Ghazi Shami in

Ghazi Shami

Login to view DISC.
CEO / Founder at EMPIRE
📍 San Francisco, California, United States

Ghazi Shami is the Founder and CEO of EMPIRE, a music distribution and record label he established in 2010. A San Francisco native with a background in audio engineering and technology, he is known for his artist-first approach. People who have worked with him describe him as smart, easy-going, and on top of his work.

Outside of his executive role, Ghazi maintains a hands-on connection to music, often spending time in the studio mixing records. He is deeply committed to the San Francisco community and his Palestinian heritage, aiming to build a lasting local legacy. His passion for music began at age 14, DJing and making his own records.

As a child, Ghazi went with his mother to make deposits at Crocker Bank; decades later, he purchased the historic bank building to serve as EMPIREs future headquarters.

Read the full overview →
Experience
15 Years
Current Role
CEO / Founder
Job Level
Leadership
Location
San Francisco, California, United States
Personality Overview

How Ghazi shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

Login to view personality overview.
Priorities

Topics Ghazi cares about

Artist Empowerment
He built EMPIRE with an artist-first model, focusing on transparent deals and enabling creators to maintain control, calling his company a "philanthropy company masquerading as a record label. "
Music and Technology
Leveraging his background in Silicon Valley and audio engineering, he pioneered a tech-forward approach to music distribution, even creating proprietary software for his platform.
+5 more topics Login to view topics
Career

Work history

1-2010
CEO / Founder
EMPIRE
In the press

Media appearances

What Matters to Empire with Ghazi Shami & Lars Brandle. Featured in YouTube
See now
Empire founder Ghazi Shami talks about his company's rise. Featured in YouTube
+14 more appearances Login to view media
Education
1997 - 1999
Bachelor's degree
San Francisco State University
1995 - 1997
Associate of Arts (AA)
College of San Mateo
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

Dominance, influence, steadiness, and calculativeness scores with guidance on how this person prefers to communicate and decide.

Login to view DISC.

More profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Unlock the full playbookSee exactly how to sell to Ghazi. Free, 10 seconds.