About me

Kayla McAvinney is a comedy publicist and events professional specialising in live comedy, festivals and talent development.

She is currently Press Office Manager at Just the Tonic Edinburgh, one of the Edinburgh Fringe's largest comedy venues, where she oversees press operations across multiple venues and works directly with performers, journalists, reviewers and industry professionals throughout the festival. In short, she spends most of August making sure the right people end up in the right rooms at the right time.

Her experience spans publicity campaigns, media relations, festival press management, social media strategy and live event promotion. Over the course of her career, she has worked with hundreds of comedians, from debut performers bringing their first show to Edinburgh through to established acts touring nationally.

Alongside her venue work, Kayla supports comedians, festivals and live entertainment projects with publicity and strategic communications, helping clients raise their profile, build audiences and navigate an increasingly crowded comedy landscape.

Particularly interested in emerging talent, she is passionate about helping performers access professional publicity support at all stages of their careers.

Having spent years working around stand-ups, sketch acts and comedy creators, Kayla has developed a strong appreciation for the craft, a healthy respect for anyone willing to test new material in public, and a firm belief that the most interesting voices in comedy are often the ones nobody has discovered yet.

Originally from Ireland, Kayla works across the UK and Irish comedy industries. Despite spending most of her working life around comedians, she remains convinced she has chosen the correct side of the microphone.