Mark Hardy Named Marketing Director Syco Music

LONDON and NEW YORK, December 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Syco Entertainment, the joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music, today announced the appointment of Mark Hardy to the role of Marketing Director Syco Music.

In this new role, reporting directly to Sonny Takhar, MD Syco, Hardy will take on the leadership of the marketing function of Syco and take responsibility for managing and developing the overall online and offline Syco music marketing strategy.

He joins Syco after 9 years at Playstation - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe where he served as European Product Marketing Director, overseeing the Central Marketing function of the company and was responsible for European brand, hardware and software campaign strategies. During his time at SCEE, he ran major campaigns across the Playstation Brand, the Playstation Network and key game releases from Sony Development studios. He also successfully launched SingStar, Playstation's leading music concept, establishing it as the Number 1 "social gaming" platform in the category.

Between 1998 and 2001 Hardy worked at The Walt Disney Company - Buena Vista Home Entertainment , becoming Senior Brand Manager for Pixar & Disney in 1999. He worked with key Disney studios including Pixar, Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax and led extensive movie campaigns including Toy Story 2, A Bugs Life, Tarzan, The Sixth Sense and Armageddon.

Sonny Takhar says: "I am delighted that Mark has joined us at such an exciting time for the company. He has proven he is one of the finest marketing executives in entertainment and joins Syco as a key member of our management team . Mark will be responsible for driving creative and commercial excellence around our artists' campaigns. "

Mark Hardy says: "I'm thrilled to be joining Syco Music at such a key stage in the company history. The music industry is changing fast and Syco Music is in a fantastic position to take advantage of new revenue streams, new marketing channels such as Social media and the potential of digital distribution. I hope to bring a new perspective to a company which is already driving innovation in entertainment marketing."

SOURCE Sony Music