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Amp Harris, celebrity-connections king
If there’s a major celebrity attached to an event in town, you can likely thank Amp Harris, one of Indy’s most high-profile and charity-minded promoters. Over the past 10 years, he estimates he’s hosted more than 1,000 events, bringing in big names like Kool Moe Dee, Whodini, Idris Elba, LeBron James, Kid Capri, Cedric the Entertainer, Flava Flav, Allen Iverson and others. He founded Amp Harris Productions in 1992 simply because “he wanted to provide more entertainment options in Indianapolis.”
Now: Harris has built a reputation over the past decade by staging the annual charity Amp Harris and Reggie Wayne Celebrity Basketball Game for Indiana Black Expo and the annual Circle City Jam during the Circle City Classic. He also hosts smaller-scale events, such as the Sunday Night Players Party at 6 Lounge. Harris may have high-profile friends (say, Derek Jeter and Bob Sanders), but he has said it takes more than a bankroll to attract big names. “You can buy anything, but you can’t buy relationships.” As for his 2010 plans: “I’m going to go in the direction that God leads me.”
- Story by Keianna Rae Harrison
