2021 was a big year for Firebrand. We grew our team (to 20), our client roster (with 11 stellar startups), our services (added creative services, talent marketing) and our revenues (up 75 percent). And we grew as professionals: we perfected the art of the funding announcement (21 successfully handled), expanded our certifications (Hubspot and Google Ads) and drove more leads and awareness for our clients than ever before. We even revamped our own brand and website. That’s a lot of growing for one year.
So it’s natural that we would also look to expand our leadership team. We couldn’t be more excited to announce our newest joiner, Ian Lipner.
Ian has worked for more than twenty years with companies that create, manage, analyze and protect data, and has especially deep expertise in data governance, cybersecurity and privacy. Ian has helped dozens of venture-backed companies dominate their categories from Splunk to Crowdstrike. He has also counseled leader brands during their most critical moments, including public affairs challenges, mergers and acquisitions, IP litigation and data privacy crises.
Ian joins us from a Washington D.C.-based corporate and crisis communications agency where he led emerging tech and cybersecurity clients. But I got to know Ian well many years prior, when he founded the Washington D.C. office at my former agency. I think of him as the ultimate paradox in communications: he’s analytical but creative, big picture but sleeves-up, bold but humble. He’s the kind of leader who lifts others up. He’s the perfect person to help Firebrand with the next phase of our growth.
As SVP PR and Content, Ian will head a portfolio of clients, expand our security and privacy practice and become part of our leadership team focused on service innovation and quality.
He’ll also bring an interesting new discussion topic to our morning Campfires: kayak fishing. Yes after a tough week on the frontlines of tech startup PR, he can be found pedaling his kayak furiously against the current as a ray tries to pull him out to sea. Or sedately fly fishing for trout on the river – something like that anyway.
Welcome, Ian!
About the Author
Morgan McLintic is the founder and CEO of startup marketing agency,Firebrand. Firebrand works with early- and late-stage startups to help raise awareness and drive demand. It does this through integrated programs involving PR, content marketing and digital marketing. The firm was recently recognized as the Boutique Agency of the Year by the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) and awarded Gold Winner of theB2B PR Campaign of the Year by The Drum. Firebrand works with startups in sectors spanning fintech, cybersecurity, AI/ML and infrastructure such as Emburse, Human Interest, Planful, Weaviate and Yubico.
Prior to Firebrand, Morgan was the founder in the US of LEWIS, a global communications firm, which grew to $35m in revenues and 200+ staff in the US, and $75m with 600 staff globally. He has over 30 years' tech experience, both consumer and B2B. At LEWIS, Morgan lead the acquisition of three companies - Page One which was integrated and rebranded as LEWIS Pulse; the Davies Murphy Group, a 65-person PR and marketing consultancy; and Piston, a 50-person full-service digital advertising agency.
Morgan has been a speaker at events for AlwaysOn, Holmes Report, MIT / Stanford VLABs, OnHollywood, PR News, PRSA, Social Media Club, Social Media World Forum, Venture Capital and Private Equity Group, and WITI. PRWEEK named him to its Global PR Powerbook in 2015 and 2016.
Morgan is the host of weekly startup marketing podcast, FiredUp!
