The Hornblow Group
The Hornblow Group USA, Inc., TMBG's management company, was founded by Jamie Lincoln Kitman, an automotive journalist and law school graduate, shortly after taking over the band's management in March 1987. A one-time college roommate of TMBG's first producer, Bill Krauss, Kitman had first seen TMBG in the summer of 1983. Bo Orloff, creator of the initial tmbg.com, and a kindergarten classmate of Kitman's, was a VP at Hornblow from 1989 to 1993. Day-to-day operations are currently overseen by Peter Smolin, with assistance from Josh Flower, Darren Paltrowitz, Mike Lavigne and Mike Buonanno. Former employees include Michael Kahn, Andrew Akman, Brigitta Kahn, Marjorie Galen, Ben Sandler, Mike Clark, Tami Blevins, Stuart Lodge, Andy Schilling, John McQueenie, Tara Frank and Leonie Gombrich.
In addition to being TMBG's management team, Hornblow also represent several acts with connections to The Giants: OK Go, Mike Doughty, Moon Hooch, PYYRAMIDS, Vandaveer, and Eric Drew Feldman (who has worked with multiple Hello Recording Club contributors including Frank Black and The Residents). Hornblow was also the management team for Mono Puff and John Linnell And The Statesmen, while former clients with connections to TMBG include Meat Puppets, Mike Viola, Oppenheimer, and The La's (who opened for the Johns' first London gig in 1987). Other bands that Hornblow has managed were Yo La Tengo, Dave Davies, Freedy Johnston, The Beautiful South, Tally Hall, Edwyn Collins, Trashcan Sinatras, and Violent Femmes.
