Just for Laughs ComedyPRO 2023 Recap

For the past 11 years, Project 10 has been a proud sponsor of the Just for Laughs ComedyPRO conference in Montreal. ComedyPRO is the most important global gathering of the biggest players in the comedy world. It is an entertainment landmark recognized for talent discovery, must-see keynotes, and quality comedy content that must never be missed. This is why we gather the team and head there every year. 

Why Do We Sponsor?

Being a sponsor of JFL ComedyPRO is important to our company. We admire the work that Bruce Hills and his team at JFL do to shine a light on the global comedy industry right here in Canada! We are fortunate that such a world-class event is held in such close proximity to us. This is where relationships are forged and careers blossom.  Sponsoring JFL ComedyPRO is the least Project 10 can do to express our gratitude to the festival. By sponsoring pitch sessions at ComedyPRO every year, we are supporting a world-class event where emerging talent can have a platform and access to high-level comedy executives from around the world. 

By supporting JFL ComedyPRO we are supporting the growth of the industry and future comedic voices. Project 10 sponsors JFL ComedyPRO to signal to the entire comedy industry that we are serious about the business of comedy and that P10 is a stakeholder in our remarkable industry.

What Does Our Team Do at JFL?

This year, our team travelled from Toronto, Dallas and Newfoundland to meet up and network with some of the coolest faces in comedy. We continued the power broker sessions and hosted a Stand Up and Pitch competition with our very own Shelby Bronstine as the moderator. “It was my first year moderating Stand Up and Pitch, and I thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the other panellists and the competitors. All the competitors presented creative, hilarious and unique pitches, and I felt honoured to have a front-row seat to their presentations.” Shelby remarked when looking back on this year’s conference. 

This year, a special shout-out to the winners, yielded a tie for the winning projects: Bogan Moths, presented on stage by Peter Ireland and Tony Radevski, and Alannah Brittany’s Public Pooled.

In addition to the pitch competition, our team also participated in power broker sessions. A “broker session” is a 15-minute meeting with an emerging comedic talent.  These sessions are great because they give us a chance to meet one-on-one with voices we previously hadn’t heard of or been exposed to.  The session is a view into where comedy is going, what the trends are, and who are the rising stars on the Canadian comedy scene.  The sessions tend to be very casual and conversational, we talk about their history, their craft and their ambitions.  They create the perfect opportunity to engage with new potential collaborators, hear exciting new content from creators and learn more about domestic and global markets and ideas in the comedy space. 

After the Work Ends

The best part of sponsoring JFL ComedyPro is the opportunity it gives our team to not only work together with great comedic talents, but also the chance to laugh and take in some of the best shows JFL has to offer! This year our team soaked up as much comedy as possible. Some notable shows include Just For Culture, and the Faith In Comedy Conversation with Ramy Youssef and Jasmeet Singh, Rainn Wilson’s Keynote Address, New Faces of Comedy (we took in about 4 different ones!) and of course, Darcy and Jer: No Refunds. 

Darcy and Jer have been long-time friends and colleagues of ours and it was very special seeing them perform a stand-up act to a room full of fans. “This is the new Darcy Michael.  I’ve never seen him so in his element with such confidence, respect and humour. I’m so proud of what they have built over the last couple of years together outside of traditional comedy models.” Andrew Barnsley remarked when looking back on the show. “They have become global sensations online and are now building on that success with tour dates around the world.  These are amazing humans who I want to see win! Seeing them perform so successfully at JFL filled me with happiness and pride.”

The awards show at JFL was also pretty amazing to take in. Some of the biggest faces in comedy all gathered together to accept awards for their talents. Bert Kreischer took home Stand Up Comedian of the Year, and it was so cool to see him stop by the cocktail hour after and for our team to get photos with THE MACHINE! Another big celebrity sighting for our team was Kurtis Connor, our CEO was only a little starstruck.

What a great time once again! We’re already anxiously awaiting JFL ComedyPRO 2024!