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For the past five years, Cause UK has been the PR partner of the crime writing convention, CrimeFest. Organisers decided this May would host the final after 17 years, since…
For the past five years, Cause UK has been the PR partner of the crime writing convention, CrimeFest.
Organisers decided this May would host the final after 17 years, since CrimeFest first began as an off-shoot of the American Left Coast Crime convention.
Sponsored by Specsavers, it was different to any other festival we’d worked with in the past – particularly in the crime writing genre.
Inclusivity is built into its model – open to all – with Community Passes (sponsored by Specsavers) offering huge discounts for those on benefits, to students, schools, and public librarians.
Anchored by a handful of invited big name guest authors, it offered a unique mix of emerging talent, inspired readers, new blood, and the established old guard.
It meant it was harder to promote in some ways than those festivals choc-a-bloc with big names and back-to-back household names, but it was more fulfilling to do so – and the team behind it – Adrian Muller and Donna Moore, and all the volunteers who worked behind the scenes – are a joy to work with too.
Highlights over the years include features in Crime Scene magazine, headline authors on the cover of The Bristol Magazine, features in Bristol Life, news stories in the Radio Times, features in the Daily Express, The Guardian (x 2 Books of my Life slots), Sunday Mail, Best magazine, Asian Express, and Prospect magazine.
We had authors on BBC Bristol, on ITV West Country news, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 4’s Good Read, on Robert Murphy’s award-winning podcast, the Telegraph, and an incredible three-page feature in The Observer after journalist Tim Adams accepted an invite to the challenge: how many crime writers does it take to solve a murder?
The final festival (in it’s current form) was a huge success, featuring friends of CrimeFest, the phenomenal Lee and Andrew Child, the effervescent, warm and kind Cathy Ace, and the mercurial Mark Gatiss.
It’s a place where friendships are made, writers are inspired, and one or two have even had career-transforming encounters, such as the author Cathy Ace who met TV producer, Barry Ryan one year. Her books are now in production with his company, Free@Last TV starring Eve Myles.
Barry has decided that something as good as CrimeFest needs to continue in one shape or other.
Watch this space …