About Mark Gorney
I am a music publicist, storyteller, and cultural connector with a deep-rooted, decades-long passion for global sounds. I always strive to maximize exposure for the artists I work with, for example getting Rokia KoneĢ in The New York Times.
As the founder of Worldisc, established in 2001, I have spent 25 years working across world, roots, reggae, and blues music. My focus has always been on artists whose work carries history, tradition, identity, and emotional depth. My approach centers around translation: shaping narratives that help music be understood in its cultural and human context.
Alongside Worldisc, I am Mockle Music's booking agent. Mockle represents world, folk, roots, and blues artists. If Worldisc is about shaping story and visibility, Mockle extends that work into the live space by building tours and performances that connect artists directly with audiences.
For 35 years, I have been bringing my ever-expanding collection of vintage jazz, blues, soul, R&B, rocksteady and reggae vinyl to bars, beer gardens and select spaces including the California Academy of Sciences. See DJ '66 for more information.
My social media work spans both professional and personal worlds, from San Francisco's The Make-Out Room to my own ongoing documentation of vinyl discoveries and a wide range of musical and cultural obsessions.
Across publicity, social media campaigns, live performance curation, and vinyl DJ sets, I am drawn to artists and stories that carry authenticity and resonance. My work is fundamentally about cultural connection.
Across all of my work, I operate as a bridge between artists and audiences, between history and the present, and between music and meaning.