Boosting your performance.

The Lewis chessmen, Andy Warhol and Sir James MacMillan: the most iconic objects and the finest artists.

Raising the profile of the arts is second nature to me. Trading as Opening Lines, with support from other specialists when required, I believe that arts communication campaigns should be contemporary, confident and artistically relevant. I plan and implement campaigns, manage research projects, and like to base decisions on facts so my clients get their 15 minutes of fame.

By planning across all communication channels I ensure that every one helps to achieve the overall goal.

Testimonials

“Working with James and Jessie was a game-changer for my two shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As an independent performer from the U.S., navigating the UK media landscape seemed daunting, but they handled everything with incredible skill and professionalism. Their strategic approach secured meaningful press coverage, including publications that were crucial for building buzz. The articles in The Scotsman and on MSN, in particular, provided invaluable visibility for my journey and the shows themselves. We secured four awards for my shows, a first in Fringe history, and their contribution to our success was indelible. For an independent artist, having a press agent who not only understands your story but can also effectively pitch it to the right outlets is everything. Opening Lines went above and beyond, and their efforts were a key factor in my shows' success and the subsequent awards. I highly recommend them to any artist looking to make a significant impact.”

Jason Woods
"Working with James’s agency was a game changer for my experience at the Fringe. I was bringing a one-woman show to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time, and the idea of handling press while performing felt daunting to say the least. I discovered his agency late in the game. What a miracle! I was immediately supported by Opening Lines, and within two weeks of working with James and Jessie, I had incredible press coverage. In addition, James connected me with other shows from NYC as well as fellow artists once I arrived in Edinburgh. Their vision for promoting me and my project surpassed anything I could have imagined for myself. They really elevated the show, allowing me to focus on the work as an artist. The Scotsman even came to review my show - a huge achievement, given this was my first one-woman show at the Fringe. Out of 4,000 shows, they review only about 600, and of those, just 140 receive three stars. I was proud to have them review my show at all, and receiving a three-star review on my first outing was a significant milestone. I feel enormously grateful, and I know the outreach of James’s agency helped get the word out and made this possible."

Kirsten Lewis
"I came late to the process of bringing my show In The Black to the Fringe, but James immediately took the time to understand both me and the work, and gave us a real shot. From the start, he laid out clear goals, kept me fully informed, and was always in close contact - right through to meeting in person during the run. Despite the odds, James helped us secure excellent reviews that snowballed into word-of-mouth buzz, full venues, awards, and industry attention. His instincts for who to reach out to and how to get the right people in the room were spot-on. I’m deeply grateful to James and Andy for their incredible support, and I wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again."

Quaz Degraft
"Both James and Jessie are very friendly and are attentive listeners who genuinely cared about our needs. They proactively suggested promotional strategies and connected us with relevant media contacts. Thanks to their support, we successfully secured theatre reviews and media coverage, which significantly contributed to our experience at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe."

Theatre Ronin
"Opening Lines were wonderful. This was my first Fringe and I hired them SO late in the game, and despite these challenges they managed to secure really important coverage that we identified as the main goals of the PR campaign. This included great coverage from the Evening News (including front page), radio features, international MSN coverage, podcasts and considerations from international companies for future adaptations/opportunities for the show. James and his team were a total pleasure to work with!

Kate Barry
"James was a brilliant PR partner during our Edinburgh Fringe run. He secured us reviews, a two-page spread in a major newspaper and several features in local publications. He was very professional and communicative throughout, always available for a phone call and open to talking through ideas. I would highly recommend James and the team’s services."

Sophie Cairns, SHITE Productions
“James directed the PR campaign for the release of Idiogram’s three singles and debut album ‘Reunion of Broken Parts’ during 2024 and 2025. James really took the time to get to know both us as people, and our artistic vision, in order to tailor and tune the campaign to our needs. As a result, we have attracted press interviews, reviews and playlisting locally, nationally and further afield. James was friendly and professional throughout, and quickly adapted the planned campaign without fuss when external issues forced us to change our plans (at very short notice!). We particularly liked that he updated us regularly on how the campaign was progressing and what results we might expect at each stage. It was a pleasure to work with James and we’d certainly recommend his services to other musicians.”

Idiogram
"I worked with James for my Edinburgh Fringe show. A daunting task for any artist to take on and especially as a one-woman show I really needed the support that James offered. He was incredibly thorough and meticulously well organised and focused. He understood my project and the target audience and publications to approach on my behalf. He came to my show at the start of the Fringe to help him understand the content more fully. We met in person more than once and James made me feel completely heard. He followed up on every lead and sent me regular email reports and summaries. We gathered a lot of momentum, including reviews, interviews, radio and podcasts. His attention, understanding and care were paramount, a totally professional experience I wouldn’t hesitate to work with James again."

Tracey Yarad
"James' expert guidance transformed my Fringe strategy for 'My Little Phobia'. From press outreach to creative marketing, the tailored advice covered many aspects of my show's promotion. His insights on timing, industry connections, and budget-friendly ideas were invaluable. I'm already implementing the recommendations and seeing results. James is creative, empathetic, and really seems to enjoy helping artists with our creative (if scattered) ideas. This support has been a game-changer for my Edinburgh Fringe journey!"

Emily Markoe
"James did an amazing job for my first Fringe experience. It was excellent chatting with him each week and hearing what he was working on; he always kept me in the know. James stacked my houses my first week of the festival, which helped me build momentum and assured that I never performed to an empty room. If you're a first timer at Fringe, James is your guy! I have amazing reviews at the end of the festival and my run is continuing on, thanks to coverage from James. "

Olivia Raine Atwood
"James managed our social media during our premiere, collaborating with Open University Scotland to source engaging content and secure permissions. He organised communications with OnFife, executed a successful Instagram takeover, and adjusted our Facebook ads to target history enthusiasts in nearby towns. James was present at rehearsals, integrated additional content ideas, and promoted a BSL performance to reach the deaf community. The results were impressive: Facebook reach grew by 120%, interactions by 321%. On Instagram, we achieved 29k views, with reach growing by 135%. James's efforts on our Facebook ads accounted for over 80% of views on that channel, showing his significant impact on our marketing success. James was highly professional and a delight to work with. His marketing efforts on social media helped us to fully achieve our sales targets.”

Matthew Knights
"We have a small marketing staff and limited resources, so wanted someone to help us make the most of our activities. James analysed our campaigns and digital channels, provided an overview of the latest social media content trends, and trained our Marketing team in tools such as Facebook Ads Manager. We were given resources such as checklists and videos, and his advice will improve how we plan and budget for future marketing activity. James took time to understand our organisation and staff which meant he tailored his recommendations to fit our needs and resources. He has a very calm and professional way of working and gelled easily with the team. We have already implemented some of his suggestions and are seeing them translate into ticket sales. I would highly recommend him to any organisation looking for a health check of their marketing.”

Angela Lennon, Interim Director, Strathearn Arts.
"The marketing team really enjoyed working with you. You fulfilled the brief very well and in fact exceeded it with the level of detail you provided. Thanks for all your work for us. I would commission further work from you and would be pleased to recommend you to other colleagues."

Lesley Smith, General Manager, Brunton Theatre.
“James was our guide through the labyrinth of Fringe marketing. His plan for advertising, rounding up reviewers, and generally raising the profile of the project was magnificent. Edinburgh in August can be competitive and bewildering, and having a partner like James allowed us to cut though it all with power and confidence. I can’t recommend his services highly enough.”

John Jiler, American playwright/actor.
"I have significant experience bringing shows to the Edinburgh Fringe. One of the two performances I worked with James on was Shortlist. We wanted to get reviews, and to build on the existing profile of Brian Parks (this was the 13th show we've done together). I've worked with many PR firms over the years, but watching James ceaselessly build the number of reviewers who covered Shortlist, and deliver unexpected benefits such as the vox pop video was truly a star performance in my book!"

Margarett Perry, Director.
"I had the pleasure of working with James when I brought my show ‘Brain Hemingway’ to Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022. Because this was my first time at the Fringe, I relied on James’ expertise to help us hit the ground running and provide a viable attack plan for an unknown audience. James was very communicative, even though we are across the Atlantic, and was always clear and concise with what he hoped to do and how he planned on doing it. In a Fringe overwhelmed with choice, ‘Brain Hemingway’ got some great press, and even better audiences, and that is in no small part thanks to James. I look forward to working with him again in the future!"

Erin Murray Quinlan, playwright, performer and producer, Tawnydog Productions.
"We were looking for someone to help us get reviews, and to encourage food critics to come. This was our fourth time at the Fringe, but the first one held since the pandemic, so we knew it was going to be competitive. James got in touch with previous reviewers, and lined up a preview interview with a podcast. The Scotsman came to review. A member of the Guild of Food writers gave the show extensive exposure. The Observer’s restaurant critic Jay Rayner even responded to an email invite. During the first seven days of the run, six reviews were published – more than all of our previous Fringe appearances. James was extremely personable and great to work with, understood the spirit of our project right away, and achieved some astonishing results with little time. Following on from some great press at the Fringe we sold out a run of dates in London."

Hughie Shepherd-Cross, writer and producer, Out To Lunch.
"James has raised funds from my worldwide fanbase, managed photocalls and arranged visits to the set to inspire young people. Great things have already happened – £33,000 has been given by 700 donors and James secured broadcast and press coverage for YTAS events."

Sam Heughan, star of US television series Outlander and Patron of Youth Theatre Arts Scotland.
"James has worked with me on two projects – raising the profile of a world first masterclass that used networks to connect musicians in Europe, and a Scottish concert tour. He attracted an audience from Creative Scotland, national performing companies, arts organisations and composers to witness the masterclass and secured coverage on BBC Radio Scotland. For the concert tour he ran every aspect of the communications campaign, with features in the national press and over 100 tickets sold for the Edinburgh performance."

Sir James MacMillan, CBE.
"Setting up the first year of a new, ambitious season of multi-disciplinary events was exciting but at times extremely daunting. James was a perfect addition to the Marchland team! He was enthusiastic about new ideas and challenges but also calm and reassuring when we got ourselves in a flap! He was particularly supportive of less experienced members of the team and worked with all of us in a very open and generous way. He was quick to respond to queries and unfailingly efficient and reliable. I would be very happy to recommend James and we hope to work with him again in the future."

Natasha Wood, Artistic Director, Théâtre Volière.
"James worked on the European Premiere of my show 'Erewhon'. I’m based in New York, so we worked over email and Skype. He’s a great time manager and made transatlantic communication easy meaning everything was in place before I set foot in Scotland. James likes to use research to put together a publicity plan – so we got ahead of the game – but he also knows how and when to hustle – keeping an eye on sales and tweaking when needed. His strong relationships with the press generated reviews early in the run. He identified, briefed and managed our perfect designer and supervised the smart distribution and placement of our posters and flyers. James has the ability to run a coherent strategy across all the different channels required for a solid festival run. He’s as comfortable one-on-one as he is crafting mass emails and posts. Work with him!"

Arthur Meek, playwright and performer, Erewhon with Magnetic North Theatre Company.
"I brought my one man show 'Getting Better' from Australia to the Fringe. James managed the press strategy. He had a very short lead time to make things happen, but that didn’t stop him working creatively to produce news coverage in the national press and on local radio. He was a great networker and made introductions to relevant Scottish charity CEOs. James and I pitched the show at the Fringe Meet the Media event – this resulted in Edinburgh’s Right Honourable Lord Lieutenant and Lord Provost coming to see the performance. Discussions with the Provost have generated a promising new lead. When I return to Edinburgh I’d be keen to work with James again."

Trace Dann, Producer, Playwright and Performer, Huntingfield Concerts.
"'A Fear And Loathing Actor In Dublin' opened at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. Opening Lines managed the press campaign, but also provided other advice and contacts to help with our overall communications strategy. James wrote and distributed a media release, and managed the production of a tongue in cheek VIP invite for the press. He also arranged for an Edinburgh-based newspaper to interview us when they were over in Dublin. One of the cast was interviewed by a leading author on her podcast. Three reviews were online within the first five days of the run, including a five star review and a ‘highly recommended show’. As part of his press report, we were given valuable feedback from journalists to help plan our next Fringe visit. James was also a pleasure to deal with. I would highly recommend him."

Mark McAuley, Zoology Films.
"Very happy to have found James. It was last minute and he worked tirelessly under an absurdly short timeframe, embracing the challenge. His friendliness and passion for the work shone through from our first meeting and he managed to squeeze coverage into a variety of places I wouldn’t have known about. Thank you!"

Tim Murray-Browne
"We were looking for a way to engage with the public which made them feel comfortable, but also increased the diversity of views we captured about outdoor artwork. The method James proposed moved away from the traditional survey to a more visually exciting way of capturing what the public thought. He quickly built rapport with the people he interacted with, and the 'feeling word' game allowed us to more easily move into a structured conversation, the data from which will help to build a case for increasing the number of outdoor sculptures in the region. It was a pleasure to work with James and I hope to work with him again soon."

Kate V Robertson, Co-Founder, Sculpture Placement Group
"James offers a fantastic product at a great value. He is prompt, thorough, and a delight to work with. I highly recommend his services to someone looking to get an edge on their PR."

Kenny Gray