John Santoro

John Santoro, President and owner of Sunset Events, Sunset Music Presents, The Amphitheatre and The Ritz Ybor

1996 – Club Hedo – Created and operated one of Tampa’s most recognized and successful nightclubs for over a decade.

1999 – Amphitheater – From the success of Club Hedo, Santoro created his next project, The Amphitheater. An award-winning nightclub with advanced production and a 30’ rotating dance floor. It quickly became a legendary event space that hosted performances from A-list artists like Tiesto to ESPN during Superbowl to the Pussy Cat Dolls. Santoro via The Amphitheater brought Electronic Dance Music to the mainstream and solidified the Tampa market as one of the go-to destinations for national and international artists.

2006 – Sunset Music Festival / Sunset Events – In October 2006 Santoro launched the first Sunset Music Festival with headliners Rabbit in the Moon, Ferry Corsten and Carl Cox along with over 30 other acts on 3 stages. The festival created the genesis for John to start up Sunset Events that hosted events and shows all over the Tampa Bay area and became the dominate event promotion/production company in central Florida.

2016 – The Ritz Ybor – Santoro purchased The Ritz Ybor to expand his reach into the entertainment industry. Doing major upgrades to all production elements and layout, he expanded his capability to put large scale multi genre shows in the Tampa market. Putting on events through Sunset Events and hosting national events with promoters like Live Nation and AEG, John Santoro is and has always found the next boundary to push for entertainment in his market.