Issy Cory
Jake Mace is the Lead Editor of Binge Fringe Magazine. They have covered live performance worldwide since beginning working as a grassroots journalist in 2018, and founded Binge Fringe at that time.
This year, Binge Fringe Magazine is proud to announce that for the first time, we will be compensating all of our reviewers with the Living Wage for the writing hour they spend in putting together a review.
We pulled Jake aside for a pixelated pint to find out about Binge Fringe’s origins, ideals, and how we’re going about compensating everyone for their work.
Our efforts to compensate reviewers are ultimately funded by affordable digital advertising offerings for performers, producers, and publicists bringing shows to EdFringe, read more about those offers here.
Issy: Hi Jake! You began covering EdFringe back in 2018, how did Binge Fringe begin?
Jake: Hi Issy – I’ve written hundreds of these interviews so being on the other side instinctually feels odd!
Like anyone who ends up working in journalism, I think I saw a space in the market of ideas for my voice and what I believed should be covered. I didn’t really understand what that meant then – I hadn’t come out as queer yet, even to myself – but I did know that I had things to say.
I gathered a bunch of my misfit theatre friends, challenged them all to go out and watch something, and then we’d publish the first set of articles together. We were producing low budget work ourselves then, and were beginning to form opinions about the festival – what was good, what worked, what didn’t work, what should work.
The first night we all sat around my cousin’s kitchen table in Edinburgh and debriefed on what would become the first reviews we would write. We didn’t know it then, but it was the start of a journey for all of us having self-funded, self-starting careers in the arts.
Issy: We’re now in 2025, and the festival is bigger than ever. As a result, the mag has grown significantly as well. How have your goals changed since you first started?
Jake: The shift for Binge Fringe from ‘blog ran by a group of friends’ to ‘semi-serious publication’ started during the pandemic. The name of the magazine came from an early idea that we were going to review every show alongside a beer we bought from the venue’s bar. That would have been expensive for a start-up, looking at pint prices at the festival. So we retained that in spirit by recommending a drink with every show, which I’ve always thought has been a nice USP.
In 2021 I was Binge Fringe’s only in-person reviewer in Edinburgh – and I put up this notice on the website saying that I would aspire to shift the focus onto underrepresented and marginalised voices at the festival. This was happening alongside my own transition into accepting my queer identity. The two of us – me and the magazine – shifted at the same time. So my goals changed as I saw myself understand that I was a part of a marginalised community.
We started getting this barrage of emails inviting us to shows and thanking us for focusing on those groups, and I realised that we were onto something, and there had to be room for growth. Now our focus is not only on marginalised voices but underrepresented festivals too – we ended up going along to Prague, and then Catania, and Dublin, and realised that the grassroots operation around the world is massive. And that we could be a space for that grassroots to express itself. I think that’s what we’re trying to understand as we shift again now.
Issy: The Edinburgh Fringe is a huge operation. There’s performers, technicians, front of house, caterers, and of course, reviewers. What’s something that Fringe-goers may not know about running a reviewing mag?
Jake: That we don’t get paid to do this. At least, not until now.
Issy: The Binge Fringe Queer Performer’s Award is one-of-a-kind, launching for the first time at the 2024 EdFringe Festival. What prompted to you to create the award?
Jake: I found out last year that there wasn’t a specific award for Queer work being offered out by any publication, even though there were over 160 shows listed as LGBTQIA+ in the programme. It seemed as though my community was being overlooked, so we decided to champion queer work and we will continue to do so with another edition of the awards being given out this year.
Issy: It is highly likely that your average Fringe reviewer will not be compensated for their work. This year, you are in a position to pay your writers. That must feel like a real achievement, right?
Jake: Yes, it’s so exciting, and I’m endlessly grateful to our expanding team of writers and their tireless work. Volunteers have long been the unappreciated backbone of our festival. Writing is hard work – and it’s even harder to put yourself out there and be prepared to criticise things you find problematic and difficult. Fringe has never been a truly circular economy – artists go out on a limb by emptying their savings or drowning in debt to put shows on, audiences pay excessive amounts to stay in our city and see shows. The coffers deplete for everyone, every year.
Our writers spend hours researching, watching, writing, and finding shows that deserve a space on our platform that looks to lift up underrepresented voices. It’s taken some time for us to realise that we need to uplift our own voices too – by compensating ourselves with the Living Wage.
This is the first step for us, where we’ve promised all of our reviewers the Living Wage for the writing hour they spend in creating a review. We can, and should, go further, and pay them for the hour they spend watching the show too. Eventually I believe we will if we can fundraise enough. We are a not-for-profit organisation and all of the money we raise will go to paying our reviewers as much as we can, and keeping the magazine afloat.
It was important to me the source of this income was also fair – so we’ve launched an advertising offer for all EdFringe shows, performers, producers and creatives that I believe is affordable, engaging, and that carries through our mission all the while. That will be what funds compensating our reviewers this year.
Issy: The Festival keeps evolving, and each year you strive to make BF a better publication. Where do you see BF in 5 years time?
Jake: I want us to continue to grow the platform we’re on and to pull others who want to do the same on the journey upwards with us – I’d love to see us expand to help build sister publications that are focused on really niche and specific underrepresented areas of live media.
It’s important to me that we’re focused on the fundamentals – that’s why we’re taking this step to pay people now. The money we make goes back into investing in our people outright, by compensating them. Growth, and the fun stuff that comes along with it, should stem out of that investment.
Issy: There’s so much to choose from at the festival, but is there anyone that you’re particularly keen to see at EdFringe 2025?
Jake: I’ll be focused early doors on seeing as much queer work as I can to make sure we’re building a decent longlist for the aforementioned award – ROADKILL by Dykeish Productions looks fascinating and fresh, and I’m looking forward to seeing Sam Nicoresti’s new comedy hour Baby Doomer.
I love politically charged and heavy work. Youth in Flames will be talking about the 2019 Hong Kong Student Protests, and I’m really excited for House Party by Chakira Alin – I interviewed her a few years ago ahead of VAULT Festival and I think this new show looks to be a great handle on the housing crisis we’re going through.
This is a good time to note – we’ve set up a form for shows to register their interest in being reviewed by us which goes straight into our database for research. You can find it here.
Issy: Lastly, what are you proudest of as the creator of BF?
Jake: That the foolish, idealistic vision I had for a platform that uplifts those around us where possible has been bought into by so many people, and that I’m now in a position to give back to them for that where and how I can.
Our efforts to compensate reviewers are ultimately funded by our affordable advertising offerings for performers, producers, and publicists bringing shows to EdFringe, read more about those offers here.
Jake Mace
