Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman speaking on LI

When Kevin Lyman decided to end the influential Warped Tour he founded after its 25th anniversary this year, he thought he would get some more free time.

It didn’t turn out that way. “I’m busier than ever,” says Lyman, calling from his home base in Los Angeles. “All we can do is keep moving forward.”

Not only is his festival production company, Kevin Lyman Group, continuing, he has also become an associate professor at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. If that wasn’t enough, he is also on a speaking tour, which includes a stop at the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore on Sunday.

“I enjoy doing it,” he explains, adding that he especially likes discussing how philanthropic pursuits can help companies with not just branding, but their profit margins. “Hopefully those who attend will walk out with whatever they came for.”

With the Warped Tour, Lyman was able to build a company that didn’t just introduce countless acts, from Long Island’s Taking Back Sunday and Brand New to Fall Out Boy and Jimmy Eat World, to new fans, but brought music-loving generations together.

Through the festival, Lyman says he learned a lot about millennials and Generation Z that he wants to share with businesses and communities. “In the demographic I’m working with, those who are 15-30 years old, it’s really resonating with them that they’re going to have to fix some of the problems out there,” he says. “To them, philanthropic work is assumed to be part of the business plans.”

One area Lyman wants to focus on is fighting the opioid epidemic, with his new group FEND, which includes an app to spread information. “Everything starts with education,” he says. “We had 30,000 downloads quickly and we feel like we made a dent in a short time. It attracted a lot of people who wanted to support us and now we’re looking at different avenues to expand it further.”

Lyman says he’s also interested in helping people create the successor to the Warped Tour. “It’s a big hole to fill,” he says. “And there are a lot of people running out there to try. I think the ones who succeed will have a more holistic approach. I want to help with that.”