Mark Adam Harold – Nontypical strategic communication and policymaking

I am Mark Adam Harold and I do nontypical strategic communication and policymaking.

“Long story short,” my grandfather would say before starting a long story.

25 years in music, 10 years in politics. I take skills and experience from both my backgrounds to create a unique approach to strategic communication and policymaking. I am British, but based in Lithuania since 2005.

I emigrated from London to Vilnius, launched a DJ mix into space, founded an NGO to help Lithuanian musicians and curated the government’s Spotify account. I transitioned from organising raves to becoming the first immigrant in Lithuania to be elected to public office, the first non-citizen to swear to defend the Constitution, and the first candidate to make social media the centre of their campaign.

In 2018 I became the first Night Mayor of Vilnius, and in 2019 I founded Vilnius Night Alliance, a pressure group advocating for better nightlife regulation and development, especially during the pandemic. In 2021 I founded the Night Economy Association of Lithuania and continued lobbying.

Then I wrote the nightlife manifesto for a candidate for Mayor who went on to win, so in 2024 I set up the Vilnius Night Office, a municipality-funded organisation for nightlife development. My advice on nightlife policy has also helped the people of Tbilisi, Lviv, Budapest, Montreal, Barcelona, Brno and Dublin to regulate and develop their night economies.

My campaigning drew me further into politics, leading to communication work for Members of Parliament and candidates for the City Council.

In 2022 I was offered my dream job at the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Lithuania as a strategic communication consultant. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine I worked daily with the Minister to amplify Lithuania’s foreign policy internationally, successfully making him the hottest diplomat on Twitter.