Hannah Colson & Sam Lunn promotions at Island Records

30 May 2023 - Press release

 

Island President Louis Bloom has announce the promotions of two of the label's most talented and respected executives, Hannah Colson and Sam Lunn. Hannah is promoted from Head of Marketing to assume the newly-created role of Director of Artist Development while Sam takes up the role of Director of Strategic Marketing. The promotions come as Island enjoys a fantastic run of success with FLO winning the prestigious BBC Sound Of Poll and Brits Rising Star award, and the girls taking the US by storm with their first sold out headlining tour. The emergence of hugely exciting talents such as Nia Archives and The Last Dinner party to name but two, is further proof that the storied label is entering an exciting new era. 

Island President Louis Bloom says: "Hannah's ability to tap into an artist's creativity, her innate understanding of how to reach an audience, her instinct for what makes a hit record, and a rare capacity to tie every element across multiple campaigns have made her a truly exceptional member of the Island team. Sam is equally invaluable, always making the right choices and invariably coming up with the perfect strategy to benefit our artists. With Hannah and Sam's vision, passion and strategic flair now fully focused within these new roles, I believe they will play a huge part in writing the next amazing chapter in the Island story."   

Hannah joined Island in January 2021 after starring at MTV, Ministry, Relentless and Caroline and quickly made an incredible impact first with ArrDee, who became, officially, the biggest breakthrough artist of 2022, and more recently spearheading the incredible rise of the UK's most exciting and talked about act FLO. Hannah says: "Collaboration is, and always should be, at the core of everything we do and I'm fortunate to be part of an incredible label team that foster that attitude. I'm particularly excited to be able to fuse my marketing and A&R skillsets in the service of a roster filled with such a talented and inspiring group of artists and I know we have many bright years ahead of us." 

Following several successful years in the UMG International team, Sam's early Island career saw him working on hugely successful albums from Mumford & Sons, Keane, and U2, before he made the move into management (Avicii). He returned to the label to work on Dermot Kennedy's no. 1 debut album which established the Irishman as an international star. His experience across the business saw him return to Island full time in 2020 as Head of Campaign Strategy, where he worked closely with Ben Howard, U2, Dermot and most recently Marcus Mumford. "Island has always been about culture and innovation. Both the roster, and the wider team at Island,  truly embody those qualities. We couldn't be in better shape with 2023 underway, and I'd like to thank Louis, Nicola Spokes and Steve Pitron for putting further faith in me on this journey."