Saam Golgoon was born in Iran in 1973. At a young age, he experienced a revolution followed by a war between Iran and Iraq, which ended after he left Iran. During the war he experienced many bombing and air raids. He moved to the United States (Dallas, TX) in April of 1988 at the age of 15. Saam was always a fan and a student of music from an early age, and upon immigrating to the United States, he quickly became friends with other young musicians. At age 21, Saam joined his first band, Grass Roots Willie, as a percussionist. The band’s make up sounded like the beginning of a bad joke. There were 3 Jews, 2 Muslims, a Christian, and an Atheist. However, these differences in religious backgrounds did not matter to this group of young men as music united them. It was then that Saam truly realized the power of music; that music has the power to unite people! He continued as a member of Grass Roots Willie until the summer of 1996 when he moved to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Saam has been a renaissance man in his career. He has worked in the areas of parks and recreation, emergency services, real estate, events, arts and entertainment, marketing, brand and web development, and music. He is a big believer in volunteering and giving back to his community. His volunteer work has included American Red Cross Instructor/Disaster Relief/Board Member (1997-2014); Firefighter/Medic/Engineer Red, White and Blue Fire Department (1998-2002, Breckenridge, CO); Summit County Rescue Group Medic/Dog Handler (1998-2002, Summit County, CO); Firefighter North West Fire District (2003-2006, Alma and Fairplay, CO); South Park BMX Track Director (2010-2013, Fairplay, CO); Alma Town Council (2008-2018, Alma, CO); and Town of Alma Mayor (2018-current, Alma, CO).

In 1996, he quickly met musicians in Summit County, Colorado and has performed in many bands since, including Potato, HYW 9, Blue Monkey, Strive Roots, King & I, and his current band, Split Window. This experience in live music performances and band bookings landed him a position as the Showcase and Production Director for the South Park Music Festival from 2004-2006. In 2006, Saam, along with two close friends, created McGoon Productions, an artist booking, promotions, and event production company. Soon after the creation of the business, the two friends left the company; Saam continued to produce and present the South Park Music Tour and The High Country Music Festival from 2007-2010. He also continued to book many national, regional, and local independent artists in venues across the central Rockies of Colorado.

With his strong belief in the power of music uniting people, having music as a catalyst for improving and enhancing our communities, and a discipline in giving back to his community, Saam founded World Music Development in August of 2012. Sadly, he had to put his philanthropic work on the back burner in 2014 when he started his position as the Cultural Arts Director for the Town of Breckenridge. Saam was part of the senior team who created Breckenridge Creative Arts (BreckCreate), a 501c3 nonprofit art organization for the Town of Breckenridge. He then served as the Director of Operations, Facilities, and Technology for BCA from 2015-2018. During this period, Saam was involved with presenting and producing such events as BIFA (Breckenridge International Festival of Arts), WAVE (Light + Water + Sound), Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships, Breckenridge Fire Arts Festival, and Breckenridge Street Arts Festival. He also booked many concerts at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center including acts such as Los Lobos, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, John Hiatt, The Revivalists, Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk. Saam applied for World Music Development’s 501c3 status in April of 2018 and received approval in May of 2018. After a great and successful 4 plus year run with the Town of Breckenridge and Breckenridge Creative Arts, Saam resigned from his position in August of 2018 and has been serving as the President and CEO of World Music Development since.