Brian Platt is Partner and Director of Public Policy for UMusic Hotels Development (UMHD), a real estate development company working with Universal Music Group. The company develops music and entertainment hubs in cities across North America, focusing on the connections among culture, economic development, and public-private cooperation. These hubs include performance venues, recording studios, a music school, and Universal Music Group-branded luxury hotels and residences. The developments are intended to become spaces for creativity, collaboration, and music tourism, while providing a platform to highlight emerging artists and the next generation of talent in the music industry.
Before joining the organization, Brian spent 12 years working in city government, most notably serving as City Manager in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jersey City, New Jersey. In Kansas City, he helped lead and coordinate more than $5 billion in redevelopment projects within less than 5 years, marking a period of major development across the city. He also supported sustainability efforts, including planting 10,000 trees over three years and advancing the development of one of the largest solar arrays in the United States, reflecting a long-term commitment to environmental resilience.
In Jersey City, he first served as Chief Innovation Officer and later became Business Administrator and City Manager. During that time, he helped the city reach record levels of housing construction, comparable to those in Manhattan, New York City. In both cities, he worked to improve the delivery of core public services, including record levels of street resurfacing and stronger snow removal operations. He also helped expand resources that supported low-income families and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Earlier in his career, Brian worked in management consulting at McKinsey & Company and served as a kindergarten teacher through Teach For America. He also volunteered as an Emergency Medical Responder with United Rescue in Jersey City and served for 10 years as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Mountain Lakes, NJ.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Emory University in Georgia and later completed a Master’s in Public Administration at Columbia University in New York. Through his professional and public service work, Brian Platt has received recognition for leadership, academic achievement, and community involvement, reflecting his continued impact.
