Canal Street Communications was founded by Kevin McGuiness. An attorney, Kevin worked in the United States Senate, starting in 1982 as a committee counsel and eventually becoming a committee Staff Director and then a Senator’s Chief of Staff. He left the Hill in 1991 to open the law firm, McGuiness and Holch, where he specialized in legislative initiatives involving professional sports, health care, pharmaceuticals, the Internet, and antitrust. He was also involved in federal and state political campaigns and the development of media strategies and publications.

In 2004, he opened the McGuiness Group to better coordinate lobbying efforts on behalf of the five major league Player Associations, and Canal Street Communications to handle business consulting and content development. In 2014, he took a leave of absence to become the Chief Operating Officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association, a position he held until returning to Canal Street Communications in May 2019.