Anne Stirk has spent her career redefining how fans connect with artists. As director of marketing & brand strategy at Republic Live, the 39-year-old marketing executive has worked to evolve how festivals can build and sustain fan relationships – connecting live events, digital platforms and the music industry. She helped power flagship festivals Boots & Hearts and All Your Friends Fest to Republic Live’s reported 1.7 billion impressions and helped two of RLive’s first country management clients, Zach McPhee and Tyler Joe Miller, to CCMA and Juno nominations and top 10 radio singles.

Her work with Republic follows years at Universal Music Canada and Spotify Canada, where Stirk has led campaigns and partnerships for artists including Drake and The Weeknd while launching initiatives like Spotify’s EQUAL Canada and the Indigenous Creator Strategy. Her innovative activations have proven that resonance drives loyalty, not just revenue. It’s a mindset that Canada is in a unique position to capitalize on, she says. “We’re close enough to the biggest market in the world to learn from it, but small enough to move faster and take real risks,” she explains. “I’ve seen it again and again: ideas that start here end up shaping how artists connect, how fans engage and how the business grows.”