About Komedia
Komedia Entertainment
Since opening as a small venue in a Brighton backstreet in 1994, Komedia has grown to become of the UK’s key comedy brands. In the top tier of live venue operators, with multi-award winning operations in Brighton and Bath, Komedia presents one of the largest, most diverse live arts and entertainment programmes in the UK.
From 2002 Komedia Entertainment has operated as a boutique production arm that has created numerous Edinburgh Fringe runs, national and international tours, alongside broadcast comedy for BBC1/2/3/CBBC and BBC Radio 4; resulting in Fringe First, Perrier, Sony Radio, British Comedy Award and BAFTA Award recognised comedy shows. Most notably the company has supported the development of leading character comedian Count Arthur Strong, overseeing the transition from Edinburgh Fringe cult status onto BBC Radio and TV.
Alongside live and broadcast productions, Komedia Entertainment operates as an entertainment consultancy for social ventures and community owned venues.
Richard Daws
Richard partnered with the Komedia arts and entertainment organisation in 2001 and formed Komedia Entertainment in the following year.
Prior to this Richard had co-founded an innovative production company, Victoria Real, whilst studying Communication Engineering in Leeds. Cutting his production teeth filming windsurfing events for ITV, the company veered into interactive media in 1994, becoming one of the UK’s fastest growing private companies and winning a string of industry awards for many TV and online projects – including the launch of one of the first online supermarkets in the UK and the industry shaping interactive broadcasting on Big Brother (C4). Richard personally won an Emmy Award in 1998 for Outstanding Editing of Stomp Out Loud (HBO) and he also edited a Classic Film Sequence for the 68th Oscars Ceremony. In his role as Chairman of Victoria Real he set-up their award-winning Australian business and the UK’s first MSc degree in Digital TV with the University of Brighton. In 2000 the Victoria Real founders sold the company to international production giant Endemol.
Richard has been the Executive Producer of Komedia Entertainment’s live and broadcast shows, is co-owner and Director of the Komedia Brighton venue and Chairman of Komedia Bath, business he led into full community ownership in 2019.
Drum
Drum has worked for over 40 years in the theatre and music business having cut his teeth in the early 80s working with a number of bands before making the lateral move into theatre and cabaret. For the last 10 years he has been running Astar Artes, an umbrella group incorporating a management company, live event co-ordinator, publishing house and record label with attached recording studio.
At Komedia Entertainment Drum is Keeper-of-the-Magic overseeing everything technical – he also is fully immersed in the production of live and broadcast shows and responsible for Komedia Entertainment’s online and released comedy content.
Kate Van Dike
Coming from a show business family, Kate’s own career in arts and entertainment began in the early 1980’s as a professional child actor. She trained in London and the US, and graduated with a BA honours degree in Drama and English. Part of her course was studying the art of stand up and clowning, which ultimately led to her specialising in comedy performance. Kate has worked with some world renowned companies, including the Natural Theatre Company as an impro comedian, and has written and performed in sell-out and critically acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe shows. In 1996 she reached the final stages of the BBC New Comedy Awards and went on to be a co-founder of a successful satirical sketch collective based at Brighton’s Komedia.
Kate’s professional life has been very varied, including managing a 5 star hotel’s health club, teaching children Drama and working as an actor guide at the BFI. In the early days there was, of course, a whole lot of waitressing. Kate was an excellent waitress. Kate returned to her home county of Devon in 2007 to raise a family.
Kate has a long relationship with Komedia, having written and performed in their Brighton venue for many years from 2000 and being a consultant for Komedia Entertainment since its inception.
About Komedia:
http://www.komedia.co.uk/about-us/
Komedia History:
http://www.komedia.co.uk/history/