Emily Markoe's Edinburgh Debut
The brief
Emily Markoe - an actor, writer, and comedian from Los Angeles, made her Edinburgh debut with the dark comedy solo show My Little Phobia. This performance told the story of her mental health journey. The goal was to secure at least one review to use for future festivals and attract a millennial and Gen Z audience.
Our role
We started by advising Emily on the visual identity for the show - aiming to create a buzz around her phobia while keeping the details under cover. Our main aim was to pull in reviewers for her Edinburgh performance on a very tight schedule.
To help fill the venue, we created a list of VIPs from the media and relevant awards to invite. We also reached out to local charities like Health in Mind, and encouraged them to check out the show.
We wanted to secure advance press coverage, reviews, and to get podcast features. We used event listing sites and did lots of research to find relevant media contacts, reaching out with fun meme-style visuals linked to the show's story.
Awards
Poster
The result
My Little Phobia received fantastic reviews and several award nominations.
It was nominated for the 3rd Neurodiverse Review Awards, and the show poster was recognised by the Comedy Poster Awards (British Comedy Guide). Emily was also interviewed by The Edinburgh Reporter as part of a feature with our other American clients. The show received five reviews from outlets including Theatre Scotland, Wee Review, and The Scotsman. The VIP invites proved worthwhile, with representatives from a London studio theatre and the indie production company behind The Masked Singer UK attending and now discussing potential future projects with Emily.
Press coverage
Testimonial
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