Getting up to Funny Business

Members of the business community are swapping the meetings for the microphone at the first ever Comedy Souper Bowl.

Part of Hull Comedy Festival, brave individuals will each have a five-minute set in which to make their peers laugh, guffaw and chuckle. Funds raised will go to the Smile Foundation, supporting the Hull Memory Clinic, Hornsea Inshore Rescue and Sunshine House in 2011.

The full line-up includes some of Hull and East Yorkshire’s well-known business figures:

• Graham Jenkinson, Managing Director of Jenko Designs
• Graham Boanas, Managing Director of West 1
• Sam Whitaker, General Manager of Hull Esteem Consortium
• Gary Major, New Media Manager at H&H Agency
• Paul Hazel, Director of the Hypnotherapy Clinic
• Rob Penrose, Managing Partner of Andrew Jackson
• Steve Marsden, Managing Director of the Gargleblasters
• Rich Quelch, Marketing Manager of eskimosoup
• Colin Hart, Financial Controller of KMS Facilities Group

Rob Penrose, managing partner at Hull law firm Andrew Jackson, said:

"I am very keen to help the Smile Foundation in its work in supporting local Hull and East Riding charities. I am absolutely hopeless at telling jokes,and always forget the punch line. Doing something like this is completely outside my comfort zone, but it gives me a great opportunity to share my hopeless joke-telling abilities with many others. Why should I suffer in silence?"

Organiser John Gilbert, Marketing Director of eskimosoup, added:

“I think that the frightening reality is starting to set in now for some of the contestants. The thing is that they can only succeed; we are all going to raise money for a great cause and everyone wants to see these guys do well. Hopefully this will become an annual event and maybe next year we’ll get some ladies entering!”

The live final takes place from 7.30pm until 11pm on Friday 11^th November at Brantingham Park, Elloughton. Anyone is welcome to attend and show their support. Entry is free, though the Smile Foundation will be collecting donations on the night.

Remarkable Experiences up for Awards

Hull Comedy Festival and St Stephen’s Shopping Centre have been short listed for the region’s most “Remarkable Experience” at the Real East Yorkshire Tourism Awards.

Since it was formed in 2007, eskimosoup have run Hull Comedy Festival. It has grown to become Hull and East Riding’s largest ticketed festival and in 2010 achieved record-breaking sales at 95% of the target across over 40 shows.

eskimosoup also look after the PR and Events for St Stephens Shopping Centre in Hull and support the management team through their ongoing programme of social investment as well as being the region’s most stylish shopping hot spot.

This makes the vote even harder to choose between our very own side splitting Comedy Festival or one of our amazing local clients? You have the chance to make a difference! (We are not sure how rigorous their system is, though might be worth trying to vote for both???)

Click here to make your vote now.

The winner of this prestigious award will be announced and presented at the Bridlington Spa on March the 24th with an awards ceremony.

eskimosoup enjoy the funny side of things!

eskimosoup has unveiled the full programme of shows for the 2010 Hull Comedy Festival taking place throughout the city from 21 October to 8 November.

Sarah Millican, Ross Noble, Tommy Tiernan, Mark Watson, Russell Kane, and Milton Jones are amongst performers bringing comedy to Hull.

eskimosoup’s Marketing Director, John Gilbert, who is the founder and director of the festival makes no secret about being excited: “I know I’m biased, though as a fan of live comedy I really do think this year is something special. We’ve got more exciting stuff going on than ever before and I keep showing people the brochure because I’m so proud of what everyone has put together.

I’m actually quite gutted that I can’t be in two or three places at once on a few nights during the festival because there is so much great comedy to enjoy!

If you were to ask me to name just two or three, must see shows, I would probably implode.”

Now in its fourth year, Hull Comedy Festival began as a partnership between eskimosoup and Hull BID. The festival is run in partnership with St Stephen’s, KCFM and KC Colour Pages, along with the support of several other local businesses and volunteers.

It is estimated that the festival has contributed over £400,000 to the local economy over the past three years. Organisers forecast that this year’s festival will break previous records in terms of overall tickets sold and additional local spend generated.

The full line-up of shows is available at www.hullcomedy.co.uk or through the festival brochure which is available from Tourist Information Centres and will be distributed throughout the area between now and the beginning of the festival.

PS: As noted in a previous blog post, eskimosoup did try our hand at stand-up comedy at the recent Bridlington Comedy Festival. Whilst Shane and Phill wussed out, John and Chris braved through and whilst both raised lots of laughs they have been professionally advised to stick to the day job!

eskimosoup Talks Funny Business

eskimosoup’s John Gilbert will be speaking to audience of marketing professionals, to share with them the story of how we’ve grown Hull Comedy Festival to become Hull and East Yorkshire ’s largest ticketed festival.

Will he manage to cram 4 years work into a 30 minute presentation? Will his approach gain the respect of his fellow marketing professionals? Will he wander off from script with anecdotes about Fearne Cotton and Keith Chegwin?

The respective answers are: he better do, he really hopes he will, and he inevitably will!

Though to find out for sure book your place.

For further details and to book your place, click here

eskimosoup to run Bridlington Comedy Festival ... and Jimmy Carr to Headline!

Jimmy Carr has been unveiled as the headliner of the inaugural Bridlington Comedy Festival which rolls into town for one week at the end of July.

Festival organisers are delighted to have secured Jimmy Carr, one of the UK's top stand-up acts, to appear at the first festival. The 8 out of 10 Cats presenter will be performing at the Royal Hall, Bridlington Spa on Tuesday 27th July. Tickets are priced at £22.50 each and available from the Bridlington Spa box office.

Bridlington Comedy Festival will take place from 24th to 31st July. It is presented by East Riding of Yorkshire Council events with Bridlington Spa, and being driven by Hull-based creative marketing team eskimosoup.

Organisers aim to create an annual festival where acts and audiences travel to Bridlington for their fix of comedy and fun.

Originated by Ian Rayner, Tourism Unit Manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the festival looks set to further establish Bridlington Spa as a major and nationally renowned entertainment venue, as well as provide local people and businesses with a boost and another reason to proud of their town.

Mr Rayner approached eskimosoup to drive the marketing of the festival having observed how they had grown Hull Comedy Festival to become the region's largest ticketed festival.

John Gilbert, marketing director of eskimosoup, said: "We are excited to help make Bridlington's first comedy festival happen. There is so much potential to make this a destination festival because as a town, Brid is geared up for hosting entertainers and touring shows.

We are still in the early stages of putting it all together, though already people are coming forward with some cracking and unusual ideas."

Mr Gilbert is hoping to work with bars, hotels, clubs and restaurants in the town to build up a wider offering of live comedy. Anyone wanting to get involved in the festival is invited to get in touch by emailing info@eskimosoup.co.uk or calling 01482 223866

Further acts appearing at Bridlington Comedy Festival are set to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

More information is available from www.facebook.com/bridcomedy.

A dedicated website developed by eskimosoup will launch in early April 2010.

Hulls funniest face

Funny Face?

It used to be a derogatory remark to say that you have a funny face, if you’ve had it said to you, now’s your chance to bag yourself £250 in your sky rocket.

We’ve been working with St Stephens to create the competition for Hulls Funniest Face. All you have to do is turn up at St Stephens and give us a good old gurn. We’re going to create a montage of the best funnies and select the winner at the comedy awards on the 7th of November.

To be in for a chance to win the £250 worth of vouchers pop along to St Stephens on the following dates Thursday 29th October - 5pm - 8pm, Friday 30th October - 12pm - 4pm,
Saturday 31st October - 11am - 3pm, Sunday 1st November - 12pm - 4pm.

Don’t forget to bring your funny face.