Following a series of competitive pitches, Common State has announced a suite of new client wins across the arts, music, major events and digital gaming sectors, alongside senior appointments.
The agency, based in Melbourne with offices in Sydney and soon Brisbane, has been appointed publicity partner for two of Australia’s most significant cultural organisations: Brisbane Festival—Australia’s largest annual arts event—and Fed Square, Melbourne’s iconic civic and creative precinct, as well as Palace Foreshore, the seaside live music venue that hosted sold-out summer shows from Fontaines D.C., Magdalena Bay, Denzel Curry and more.
The Brisbane Festival appointment cements Common State’s leadership in major cultural events, with the agency now overseeing PR for Victoria and Sydney’s flagship international arts festivals, RISING and Sydney Festival, as well as Melbourne International Film Festival, ALWAYS LIVE (Victoria’s statewide celebration of contemporary music), the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and Melbourne Writers Festival.
Additionally, Superstate—the agency’s recently launched gaming spin-off—has been appointed by Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI, to lead a wide-reaching creator and influencer engagement strategy for Game Worlds, the museum’s upcoming major exhibition exploring the evolution and impact of video games. The appointment follows Superstate’s recent success delivering PR for The Sims 25th birthday celebrations at the museum in partnership with EA.
“Common State was founded on the belief that culture drives everything—and that the most exciting stories emerge where art, entertainment and technology intersect,” said Common State managing director, Luke McKinnon. “These senior appointments and partnerships reflect the scale of that ambition. We’re proud to be working with some of the most innovative organisations and artists in the country, and building a national team that doesn’t just follow culture, but helps define where it’s going.”
The wins mark a new phase of national expansion for the agency, which has become synonymous with high-impact, culturally attuned communications across the visual and performing arts, film and television, digital games, music, major events, and the consumer brands looking to tap into that cultural insight and engagement. They build on a growing client roster that includes Bacardi-Martini Australia, Melbourne International Film Festival, Palace Foreshore, Rialto Distribution, Xavier Wine, RISING, Sydney Festival, Rone, YouTube, VicScreen, MWFF, Nick Thomm, Malthouse Theatre, Wall to Wall, Melbourne Writers Festival, The Wheeler Centre, and more.
To support its growing national remit, Common State has restructured its senior publicity leadership. Long-time team member Charly Binney has been promoted from Senior Account Manager to the newly created role of Head of Entertainment, where she will focus on expanding the agency’s screen, film, and television portfolio. Binney brings experience from previous roles at Universal Pictures and the globally renowned film and entertainment communications agency, DDA.
Tierney Kelman and Jadan Carroll have stepped into newly defined roles as Head of Lifestyle and Head of Arts & Culture respectively, with Carroll continuing in his role as Co-Managing Partner of Superstate, whilst Alice Lewinsky remains as Communications Director overseeing the strategic management and direction of the entire team.
Alongside this, the publicity team has expanded with the appointment of Georgia Fox as Senior Account Manager, bringing more than 15 years’ experience across theatre, festivals, film and live performance. Her previous roles include Senior Publicist at Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company, and she has led publicity for some of Australia’s most high profile productions including Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Picture of Dorian Gray.
