Brendan Bourke has been named director of publicity for The Syndicate an entertainment marketing company where he will report to VP of publicity and artist development Jeff Kilgour.
Bourke comes from his own independent PR firm Canvas Media, originally launched in Toronto, Canada in late 2007, before returning to New York in 2010, where he worked with a wide variety of artists including Japandroids, The Rentals, The Dodos, Villagers, Gord Downie, The Constantines, The Stills, Patrick Wolf, Rebecca Gates, An Horse, Dawn Landes, The Crookes, Ex Cops, Figurines, and Woodpigeon.
“Brendan has been a friend and colleague for over a decade and I couldn’t be more excited to have him on the team,” Kilgour said in his statement. “His experience, professionalism and knowledge of the media landscape will be a valuable addition to The Syn’s expanding PR department and we look forward to a brilliant future ahead."
Prior to Canvas Media, Bourke was co-owner of Tag Team Media, which he formed with Julie Underwood in 2001. Their clients included Tegan and Sara, Feist, Clinic, Death Cab For Cutie, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Calexico, The Walkmen, The Sea and Cake, The Notwist, Shout Out Louds, El Perro Del Mar, Tokyo Police Club, and Ra Ra Riot among many others. Bourke began his career at SEED Records, at division of Atlantic Records in 1994, before a brief time at Zero Hour Records, Beggars Banquet, and three years at Girlie Action Media.
Bourke will be bringing with him to The Syndicate; Japandroids (for Canada), Clinic, The Rentals, BOYTOY, The Van Pelt, Little Junior, Bossie, Mare Island, Dead Leaf Echo, LOLAA, FOONYAP and Detroit Rebellion, to name a few.
Bourke, who grew up in New York’s latest “it” neighborhood, Ridgewood, Queens, before his family sent him kicking and screaming to the suburbs of Houston, Texas, only to return to attend New York University tells Billboard: "I'm excited for a new challenge with The Syndicate, joining a great team of people, in the publicity department, along with radio and marketing. This a team that really can help open doors for our artists, and I expect great things ahead."
The Syndicate, founded in 1998, features a radio department currently working on Arcade Fire, Alvvays, Portugal. The Man and Liam Gallagher, amongst others, brand clients include Taco Bell, UGG, POP Montreal, Showtime, and PR clients Andrew W.K., Chicano Batman, Lee Fields & The Expressions, The String Cheese Incident, Shannon McNally, The Relationship, Caitlin Canty, Elizabeth & The Catapult and more.
