Civil Disobedience Productions

Civil Disobedience is an artist and event management producing house, with a passion for supporting world class acts in finding their place within the UK market, and internationally.

We tailor bespoke service packages – including anything from producing and programming, to PR and marketing – for solo artists and companies of all sizes.

Civil Disobedience Productions was established in 2016 by former Fringe Society staffer, Barry Church-Woods, who brings with him eight years of insider experience, and a smorgasbord of producing credits on hit shows.

He’s widely regarded for his in-depth industry knowledge, as well as his work in supporting festival-wide strategy in engagement, inclusion and sustainability.

For artists though, he was 'Barry, the Venues & Companies Manager, who hosted the Roadshow series and provided pastoral care, as well as crisis support for those in the thick of it'.

Barry is a native Scotsman, and has been working in festival, arts and event management for the past 20 years.

Prior to his role with the Fringe Society, he worked as a consultant for the Scottish Government, a Cultural Coordinator for Fife Council and an arts manager for local authorities throughout Scotland.

As an artist he was one of East Lothian Council’s Artists in Residence and Artistic Director of 'The Art of Love Festival' in Fife. He's also worked as an actor, director and producer since 1995.

He’s currently developing 'Unf*ck Yourself', a performance art essay he wrote on equality, and 'Periscope My Suicide', a solo show about cyber bullying.

In 2010 he started 'The Big C', responsible for staging the annual 'Big Comedy Gala' in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Since leaving the Fringe Society, he’s produced three hit shows and has a current portfolio that includes a number of world-class productions. Check them out here.

Read Barry's top 3 tips for making the most of your festival expierence.

Josef Church-Woods is a Swedish Kiwi living in Edinburgh.

He’s been working in marketing, communications and content creation for over 15 years.

He is currently on contract with Yard, an award-winning UK digital agency providing expert consultancy around content, search and innovation.

After completing a postgrad in Journalism, Joe started working in PR and project delivery for the UK seafood industry.

He then took on a contract as Communications Manager with Stonewall Scotland – a charity promoting equality for the LGBT community.

He managed the central marketing function for the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce from 2008-2011, before moving onto marketing, content and digital projects with commercial brands, including TUI Travel and Diet Chef.

Joe has extensive experience of writing all sorts of copy; from features, news articles and news releases, to blog posts, search engine optimised website copy and social media content.

He’s also spent his fair share of time managing online communities, and mapping out content plans.

Guest speaker

Louise Oliver