After more than 12 months of planning for the 2015 Newport Folk Festival, Jay Sweet just sat down in his production trailer at Rhode Island’s historic Fort Adams for the first time this year. Sweet – who previously worked as a journalist and music supervisor for filmmakers the Farrelly Brothers – has been booking Newport since 2008, when he wrote an 18-page pitch to Newport co-founder George Wein. Since then, he’s helped increase ticket sales by booking young acts like Alabama Shakes, Jack White and Father John Misty alongside Newport staples like Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and Arlo Guthrie. Tickets to this year’s fest, which starts Friday, sold out in 48 hours, before the lineup was announced.
