Clownfish turns 15!
Happy Birthday Clownfish!
On April 1st 2024, Clownfish turns FIFTEEN!
We’re in the business of helping others celebrate life’s BIG moments – this time, we’re celebrating one of our own.
We wanted to say THANK YOU for being a part of our journey.
Here’s to the next 15 years 🥂
Matt Turner, Founder & Managing Director
Back in 2009, straight out of Sixth Form, Matt set up Clownfish. He wasn’t set on going to university and didn’t share his friends’ aspirations to travel the globe – but was enthralled by live events and knew that was where he could create something amazing.
Working out of a spare bedroom in his parents’ house, little did Matt know that within a decade this fledgling start-up would grow into a multi-million-pound operation with 14 full-timers, a fleet of vehicles and a number of London warehouses stocking over £1 million worth of event equipment.
It didn’t take long for Clownfish to become one the UK’s highest-rated events companies, with a client list including Google, Virgin, Apple, BAFTA and British Airways. Matt and his team supplied rodeo bulls to Channel 4, created bespoke events for Amazon and mic’d up everyone from Davina McCall to David Cameron.
Even a global pandemic couldn’t stop the team, who turned a crisis in the live events industry into an opportunity to adapt. Whilst the world locked down, Clownfish built up – converting 50% of the warehouse into a purpose-built live-streaming and short film production studio.
Clownfish through the years
2009
The Clownfish brand is born from Matt’s bedroom at his parents’ house in Kingston-upon-Thames.
2010
We buy our first vehicle; an ex-Royal Mail van with the logo still faintly visible on the side.
2011
Our Rodeo Reindeer appears on Celebrity Come Dine With Me and Alasdair makes his debut TV appearance.
2012
Clownfish builds its very first product: a giant LED heart.
2013
We set up ‘Boxfish Marquees’ and it thrives… for a while.
2014
Matt stars in an advert for a Canon printer.
2015
We buy a 3,000 square foot warehouse in Chessington.
2016
We receive a small-business award from Theo Paphitis.
2017
Clownfish gets a re-brand. And then 4 months later, we re-brand again. Let’s call this our mid-life identity crisis.
2018
Our team nominates Eikon Charity as our charity partner. Matt and Jonny run the London Marathon and raise £10,000 for them. Clownfish also donates production and lighting for two of Eikon’s fundraising events.
2019
The Clownfish team smashes their targets, and goes on a ski trip to Val Thorens to celebrate.
2020
Post-skiing blues are not helped by the arrival of COVID-19. The pandemic decimates the events industry (boo!) – but an in-house studio is built at Clownfish HQ.
2021
Clownfish Events makes a gradual comeback and content creation is expanded, creating videos and short films for clients across various sectors.
2022
Clownfish Events continues to grow, and the full-time team doubles in size.
2023
Clownfish Events acquire and start moving into a second warehouse! Whilst working with some big companies, including Tiktok, Amazon, Loaf and Gumtree.
2024
Clownfish Events celebrates 15 years!
Fun facts
When Matt first started Clownfish, storage was the garden shed and transport was his dad’s Toyota Previa.
The Beckhams have been inside a Clownfish photo booth.
Clownfish won ‘Best Stand’ at Confex International in 2020 (just before the first Covid-19 lockdown).
The Clownfish team’s TV career includes The One Show, Come Dine With Me, Celebrity Juice and Good Morning Britain.
The exterior signage on the warehouse has changed three times (and Matt is finally happy with it… for now).
Independent rating platform Reviews.co.uk shows Clownfish having an unprecedented 100% 5-star rating.