Written in Partnership with Sareen Habeshian
Look up his name and all you’ll see is a slew of courtside photos with celebrities.
But Shawn Lameh is as humble and lowkey as they come. And he won’t name drop which famous star is texting him at 2 a.m. asking for a private jet ready to go by sunrise.
The 27-year-old UCLA alum was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has built an empire from meek beginnings.
Shawn and his brother Fred Lameh, 35, started off buying and reselling nosebleed tickets to basketball games. Then, the pair met an actor (who shall remain unnamed but is infamous for his frequent courtside debuts) and started selling his infamous courtside Lakers tickets when the actor wasn’t able to make it a game here and there.
Now, Shawn and his brother run a full-fledged ticketing business and concierge service that transcends oceans.
Through their company, Great Buy Tickets, the Lameh brothers sell hard-to-find tickets to sporting events (including front row for the Super Bowl and ringside seats for fights), concerts, musical festivals, and theater events across the globe, as well as VIP access to exclusive events. And, they book planes and private jets for their exclusive clientele. Basically, whatever you need, they make it happen.
“People text me at 12 a.m. saying, ‘Hey, I need tickets for tomorrow’s game, center court. And six tickets in the front row behind me for friends and security. Make it happen,’” the 27-year-old says. “That’s a scramble, you know, last minute to make stuff happen. It’s stressful but I get the job done, one way or another. It takes magic.”
Shawn has carved out an immense place in the world of sports and is now one of the most influential people in the courtside ticketing industry and the entertainment world. Curating exclusive experiences, creating last-minute itineraries and scoring clients access to highly coveted parties and events has made him the go-to guy for his elite clientele.
A-list celebrities might be in his contact list, hitting him up for tickets and plane bookings, and even for all sorts of favors. But a core principle for Shawn is remaining humble and low-key, and never asking for anything.
“I don’t ask for favors,” he says firmly. “I think that’s another reason why they appreciate me too.”
Those who know Lameh and who do business with him characterize him as an honest person, which he says is extremely important to him.
“When I first started I was 16 years old. People were like, ‘Why would I buy from you? How do you even have these tickets? You’re a kid,’” he recounts. “I’m known for being trustworthy.”
In a world where people are willing to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $50,000 for a single game ticket, where they are willing to pay whatever it takes to get others reseated so they can watch buckets up close, a fair price may not be the biggest concern. But anonymity is.
The Internet is full of pictures of Shawn sitting next to Hollywood’s most famous: from comedian Kevin Hart to momager Kris Jenner’s longtime beau Corey Gamble. But Shawn isn’t interested in name-dropping or taking advantage of even the most A-list contacts in his phone.
“I try to be low key,” he explains. “I’m not big on social media. I believe in remaining humble and keeping my head down while putting in the work.”
Shawn believes he built his empire based on good character and upholding honest relationships. And, it’s all about who you know.
“We didn’t grow up going courtside. We didn’t grow up with that at all,” he recalls. “I grew up sitting in the nosebleeds with my brother and my dad.”
Lameh says he’s learned valuable lessons by frequenting games, courtside of course, and sitting next to the successful, the rich, and the famous.
“Once you buy a courtside ticket, and you take someone to that game, you’re sitting with them for three hours,” Lameh says. “I sat next to Floyd Mayweather for a game. It’s just really cool. He talks to a lot of the players. He interacts with them, the players come up to you. It’s really nice and it’s really interesting. You learn a lot of things from being around successful people.”
Shawn says he’s learned about how to run a business, how to buy and sell and how to interact with others.
“I have been doing this for more than ten years now and I still learn something new every day,” he reflects.
The entrepreneur is also known amongst his exclusive clientele as being the go-to guy who can get anything done.
“I’m known for whatever anyone wants, I get it done,” he says laughing. “Like if you call me at 3 in the morning and you want to get a plane to go to Cabo at 8 in morning, I’ll get it done.”
So when the pandemic struck and events were all canceled and flights grounded, the young businessman found a different way to get things done. He started selling personal protective equipment to hospitals and to the government — over 20 million masks to be exact. And he was able to do that through his ticket client who he had built relationships with.
“It was all a whole new experience,” Shawn says. “I learned that I’m more adaptable, even in the worst of circumstances, largely because of the relationships I’ve built.”
What’s next for a 27-year-old who seems to have the coolest job ever?
“We plan on expanding the business and trying to get as big as possible and just getting more clients and building the brand,” he says. “We want to be the company people turn to anytime they need hard-to-find tickets or a private plane, just to be the dependable go-to guys.”
As he continues to grow the business, Shawn realizes the importance of delivering what he promises.
“I remain committed to our mission — to deliver the undeliverable,” he says.
Check out Shawn’s Instagram for more about him and what he does.
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