Meet the new frontiersman

John Cappo introduces both world-class facilities and A-listers to second- and third-tier cities that remain off the global radar. Provided to China Daily

Pioneering deal-maker John Cappo is gathering no moss as he brings more A-list international acts, such as the Rolling Stones, to China. Matt Hodges reports in Shanghai.

John Cappo, president and CEO of AEG China, is in good spirits. Having practically set up a new market for foreign musicians in Northeast China by taking Justin Bieber to Liaoning province's Dalian in October, he has just received another piece of good news after brokering a deal with one of the edgiest bands in the world.

"We heard from the Rolling Stones today, which is cool," says Cappo, a deal-maker for one of the world's largest sports and entertainment companies, Anschutz Entertainment Group. "Seven shows in Asia, which should include one in China. Put that in my calendar."

As befitting a pioneer in the world of sports, foreign entertainment and arena sponsorship in China, his office in downtown Shanghai peers over skyscrapers and is full of trophies few can lay claim to. There is a basketball signed by LA Lakers' star Kobe Bryant, a Magnolia award from Shanghai's mayor honoring his contributions to the city, a framed photo of him speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Los Angeles about China's soft power, and so on.

The blinds are half-closed to keep out the afternoon sun but several computers are switched on, and so is he. Cappo, dressed in a crisp pinstripe shirt, seems pepped up on caffeine. Battery level: 100 percent. As it transpires, he is on a strict fast. He recently turned 49.