BOISE, Idaho (CelebrityAccess) — Boise-based concert and festival promoter Duck Club Entertainment announced the expansion of its live entertainment business with the addition of two new staff members to its talent buying department.
The new hires are longtime NYC promoter Jake Szufnarowski, who has been appointed Senior Talent Buyer, and Izze Rumpp, who joins Duck Club as Talent Buyer.
Company co-founder and CEO Eric Gilbert will continue to oversee programming and maintain his active role as part of the talent buying team across Duck Club’s full portfolio of venues and events, while also focusing his efforts on business development.
A veteran of New York’s live music scene since 1994, Szufnarowski got his start at the Wetlands Preserve before moving on to roles at Knitting Factory and CBGB. He also founded Rocks Off Entertainment, including its long-running Concert Cruise Series in New York Harbor. From 2014 to 2017, he served as Head of Music for Brooklyn Bowl’s UK outpost at The O2 Arena in London. More recently, he returned to New York, where he was a talent buyer for AEG-affiliated Bowery Presents, booking shows at venues such as Terminal 5, Brooklyn Steel, and Webster Hall.
In his new role, he will continue to oversee the Rocks Off Concert Cruise Series from Boise.
“I couldn’t be more excited by an opportunity in the booking game than to be joining Duck Club Entertainment. When COVID-19 hit, I gave up my NYC apartment, rode my motorcycle west, and eventually settled in McCall. I fell in love with Idaho and its people. In 2022, I ended up working at Treefort Music Fest as the Artist Check-In Manager. I quickly fell in love with the city of Boise, Treefort, and the entire Duck Club team,” Szufnarowski said.
“Today, Boise and Treefort Music Fest remind me a lot of Austin and SXSW when I started going there in 1997—blue capital cities in red states where robust music and arts scenes are thriving and drawing in more creatives of all fields to bolster the already vibrant community. Boise is a rapidly growing city with a rabid appetite for live music and a thriving local scene that Duck Club has been championing since its inception—a dedication that influenced my decision to join the organization and is often missed by larger promoters amidst the city’s rapid growth,” he added.
Promoter, curator, and DJ Izze Rumpp joins Duck Club after years of collaborating locally with the company in the Boise market. A longtime contributor to Duck Club’s flagship event, Treefort Music Fest, Rumpp launched Artfort, the festival’s art-focused programming track, while also contributing to the event’s marketing and programming over the years. Rumpp additionally hosts the weekly radio show Fever Dream on Radio Boise, DJs late nights throughout the city, and curates licensed music for hospitality spaces across the Americas.
“Returning to Boise after my time in California has been one of the most rewarding decisions. Seeing my long-term friends and colleagues continue to nurture and grow the Boise music scene was something I wasn’t willing to miss. I am incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue that journey alongside an incredible team, in a role that has been forming in the most kismet of ways for a long time,” Rumpp said.
