Customer Stories: Katie Hurley at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Katie Hurley is a dynamic performer who brought her show, “You’re SO F**king Croydon!” to the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Known for its eclectic mix of performances and buzzing atmosphere, the festival is a vibrant hub where artists showcase their talents to audiences from around the globe. Katie made her mark at the Underbelly Cowgate venue this year with a fresh and bold performance.

Newsflash: comedians are attention seekers!

Edinburgh Fringe Festival is an event unlike any other, with over 3,700 shows vying for attention. In such a saturated market, standing out is no small feat. With a smaller budget than many other performers, Katie needed to make a big impact with her marketing to draw in crowds. She and her director took on the challenge of flyering themselves, while many others hired teams for promotion. Katie’s goal was clear: rise above the noise and attract festival-goers to her show.

Katie needed eye-catching and effective promotional materials to draw attention to her performance and engage directly with potential audiences. This included flyers for distribution, posters for visibility around the venue, and innovative tools that would make her stand out amidst the sea of flyers and posters that flood the festival.

Standing out with Solopress

Katie turned to Solopress to help her stand out at the Fringe. As a returning customer, she knew she could rely on Solopress for high-quality print materials and quick turnaround times.

How we helped: 

• Flyers and Posters: We produced 4,000 A5 flyers on 200gsm silk and 30 A3 posters on 170gsm silk. These were essential for Katie’s day-to-day flyering activities and maintaining visibility around the venue. 

• Custom Signage: To give Katie an extra edge, we created custom-shaped Foamex signs, which were used to build a unique sandwich board. This became a mobile advertisement that Katie could wear while flyering, helping her stand out and directly engage with passers-by. 

• Stickers for Engagement: We designed custom-shaped sticker sheets that highlighted positive reviews and audience feedback. These stickers became a fun and interactive way for festival-goers to connect with Katie’s show, making her promotional materials even more memorable. 

• Solopress Design Service: Our design team worked closely with Katie to ensure all materials adhere to the venue’s strict branding guidelines while still conveying her show’s edgy and unique personality.

The promo pays off

The response was fantastic. Katie’s innovative approach to flyering, combined with the high-quality materials from Solopress, allowed her to create a buzz around her show. The custom sandwich board, in particular, caught the eye of both audiences and reviewers:

“The Solopress guys even noticed my struggle with flyering during the festival and sent me a sandwich board covered in fairy lights, which turned heads and had people asking for flyers by the end!”

Katie’s engaging and bold presence, aided by the sandwich board, prompted people to ask her for flyers—a complete role reversal!

Out of thousands of performances, Katie’s show was one of the three shortlisted by a reviewer, showcasing just how impactful her promotional strategy was. The combination of creative thinking and top-notch print materials helped Katie meet succeed in one of the most competitive arts environments in the world.

Katie has the last laugh

The response to Katie’s show was overwhelmingly positive. Her innovative approach to flyering, paired with Solopress’s high-quality materials, generated significant buzz. Katie spoke highly of her collaboration with Solopress:

“Working with Solopress has been a dream. From day one, Jane, Matt, and the team brought innovative ideas to help me stand out at the highly competitive Edinburgh Fringe. Their bold prints and creative solutions, made a real difference. Their support has been incredible, with quick turnaround times and thoughtful extras, like stickers with audience and reviewer quotes. Solopress is efficient, friendly, and truly goes above and beyond. I can’t recommend them enough!”

And she’s not even joking. Out of thousands of performances, Katie’s show achieved a runners-up spot in the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence, granting her a coveted slot to perform at the Brighton Fringe.

Looking beyond the Fringe

Katie’s success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival highlights how impactful excellent print materials can be, especially when combined with creativity and a personal touch. Solopress is proud to have been a part of her journey and looks forward to supporting Katie in future projects. We love helping our customers shine, no matter how big or small their stage.