Gabe McDonough is Vice President Music Director at Leo Burnett USA. He has worked on memorable advertisements for clients AB-InBev, McDonald's and State Farm.
A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, McDonough moved to Chicago in 2000. He played bass in several bands, including the London-based Piano Magic and Füxa, and the Boas in Chicago.
Before joining Burnett in 2010, McDonough served as Senior Producer of Music and Integration at DDB Worldwide. Prior to that he worked as the promotions director for Chicago’s legendary live music venue, The Empty Bottle. McDonough’s collaborative style and strong artist-producer relationships have established him in both the advertising industry and independent music communities at the national level. In 2009, Adweek recognized McDonough’s use of Os Mutantes song “A Minha Menina” in a McDonald’s commercial as being one of the five best ad songs of all time [1]. By including song “Lights Out” in Bud Light Lime commercials, music artist Santigold was catapulted to fame [2].
McDonough has been written about in many publications, including Billboard, Paste Magazine, Brandweek and is a frequent contributor to Time Out Chicago. He participates in many industry events, including Advertising Age’s 2009 Idea Conference, where he brought recording artists Kid Sister and Atrak to the stage.
McDonough resides in Chicago with his wife, Rebecca Anderson. In his free time, he plays bass in the Chicago Stone Lightning Band. He is the son of former NHL player Al McDonough.