As the principal architect of Murray Paterson Marketing Group (MPMG), Laura Murray has helped build a company founded on the passion, creativity, and integrity that define the artistic process. A classical ballet dancer and journalist by training, Laura brings to her leadership the strength + discipline of dance with the insight + exactitude of reporting, managing her team’s collective talents toward blockbuster results.

Laura’s knowledge of the creative scene in Canada and her role as Vice President of Client Services at a local communications agency, where she found herself increasingly specializing in arts marketing, led Laura to launch Laura Murray Public Relations in 2011. She was soon joined in her vision of a firm dedicated to supporting the arts and cultural sector by her business partner Brian Paterson and, together, they have grown a company that by 2016 had morphed into Murray Paterson Marketing Group.

The MPMG brand has become synonymous with excellence, innovation, passion, and service to the arts. The company has been recognized by Business in Vancouver as one of BC’s top communications firms and by the Georgia Straight as Vancouver’s best PR agency. MPMG is also a recipient of the BC Marketing Association Excellence Award for its strengths in innovative, full-service marketing and communications.

Laura’s prestigious client roster has expanded to include more than 60 Canadian and international clients, including DanceHouse, Vancouver International Film Festival, Bard on the Beach, the Museum of Anthropology, Fall For Dance North, Harbourfront Centre, and Opera Atelier, among others.

Laura was named by Business in Vancouver as a 2016 “Forty Under 40” winner, acknowledging the city’s most successful entrepreneurs under the age of 40 and the ones to watch.

In addition to building and leading MPMG, Laura has provided arts commentary and reviews for the Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, Dance International Magazine, and 24 Hours. She has served on the boards of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, Made in BC: Dance on Tour, and the Vancouver Ballet Society.

Brian Paterson is MPMG’s senior strategist and go-to guy for all things digital. A classically trained actor, Brian discovered a broader stage for his talents by marrying his intimate knowledge of the arts with his skill and passion for marketing.

Brian’s strong technical understanding of online and social media tools enables him to develop cost-effective and high-impact marketing solutions for his clients.  As an artist, he understands how audiences make their decisions about consuming cultural content. As a professional marketer, he knows how to integrate this knowledge into informative and compelling campaigns that resonate within Vancouver’s dynamic arts scene.

He is a strong advocate of the value of new media as a platform for marketing the arts, ensuring that his clients benefit from the low cost and high audience reach that digital components contribute to broad-based promotional campaigns. Clients who have welcomed Brian’s insight include Bard on the Beach, Knowledge Network, Victoria Symphony, STOMP, the David Suzuki Foundation, and Vancouver International Film Festival.

A writer from a young age, Angela Poon knows the power of a captivating story. Having parlayed her early love of storytelling and performance into a career as a journalist and communications professional, Angela applies her innate sense of narrative to MPMG’s many diverse clients.

Angela first pursued journalism at Langara College, and started out as a reporter and photographer, covering local news and arts for the Langley Advance. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Trinity Western University, and redirected her career into public relations.

A Vancouver-based PR firm was her launching pad, where she garnered significant coverage for high-profile clients such as UNICEF, the PNE, and the Forest Products Association of Canada. As the in-house strategist for Canadian Blood Services’ B.C. and Yukon region, Angela regularly secured coverage and acted as spokesperson among top-tier media outlets.

Angela’s comprehensive and multi-faceted experience provides a unique insight into developing compelling content, ensuring MPMG clients build authentic engagement with key audiences.

As MPMG’s Digital Marketing Coordinator, Sijia Cheng combines her experience as an arts advocate and bilingual communicator with a technical ingenuity that delivers consistent and creative digital solutions for MPMG clients.

Sijia launched her career at Sichuan Museum in Chengdu, China, delivering tours, recruiting volunteers, and coordinating public events as a museum docent and volunteer lead. A lifelong pursuit of literature soon brought her to Vancouver, where she earned a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of British Columbia. Upon graduation, she has applied her writing expertise and critical lens to a career in communications and marketing, most recently with the University of British Columbia, and as the volunteer digital marketing and social media lead for Elimin8Hate, the advocacy arm of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival.  

With a strong understanding of and conviction in the essential role that art plays in society , Sijia leverages her multidisciplinary background and EDI-focused community advocacy to help build content and marketing strategies that effectively engage MPMG clients’ diverse spectrum of audiences.

Early in her career Sylvia received formative advice from her mentor: “If you handle a piece of paper twice, it is one time too many.” This wisdom would prove foundational in the high-efficiency exactitude that she applies to her management and oversight of all things fiscal at MPMG.

After earning her BA in Psychology at the University of Waterloo, Sylvia began her career in the banking sector, rapidly ascending the ranks from teller to clerk to lending and ultimately to supervising a team and VIP clientele as Senior Account Manager at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).

Spreading her wings, she left the RBC to open her own bookkeeping consultancy, specializing in start-up companies. In the 25 years since, she has aided countless organizations, including Evoke International Design, Studio B Productions, and IO Media Productions. The diverse array of insights and service provided include growth development, financial planning, bookkeeping, and HR + office management, among others.

An entrenched and involved member of the Vancouver community, Sylvia has served on a number of boards including the Vancouver Racquets Club and Westminster House Society for Women, and as Board Director and Treasurer for Granville Island Cultural Society.