29–26:57)

Takeaways

• Every experience is a story and an opportunity to build a community—think franchise, not fads.
• Value delivered must always exceed price paid to nurture lifelong fandom—and future revenue.
• Details matter: from parking to bathrooms, to ticket access—the fan journey counts at every touchpoint.
• Respect your core audience—they are your long-term foundation, not to be traded for short-term gain.
• Authenticity, intentionality, and humility in learning from mistakes are essential for sustained cultural relevance.

This episode is a masterclass on leading with intention, building resonant brands, and putting the fan—never profit—at the center of every decision. Recommended listening for anyone serious about making moments that last in entertainment and beyond.