Launching Comedy's Biggest Names // with Karen & Katy Koren of the Gilded Balloon

Try Coachly For Free Karen Koren founded the Gilded Balloon on Edinburgh's Cowgate in 1986. Her daughter Katy joined the business in 2014 and now runs it alongside her. In this episode, Karen and Katy join me to talk about building the venue from a single 150-seat theatre into one of the defining names of the Edinburgh Fringe, the comedians they helped launch, the fire that destroyed their original venue, running the business through the pandemic, and what it's like working together as mother and daughter. Recorded during the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe. Listen to No Funny Business Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.