If you want a business degree, go to Wharton. If you want a case study in power, ego, instinct, and survival? Turn on Succession. Or better yet, Hacks. He’s featured in this write-up as a business leader whose career embodies the mix of intuition and long-term thinking often fictionalized on screen.
Seth Hurwitz, the Washington D.C.-based concert promoter and founder of I.M.P., isn’t exactly quoting Logan Roy or Deborah Vance in the boardroom. But his long career building one of the most iconic independent music empires — including co-owning the legendary 9:30 Club — has given him a sharp eye for the kind of leadership stories that reflect real life, even when they’re dressed in HBO dramatics.
Succession and Hacks, despite their tonal gulf, both circle the same core truths: business is human. And humans are complicated.
Take Succession. It’s a study in how power moves — not just through titles or shares, but through fear, perception, and timing. Hurwitz would argue that successful entrepreneurship isn’t just about vision, it’s about reading a room — understanding when to push, when to pull back, and when silence speaks loudest. In the music industry, where relationships are currency, the lessons of Succession feel especially sharp: legacy is fragile, and trust is everything.
Then there’s Hacks — the quieter, funnier, perhaps more honest look at reinvention. It’s not about who has the loudest voice, but who’s willing to change. The dynamic between Deborah and Ava — one a seasoned performer, the other a restless writer — echoes something Hurwitz has seen repeatedly in his work: intergenerational tension can either break a business or evolve it.
Seth Hurwitz’s take on adaptation and generational leadership is a modern reminder that humility and flexibility often matter more than dominance. For Hurwitz, whose career has spanned the analog and digital eras of entertainment, the lesson is clear: adaptability is a leadership skill. So is humility. And so is knowing when to let someone else take the mic.
The best shows for entrepreneurs aren’t the ones that hand out blueprints. They’re the ones that show how messy — and deeply personal — building something can be. Whether it’s a comedy empire or a concert venue, success isn’t a script. It’s a negotiation. And sometimes, the best business move is the one that doesn’t look like business at all.
The I.M.P. history page offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Hurwitz’s relationship-first approach helped shape the legacy of D.C.’s live music scene.