Making Creativity Pay

“My show Church is about my story as a former mega church pastor, now queer, happy person. and it's about queerness, life, faith, finding, faith in humanity again. It features live music, it runs like a church service, it's at twelve forty, so it could be your first show of the day. Start the day with church and then go on about the festival.”

Latest episode is with comedian Brit Barron about her upcoming fringe Show Church.

We talk about how her experience as a mega church pastor was the starting point for the show, how Fringe prep is currently the equivalent of a part time job and the experience of getting a Fringe show up and running for someone who is based in the US and has never been to Fringe previously. 

We also talk about her other experiences including publishing non-fiction books, having a TED talk and performing at Netflix is a Joke.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britbarron/  

Fringe Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/brit-barron-church 

Crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.com/p/church-2  

TED Talk: https://youtu.be/fDzj9vRw5yM?si=FZ4y67NiUTPuw1-k 

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/ 

“I have to do the fringe because I have to do a show, I'm telling myself it is better that I do like, God forbid, it's better to have a one star show that you do than a show that does not exist that in your mind has four stars or five stars.

Like you just have to do the thing. Because otherwise, you know, I'm not a natural jumping off the cliff kind of thing. I'm naturally really risk averse, but I just have to do a show. It's like something in me”

Latest episode is with comedian Davina Bentley

Davina is currently preparing for the Edinburgh Fringe where she is performing her show ‘Dancing While Old’, we talk about why this year is the right year to debut, and moving away from a legal career to focus on comedy.

We also talk about building a social media presence and creating comedy both online and for radio.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/davinabentleycomedy/ 

Fringe Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/davina-bentley-dancing-while-old    

Episode Image:  https://www.instagram.com/bekor_/ 

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/

“I've gigged at Comedy Nights as the spotlight character, I do a lot of just straight Stand Up nights and I'll be like the character act. And I think often it's great, but there's always an adjustment of , okay, this is something slightly different.

And I think if I'm being an inanimate object, it's like, not only is the audience having to go from straight stand up to a character, they're going like, okay, this guy's doing something weird and he's also not a human.”

Latest episode is with actor and comedian Hamish Lloyd Barnes

Hamish is currently preparing for the Edinburgh Fringe where he is performing his show ‘Stage Presence’, we talk about the show’s development both with work in progress and sometimes being the only character comedian on a stand up line up 

We also talk about the logistics of playing multiple characters and his experience as a finalist in this years Leicester Square Theatre Sketch-Off. 

Website: https://www.hamishlloydbarnes.com/ 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/hamishlb123/  

Fringe Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/hamish-lloyd-barnes-stage-presence    

Episode Image: https://www.instagram.com/bekor_/

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/ 

“Everybody says that the best person to flyer your show is yourself. And that's true apart from when it's me. I'm really bad at flyering. I'm someone who wears their emotions on their sleeve quite a lot, people can tell that I'm not enjoying myself when I'm flyering.  When you're trying to get yourself in the mindset for a show and be positive, there are better ways to prep for that than being rejected 150 times by people saying, are you funny though? Are you funny? We'll come if you are”

Latest episode is with comedian Richard Stott.

Richard is currently preparing for the Edinburgh Fringe where he is performing his show ‘Streets won’t forget’, we talk about nightmare reviews, bad flyering experiences and a lot of good experiences too such as reaching the final of the UK pun championship.

We also talk about how his day job and comedy experience combine creating social media content for organisations.

Website: https://www.textualhealing.co.uk/richard-stott-thpr-2026   

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/the_rstott 

Fringe Tickets:  https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/richard-stott-streets-won-t-forget 

Episode Image: Andy Heathcote https://www.instagram.com/andyheathcote/ 

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/ 

“I was hoping to do [Edinburgh Fringe] and I didn't get anywhere that I wanted. In my mind, I'm like, I’ve got to be at the good venue. It's got to be worth the time and the effort. I'm not doing it for the love of the art. I could go to Droitwich Spa for the love of the art.”

Latest episode is with harpist and performer Sam Hickman

Sam is currently taking her current show First Woman around the country with a view to taking to the Fringe in 2027, we talk about First Woman, her previous show Sexy Rude Harp Concert and about finishing third in the 2026 Musical Comedy Awards.

We also talk about social media promotion and how sometimes less polished is better.

Website:  https://sam-hickman.com/ 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/samhickmanmusic 

Tickets: https://linktr.ee/samhickmanmusic 

Episode Image: Rhian Dixon

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/ 

“It started off with a lot of Zoom calls. I was in Sydney and of course TJ is in New York. 

I've done two productions in the UK in 2025 and 2024. And both times the way I've kind of approached it was mostly through online Zoom meetings where I would put up a casting call. We'd get a lot of applicants and I'd get self tapes coming in and then I do meetups with them online to get a sense of how they were to perform. And this play was about two months worth of auditions that we went through.”

This episode is with playwright TJ Elliot of Knowledge Workings Theatre and Liviu Monsted of Mon Sans Productions.

We talk about their show ‘Retrospective’ which is on at Barons Court Theatre in London until 23rd May, the London Pub Theatre scene and how it compares with other locations such as Off-Broadway.

We talk about casting a show that crosses three continents as well as promoting the show through traditional methods and Social Media.

Knowledge Workings Theatre: https://www.instagram.com/knowledgeworkingstheater/ 

Mon Sans Productions: https://www.instagram.com/monsansproductions/ 

Show Details: https://knowledgeworkings.wpcomstaging.com/retrospective-at-barons-court-may-14-23-2026-2/ 

Tickets: https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/retrospective 

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/

“I was invited to go to this theatre in Wolverhampton and I'm always a little bit nervous about going to places where I'm not entirely sure how the show is going to land…and it ended up just being such a fun show and the audience was so giving and so generous. 

That kind of restored my faith in humanity a little bit because these people who had probably just seen it in a brochure had just taken a chance on it. 

And I think sometimes you get into this bubble that it's, either you do it in Edinburgh or London and then regional touring is a waste of time but I have such a different view on it.” 

Latest episode is with Comedian Rosalie Minnitt

We talk about her character creation Clementine and Clementine’s Valentine’s Day show on Radio 4 as well as the differences between playing Clementine on stage and on Radio.

We also discuss Rosalie’s experience of the Edinburgh Fringe as well as the challenges and joys of taking Clementine on tour at theatres across the country.

Website: https://rosalieminnitt.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosalieminnitt/ 

Live Shows: https://linktr.ee/rosalieminnitt 

Clementine Valentine’s Day Special on Radio 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002rdb9 

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/ 

Latest episode is with Geoff Rowe of the Live Comedy Association

We talk about the first Live Comedy Day which takes place on April 1st as well as the wider aims of the Live Comedy Association in both acting as a network for the industry and also acting as a united front for the industry when dealing with the government.

We also discuss the Live Comedy Survey conducted by Brunel University on the Live Comedy Sector as well as comparison with organisations in other sectors such as the Music Venue Trust.

Live Comedy Day:  https://livecomedyday.co.uk/ 

Live Comedy Association: https://livecomedyassociation.co.uk/ 

Comedy Sector Survey: https://livecomedyassociation.co.uk/comedy-survey 

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/ 

"It's a small town girls misadventures in Hollywood. And it is both poignant and funny. I think of the essays as like crepes. They're kind of like individually snackable, but collectively filling.

What I love about the essay format is it's kind of propulsive and you move through it with the momentum that I really appreciate as a reader. And so I wanted to write the book that way."

- Author and Podcaster Courtney Kocak, we talk about her upcoming book Girl Gone Wild, a memoir based on a series of essays covering “Tales of ambition, delusion, drugs, sex, and misogyny... including selling T-shirts on the Girls Gone Wild bus”

As well as the book we also talk about Courtney’s varied career, from performing as a stand-up, writing for an animated comedy show as well as her extensive career in podcasting including her show Private Parts Unknown which has had over 2 million downloads and her newsletter Podcast Bestie which is full of ways to make the most of your podcast.

Website:  https://www.courtneykocak.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneykocak/ 

Girl Gone Wild: 

US: https://bookshop.org/p/books/girl-gone-wild-courtney-kocak/ 

UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/girl-gone-wild-courtney-kocak/18ae2cd0ad59de93 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrivatePartsUnknown 

Private Parts Unknown Podcast: https://pod.link/1154304419 

The Bleeders Podcast: https://pod.link/1628014529 

Podcast Bestie Substack: https://podcastbestie.substack.com/welcome 

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/

“I'm telling all my artists to go on LinkedIn. It's like a nice frontier.”

Latest episode is with Artist and author of 'Artpreneur' Miriam Schulman.

We talk about her giving up working in Financial Services to focus full time on her art, we also talk about the process of getting her book Artpreneur made and published as well as The Inspiration Place Podcast which has just had it’s 400th Episode and how even the business side of things engages her creativity.

Website:  https://www.schulmanart.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schulmanart/ 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/schulmanart 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@schulmanart 

The Inspiration Place Podcast

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/27RvGQBHdUorqSTPNri2cA 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-inspiration-place/id1431934450 

Find More about ‘Making Creativity Pay’

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingcreativitypay/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjbarnett/ 

Making Creativity Pay Newsletter: https://makingcreativitypay.substack.com/