Building a global reputation for the world's festival for over a decade

WOMAD: World of Music, Arts and Dance

Borkowski’s initial role was to create media fanfare for this global festival, increase box office, maintain its global reputation and to give WOMAD a unique voice within the saturated UK festival market despite a line-up of relatively unknown artists and no headliners.
 

Story

We have done this by creating news from these global artists’ extraordinary backstories, previously undiscovered musical talents, and the urgent issues and themes that arise from their music. In recent years we’ve helped the festival itself hit headlines with stories on the refugee crisis, Brexit and the ongoing climate emergency. We also modernised and refreshed the festival’s presence in the mainstream music media using intensive media relations. 
 
Over 12 years working for WOMAD, we have grown festival attendance from c.20k to sell-out (c.40k) over that period, earned the festival its status as one of the UK’s best, and brought previously unknown artists to the mainstream.

Impact Highlights

“Womad is embedded into British festival culture, flying the flags of a musical multiculturalism that is about breaking down barriers and building new relationships. It’s not something you want to lose”

“Not many festivals can claim legendary status but this is probably the most important celebration of world music.”

“Womad has emphatically established itself as a festival of transatlantic cultural exploration and discovery”

“…a festival of eclectic delights”

“..a knock-out celebration of global sounds”

“music from this world and far out galaxies…there was as much cutting-edge electronica on the bill as traditional music, with the most exciting acts borrowing from both.” i “The world-music institution”

“WOMAD is about going off-map to make discoveries”

 
   
     
500+
pieces of
coverage
   
 
   
     
100+
interviews conducted
onsite
   
 
   
     
230media onsite
   
 
   
     
75+broadcast
   
 
 
   
     
                     
   
 

See more work