Just for Laughs comedy festival cancelled this year due to financial pressures

There is disappointing news today for comedy fans the company that operates Montreal’s famous Just for Laughs Festival is canceling the event this year the cbc’s Jennifer Yun has the details well Andrew the long and the short of it financial difficulties just porier which is the company behind the festival says the two-year shutdown

During the pandemic did some serious damage to the company when it comes to Lost revenues costs were also rising and the media landscape has changed so much there were new challenges like reduced budgets at networks and the impact of streaming platforms the company has filed for bankruptcy protection and it

Said in a press release that it is restructuring in the future but for now 70% of the company’s workers have been fired they found out at 9:30 this morning and shows and the festival as you mentioned this year have been cancelled so what reaction have you seen

To this news Jennifer must just be devastating to a lot of folks yeah I mean like this this is a festival that for years called itself the world’s largest Comedy Festival people like John molan Ali Wong Jerry Lewis J Jerry sefall you know it’s a Powerhouse stars

Come in play here they it’s also known as a place where deals are made and where upand cominging comedians get a chance to meet in network maybe get a chance at that big break finding the right person at the right time and that’s something that’ll be really difficult to replace according to this

Comedian really sucks for people who have to rely for this stuff like new comedians who want to like make their name break in do stuff it’s going to be a lot harder you know now we’re also hearing reaction from the mayor of Montreal she said that she’s she heard

The news with a lot of regret she said that it’s a flagship event in the city’s cultural scene and that the city will be meeting with the company to discuss next steps because the company is hoping to bounce back it says that it hopes to be

Able to host a festival in 2025 but for now we’ll have to keep an eye on how that restructuring takes place Andrew the CBC is Jennifer Yun in Montreal improv comedian and MC Andrew fun has been part of the festival he is an actor writer and co-producer of run the BBS on

CBC TV he’s also starred in Kim’s Convenience Andrew good of you to take the time today on what I don’t know seems like it could be a little bit of a a sad day maybe just a one-year pause but when you heard about the cancellation this year what was your initial reaction

I was bummed like it’s it’s such a highlight for on on the cultural level it’s such a highlight it’s such a wonderful Festival Montreal you know comes alive that time of year um it’s it’s such a cultural highlight it’s such a great opportunity and kind of like a a

A landmark for comedians to like rise up to you know when you book something at JFL when you’re one of the new faces of JFL it’s such an exciting time for emerging Comedians and an opportunity to work with established comedians so I was a bit bomb that that you know we’re

Going to miss out on this year so you’ve been part of the festival can you talk about your experience and and what it was like the you know the energy the connections that you made well it you know on on as a as a performer as a comedic performer going

Out it’s like you know it’s it’s a big conference it’s a conference when you see your peers it’s a conference an opportunity to meet people you look up to where you want to collaborate with there’s so many opportunities to work with each other in regards to a festival

Going to it the shows are electric um you know the shows are scattered throughout the days there they’re all over kind of this little area of the city each show is a banger because the comedians bring their best like they’re bringing their a game you know and that

That’s the way comedians have seen it they’re bringing their tight sets they’re not trying stuff out they’re bringing what they know has been established to be good there’s such an energy and also just walking down the streets you see performers and comedians just that you see from television that

You’ve heard of on podcast you love their sets you see them on social media it’s such a great opportunity to meet them the city comes alive so losing that is a bummer and look you know summer in Canada we got to take it while we can

Right we don’t get Long Summers so this being a highlight has it’s it’s always been something I’ve looked forward to every summer and and I understand run the BBS was sort of born there right like I mean lots of lots of ideas everything kind of comes together can

You tell us about that yeah and I think that’s why I say like it’s it’s also just like it’s not just the festival on its own the cultural aspect of just the shows and the C performers but like also the networking like I was there in 2019

I was you know talking about Kim’s Convenience talking about television I was part of a panel and along the way I met you know a producer from Pier 21 in lobby they’re like we wanton an Andrew fun project we had some drinks we’re hanging out talking and that’s kind of

Where run the BBS was developed from and right beside me the whole time was Rocky morzaria who plays my wife on run the BBS we were there hanging out just for laughs and this is where it kind of all was created and so I look at just for

Laughs also is like a place where ideas are born opportunities for collaboration you know these openers these established comedians bring openers like from the local level your first taste of like the big time but the truth is this like as sad as it is to lose a Just for Laughs

For just the one year maybe comedians are resilient we make a living off of dozens of dollars all right we will be resilient and I I know you know sled Island out in Calgary improvaganza out in Edmonton sketchfest is happening right now in Toronto so there will be

Local scale festivals that fill the void um and so it’s a great time to Pivot and support those smaller festivals so that is a good way and optimistic way of looking at it and there are a lot of comedy and showcases out there but where would you where would you place just for

Laughs in terms of its importance and relevance because it it just would seem so dominant it would seem like it’s just really important as an incubator to kind of just maybe launch careers well I agree like I think it’s I think it is like a milestone to hit when you

Can reach a Just for Laughs um and losing it losing that cache because when you get to say that you’re a Just for Laughs performer you showcase them Just for Laughs you did a set for Just for Laughs you’ve been one of the new faces

It’s huge for your career so it’s it’s a it’s a it’s obviously a a huge loss and it always seemed like the one institution that was going to be Rock Solid through everything um but again at the same time the local level because like getting to Just for Laughs like the

Journey along the way there’s all these festivals along the way these smaller ones um and for me like we’ve been losing those for a long time and so I think that’s the big big red flag like we’ve been losing these smaller festivals um across the country so you

Know I think it’s sad all around but I think losing Just for Laughs is is a sign of what has happened along the way over the last three years for these smaller festivals Andrew good to talk to you uh thank you Andrew fun of CBT TV’s run the burps

The Montreal company that operates the Just for Laughs summer comedy festival has cancelled the 2024 edition of the event. Groupe Juste pour rire inc. has filed a notice of intention to make a proposal to creditors.

Read more:

00:00 – 00:11 – Overview
00:11 – 02:05 – Details and reactions
02:05 – 07:03 – Andrew Phung, executive producer, co-creator, and writer of Run the Burbs

»»» Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos:

Connect with CBC News Online:

For breaking news, video, audio and in-depth coverage:
Follow CBC News on TikTok:
Follow CBC News on Twitter:
Find CBC News on Facebook:
Follow CBC News on Instagram:
Subscribe to CBC News on Snapchat:

Download the CBC News app for iOS:
Download the CBC News app for Android:

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
For more than 80 years, CBC News has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.

Reference