EVENT PLANNING | PRODUCTION | EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN

With 20 years of experience in event planning, production and execution, Katie Brightside brings creative ideas to life through thoughtfully conceived and expertly delivered experiences. Brightside collaborates with brands, businesses and organisations to deliver everything from brand activations, launches and exhibitions to art events, cultural programmes, immersive experiences and bespoke cocktail events.

Combining creative vision with strategic planning and hands-on production expertise, Brightside creates engaging experiences across both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage culture. Drawing on the creative expertise and storytelling behind Welcome to the Brightside and Once Upon a Cocktail, she brings a distinctive perspective, attention to detail and a collaborative approach to every event.

Studio 420 was a vibrant Pride celebration at The Artist Tree West Hollywood, bringing together art, film, nightlife history, and LGBTQ+ culture in support of community and creative expression. Curated and co-produced by Katie Brightside, the event featured a prominent group exhibition of LGBTQ+ artists, a screening of the documentary Studio One Forever, followed by a live Q&A with its director and producer, an art unveiling, and a bespoke cocktail experience featuring canna-cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks created by Brightside. The evening culminated in a live charity auction hosted by Adam Tschorn, raising funds for Project Angel Food. A multifaceted celebration of art, culture, and community, Studio 420 united creative talent and cultural storytelling for a meaningful Pride event.

Studio 420 brought together an exciting network of brand partners and sponsors across the beverage, hospitality, and cannabis industries, including All The Bitter, Birdies, Empress 1908 0.0, Fever-Tree, Fusion Verjus, Glitter Faced, Liquid Alchemist, Henry's Original, Jetty, Kiva, PAX, Uncle Arnie's, and Wyld.

For WestEdge’s 10th anniversary, Brightside, designed an immersive vignette in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity, bringing the concept of “zebra striping” from Once Upon a Cocktail into a fully realized experiential environment. Inspired by the practice of alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the installation featured interactive hand-painted zebra-striped murals, evolving visitor participation, bespoke mural-wallpaper design, a vintage rattan cocktail bar and a curated selection of beverage brands, creating a vibrant, multi-sensory celebration of design, creativity and mindful drinking.

The project brought together an extensive network of design, hospitality and beverage partners, including All the Bitter, AMASS, Astek Wallcoverings, Barfly Mixology Gear, Branca USA, Borghetti, Buster + Punch, De Soi, Calirosa Tequila, Dunn-Edwards, Edible LA, Fever-Tree, JD Staron, La Colombe, Liquid Alchemist and Pennoyer Newman.

The launch of Once Upon a Cocktail – West Hollywood in 2023 was celebrated through an ambitious programme of 11 events, bringing together West Hollywood's hospitality, cocktail and creative communities across a series of venues throughout the city. Planned, produced and hosted by Katie Brightside, the launch programme included private receptions, book signings, cocktail experiences, live art activations and brand-hosted events, with each venue showcasing signature recipes from the book. The events took place at La Bohème (October 26), 1 Hotel – Goodthings and The Rainbow Bar & Grill (November 4), La Peer Hotel (November 5), Bar Next Door (November 6), Katana LA (November 7), SUR Restaurant & Lounge (November 8), Andaz West Hollywood – Riot House Bar (November 9), The Woods & Holy Water (November 11), Hotel Ziggy (November 12) and Earthbar (November 18).

The launch programme brought together an extensive network of beverage and hospitality sponsors, including 818 Tequila, Bacardi, Barfly, Beverly High Rye, Borghetti, Branca USA, Campari, Casamigos, Catoctin Creek, Cointreau, Dahlia Cristalino, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Dos Hombres, Go Get Em Tiger, Haus Alpanz, Jack Daniel's, Liquid Alchemist, Lyre's, Mxxn, Old Harbor Gin, Opici Wines & Spirits, Preiss Imports, Q Mixers, Rémy Cointreau, and Tina's Vodka. Through these partnerships, the launch transformed a traditional book release into a multi-venue experiential campaign, celebrating cocktail culture, independent hospitality businesses and the creative storytelling behind Once Upon a Cocktail.

Mixology Glass at Fred Segal, West Hollywood, was a bespoke cocktail experience hosted by Once Upon a Cocktail in celebration of National Cocktail Day and Women's History Month in March 2024. Held at the iconic Fred Segal Sunset Strip store, the event brought together cocktail culture, retail and creative storytelling through an interactive 60-minute mixology workshop inspired by recipes from the Once Upon a Cocktail West Hollywood book. Guests explored the art of cocktail making while discovering the often-overlooked history of women in cocktail literature, followed by an afternoon of charcuterie, drinks and socializing. The experience also featured a live art giveaway inspired by the book, combining beverage education, cultural storytelling and experiential retail in a unique brand-led event.

This event formed part of a wider series of mixology classes and cocktail experiences developed and hosted by Once Upon a Cocktail, bringing beverage education, creative storytelling and hands-on experiences to a variety of venues and audiences.

Love Coffee for Valentine's Day was a creative event combining a 3.5-mile walking tour of three independent artisan coffee shops, each newly established within the previous year, with an accompanying month-long art and design exhibition, Creatively Made in Swindon. The project involved end-to-end event planning and production, including venue liaison, sponsorship coordination, copywriting, promotional material design, bespoke maps, logo and brand development, promotional video filming and editing, and website creation. Alongside the coffee tour, Creatively Made in Swindon transformed the participating venues into exhibition spaces, showcasing local artistic and design talent and celebrating independent businesses and the creative community.

Preloved was a week-long art exhibition held at m2 Gallery, opening with a private view on 31 October 2014. The project involved securing the gallery venue and alcohol sponsorship, coordinating the exhibition logistics and managing all aspects of event production. Working within the creative constraint that all artwork had to be transported in a suitcase weighing no more than 45lb for airline travel, the exhibition required careful planning and creative problem-solving. With installation completed just 24 hours before the private view, photographers and event staff were recruited to manage the bar, guest experience and artwork sales enquiries, delivering a successful exhibition opening and week-long showcase.

The Welcome to the Brightside Extravaganza was a large-scale art exhibition launched with a spectacular private view on Valentine's Day 2012 in Sydney Australia, attracting approximately 1,000 guests on opening night. Conceived, produced and curated by Katie Brightside, the event involved securing sponsorship, creating and installing the artwork, coordinating a dedicated sales team, and commissioning photographers and a videographer to document the occasion. The evening featured an eclectic program of live entertainment, including pole dancing, contortion, live music and theatrical hospitality, alongside complimentary beer and Green Fairy Absinthe cocktails served by specially recruited topless waiters. Extending beyond the physical exhibition, an online catalogue enabled interstate collectors to browse and purchase works remotely, broadening the exhibition's reach and commercial opportunities.

Please note that all event planning, production and creative services are undertaken on a paid professional basis. Enquiries should include an allocated project budget. Requests for unpaid collaborations, work in exchange for exposure, press coverage or promotional opportunities are not accepted.

Thank you for respecting the value of professional creative services and experience.