Primal Creative was engaged to shape and amplify the venue’s official launch, with a clear objective: position Brisbane Comedy Cellar as a cultural turning point for the city, with the spotlight on the opening gala that would draw major talent and media attention.

Reimagining Brisbane’s Comedy Scene

The launch of Brisbane Comedy Cellar marked more than the opening of a new venue – it signalled a milestone moment for Brisbane’s live comedy culture. An intimate, 60-seat underground room dedicated to stand-up, live music and sharp, smart nights out, the Cellar set out to reimagine what a comedy space could be in the city.

At the heart of the campaign was the Brisbane Comedy Cellar Launch Gala, hosted by Matt Okine and featuring Harley Breen, Dusty Rich and Ting Lim, with proceeds supporting Grow The Music. The aim was to attract big names, anchor the venue’s credibility from day one, and create a defining moment that declared Brisbane’s thriving comedy scene deserved a permanent home.

Across the launch phase, Primal delivered a targeted public relations and media strategy designed to elevate the Cellar beyond a venue announcement and into a broader cultural conversation about small rooms, live performance and creative community.

The result was strong earned media coverage across radio, digital and arts platforms, positioning Brisbane Comedy Cellar as a bold new player in Australia’s live performance landscape.

Here’s what we looked after….

  • Media Strategy

Developing a launch narrative that framed Brisbane Comedy Cellar as a milestone for the local comedy ecosystem, tapping into national conversations around the decline of small venues and the importance of intimate performance spaces.

  • Launch Development

Working closely with the promoter to shape the Brisbane Comedy Cellar Launch Gala as a cultural moment – securing headline comedians, aligning with Grow The Music, and positioning the night as a celebration of comedy, music and community.

  • Copywriting & Positioning

Crafting media releases, pitch materials and Q&As that articulated Brisbane Comedy Cellar’s unique blend of live music, experimental comedy and premium showcase nights — ensuring consistency across press, listings and editorial features.

  • Media Relations

Across the launch phase, Primal delivered a targeted public relations and media strategy designed to elevate the Cellar beyond a venue announcement and into a broader cultural conversation about small rooms, live performance and creative community.

Our Approach

  • Strategy First, Always

    Taking the time to deeply interrogate audience behaviour, ticketing data and cultural trends set the foundation for every creative and media decision. This upfront strategic investment ensured content wasn’t just eye-catching - it was precisely timed, sharply targeted, and built to convert curiosity into attendance.

  • Storytelling Over Selling

    Rather than relying on hard promotional messaging alone, the campaign leaned into artist stories, community narratives and industry conversation. This narrative-led approach elevated BIGSOUND from an event to an ecosystem — creating emotional buy-in across both consumer and industry audiences.

  • Platform-Native Creativity

    Creative was built for how people actually consume content — not how brands want to present it. Social-first video, short-form artist features and platform-specific edits ensured content felt native, dynamic and highly shareable across Meta, TikTok, YouTube and partner platforms.

  • Precision Meets Scale

    By pairing broad national media partnerships with tightly optimised paid digital activity, the campaign achieved both cultural presence and performance efficiency — delivering sustained momentum from announcement through to event week without creative or audience fatigue.

Campaign Highnotes

  • People sitting around tables playing cards at an event.

    Connections That Count

    We developed two defining campaign mantras — Connections That Count and Australia’s Loudest Week in Music — positioning BIGSOUND as more than a festival or conference, but a movement grounded in genuine connection, collaboration, and the energy of Australia’s contemporary music ecosystem.

  • A man being interviewed by a woman at the Rolling Stone Australia event, with the Rolling Stone Australia sign and greenery in the background.

    Pitch-perfect Media Partnerships

    The 2025 partnership program achieved:

    + 5M+ national impressions
    + $165K+ in combined media value
    + A strong mix of returning and new publishers
    + Expanded editorial storytelling and social-first content
    + Consistent, high-visibility BIGSOUND branding across broadcast, print, digital and social

  • Concert scene with a band performing on stage lit with purple and blue lights, audience members standing and watching in front of the stage.

    Big Reach. Bigger Energy.

    The BIGSOUND 2025 digital campaign hit harder, travelled further and converted smarter than ever - delivering 4.4M+ impressions, a 60% surge in clicks, and the strongest engagement performance to date. With TikTok lighting up with a 3.45% CTR and Meta anchoring performance at scale, the campaign proved that when strategy, creative and momentum align, the results don’t just grow — they bloom.

Primal Creative was engaged to oversee and deliver a suite of four key video hype reels aligned with major campaign milestones, designed to amplify BIGSOUND’s 2025 brand narrative and drive engagement across paid, organic, and event channels.

Lights On. Cameras Up. Artists Elevated.

The Final Crescendo

The BIGSOUND 2025 Wrap Video was crafted as an emotional, high-energy tribute to the week that was — celebrating the people, performances and moments that defined Australia’s loudest week in music. Built entirely from on-ground footage coordinated by Primal Creative and shot by Dojo Media, the edit wove together keynote highlights from Tash Sultana, Darcus Beese and Dave Rowntree, electrifying showcase performances, and the streets of Fortitude Valley transformed by music. Layered with authentic vox pops from artists, delegates and fans, the video now stands as both a powerful legacy piece and a forward-looking statement of BIGSOUND’s energy, connection and cultural impact.

BIGSOUND By Night

To extend the lifespan of the BIGSOUND program and showcase emerging artists beyond the three-day event, Primal Creative conceptualised, produced and delivered BIGSOUND By Night - a live-performance content series, shot across multiple venues with multi-cam capture, professionally mixed audio and polished post-production.


Outcome: The BIGSOUND By Night series supports artist careers, delivers lasting storytelling beyond the festival week and reinforces BIGSOUND’s role in global music discovery.