The only thing that trumps the big thinking of Brendan Ryan is his big-time execution. He was the communications orchestrator behind Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s original run to office in 2006 and re-election in 2010, eventually serving as the Chief of Staff to Governor Patrick. Brendan stepped away from politics in 2014 and cofounded HUBweek, Boston’s wildly successful version of SXSW that’s set to have its five-year anniversary this Fall 2019. He’s helped grow HUBweek to a nationally-recognized festival drawing more than 50,000 attendees and bringing together leading researchers, startup founders, artists and executives from across industries and disciplines. Under Brendan’s leadership, HUBweek is changing the narrative around Boston, bringing together disparate communities and building connective tissue between creatives, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens.
Check out Brendan’s one-word answer Q&A below. We recently had Brendan in studio for a Boston Speaks Up podcast which you can listen to at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and SoundCloud. Enjoy.
Where did you grow up? Foxborough, MA
How would you sum up your childhood? Restless
What word would your loved ones use to describe you? Loyal
What drew you to politics? A chance to make things better
What was it like working for Deval Patrick? Rewarding. Life-changing. Wonderful. Humbling.
How would you describe your stint as MA Political Director for Obama for America? Short!
What idea or moment sparked the creation of HUBweek? So many. The most important moment was when Linda Henry committed to leading it.
What is the mission of HUBweek? To change the narrative around Boston, and to change the narrative around innovation and creativity
Is there something new the community can expect to come with this year’s 5th installment of HUBweek? Simpler, more focused, with a continued focus on giving a platform to new, interesting, creative, cool people
Your Twitter profile says “Massachusetts invented America.” What are you referring to specifically? That’s a line from a Deval Patrick speech. Basically, that the ideals of fairness, equality, and opportunity that define America at its best have all been launched and refined and tested in Massachusetts first: public education, representative democracy, abolition, suffrage, marriage equality, etc.
Finish this sentence. By 2030 Boston will be… What we make of it.
Besides HUBweek, what is your biggest passion in life? My family.
Besides Boston, what’s your favorite city you’ve visited? Amsterdam.
What would you change about Boston? I.E., What problem facing Boston would you most like to see solved? Be open to change. Acknowledge our shortcomings. Recognize how much special there is here.
Before we close, is there any other new initiative you’re working or others are working on you’d like people to know about? No but there are so many cool things other people are working on that we should all know about and talk about more: Fresh Truck; Amplify LatinX; Urban Labs; Commonwealth Kitchen; more, and more, and more, and more.
You can follow BSU on Twitter at @BostonSpeaksUp and discover more inspiring stories at the Boston Speaks Up blog; and you can recommend BSU guests by contacting bostonspeaksup@gmail.com.
