Hi Olga!
First off, how did you hear about Arts Emergency?
I think it was during lockdown, I saw Josie Long posting about Arts Emergency and I thought that it was an incredible initiative. I’m also just a huge fan of all things Josie Long! So, I knew she wouldn't steer anyone wrong - she's a pretty great source of bringing great people into the organisation and an inspiration.
What made you decide to fund raise in support of our work in addition to donating?
In the past couple of years at my gigs, I’ve tried to fundraise for organisations that I believe in because I think whatever platform you have, you should probably use it for good or for whatever you stand for no matter what. That probably sounds a little sanctimonious, but it's just that I acknowledge that while touring I have a literal platform - the stage - so I want to use it to highlight organisations I care about. And whenever I get bigger platforms, like Mastermind, I try to keep that going.
Also, I'd say that specifically at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, there's the idea of a bucket speech when performers ask people to donate money - it’s sort of built into the festival, there’s an expectation that it will happen at gigs. I was fortunate enough to be making enough money last year at my Fringe show to be able to donate my buckets and I was very happy to donate my bucket to Arts Emergency.
Don't ever underestimate the power of a little shout out!
- Olga Koch
How did you find the experience of fundraising for Arts Emergency?
It was a really smooth process - it's really easy and a good thing to do especially at Edinburgh Festival Fringe where donation buckets are already part of it.
You just have to put your own spin on it. I built in a little gag into my show about how the FBI is watching you through a webcam so I encourage people to donate and if they didn't the FBI would find out! So you can make it fun, put a little flare on it, but genuinely, it is so so easy.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about fundraising for Arts Emergency?
It's so easy and it costs you nothing in terms of money or effort. With the amount of social media features that we have, whether you're tweeting a post or putting it on your story, it's a matter of literally sharing a link. The bar to fundraise is so low, there's no excuse not to do it.
Maybe people feel intimidated because they think if they're not performing in a huge gala at the Comedy Store or at the Royal Albert Hall, it doesn't count. But I think, especially with charities that are as grassroots as Arts Emergency, sharing the link on socials or a mention on a podcast goes a really long way.
Every little helps - people definitely underestimate that. Going back to your first question you asked me is how I found out about Arts Emergency and I said I saw a tweet from Josie Long. It wasn’t some huge flashy campaign on a London bus. It was someone I trusted and really really liked talking about it and I thought, "huh, I'm going to check that out." Don't ever underestimate the power of a little shout out!
That’s proof of concept for us as well. A lot of our fundraising and our connections have come through exactly that and it proves the point about networking and how important it is.
Is there any advice that you would give to someone just starting out in comedy today?
I think my number one piece of advice for everybody in comedy is always to see as much comedy as you can. You get into comedy because you love it. So, it really upsets me when people stop seeing comedy or get bored of it because seeing other people do comedy, especially different genres from you, is the thing that inspires me the most and is really helpful because it reminds you of why you love it and why you got into it in the first place. It's not just a job, it's a passion, too.
How do you think Arts Emergency’s work can have an impact on industries like yours?
What is crucial about what Arts Emergency does and what goes hand-in-hand with my advice about getting into the industry is, it's so much about people and the connections you make. ‘Networking’ is like a dirty word and I think over time the word itself has become associated with ‘corporate speak' and has an implication of using people for professional gain. But the connections that you make, the friendships that you form, the collaborations that you establish are probably the most important part of getting into and progressing in comedy.
The fact that Arts Emergency is helping people meet industry professionals is extremely important because so much of this industry, like any freelance industry, is about knowing the ‘right’ people and the connections you make.
We're very much on board with the reclaiming networking from a LinkedIn post!
Finally, Arts Emergency exists to redistribute opportunity, information and useful connections. What would you most like to see redistributed in comedy from how they are currently set up?
Well, speaking as a person who comes from immense privilege, I think one of the biggest things that needs redistributing in comedy and creative industries generally, is access - access to information, opportunities, and networks. Right now, so much of the industry runs on informal, legacy structures that benefit people with existing connections - whether that’s through family, the ‘right’ schools and unis, or simply being based in London. These things open doors in ways that aren’t always obvious.
Because comedy is a freelance industry, a lot of the knowledge you need isn’t written down or openly shared - it’s picked up through experience, conversations, or being in the right rooms at the right time. It’s a steep learning curve for anyone but much less so for people who don't come from privilege where it can feel completely impenetrable.
If someone is exposed to an industry from a younger age they can hit the ground running when they’re ready to enter into it or there’s people whose families have money so they can afford to do a bunch of free work because they don't need financial security from their creative work to begin with. Or there's people who live in London so they don't need to commute to do a five minute spot at an open mic.
There are just as talented if not more talented people who don't have the access, who didn't get to fast-track, who didn't get to be in the right place at the right time or the chance to develop that talent in the first place
- Olga Koch
I really dislike when the debate becomes about talent. When people hear that someone came from privilege, the defence is usually, “Well, they’re very talented” so it’s fine. And sure - they might be. But that’s not the point. There are just as talented if not more talented people who don't have the access, who didn't get to fast-track, who didn't get to be in the right place at the right time or the chance to develop that talent in the first place. It’s not about tearing down those who have succeeded - it's about giving everyone who's talented that opportunity. And that’s what Arts Emergency does - give people a fair shot.
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today Olga!
If you’d like to fundraise for Arts Emergency, get in touch here.