About — Opening Lines

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

"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