CraveTV and Just For Laughs Partner to Create Three Original Stand-Up Specials

– CraveTV's first commission of stand-up comedy tapes at the JFL42 Festival in Toronto this week ––

- New one-hour specials from renowned Canadian comedians Debra DiGiovanni, Darcy Michael, and Graham Chittenden –

"…delightfully unfiltered" – Time Out Los Angeles on Debra DiGiovanni

"… one of the industry's fastest rising stars" – Vancouver Observer on Darcy Michael

"…sharp and confrontational" – Winnipeg Free Press on Graham Chittenden

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/2wTLuOZ

TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2017 /CNW/ - CraveTV, Canada's premium TV streaming service, announced today that it has partnered with Just For Laughs on three CraveTV Original Stand-Up comedy specials for its streaming audiences in Canada. This marks CraveTV's first commission of original stand-up comedy, which will stream on CraveTV in 2018 and anchor the streaming service's popular Stand-Up Comedy Collection. Showcasing homegrown talents Debra DiGiovanni, Darcy Michael, and Graham Chittenden, the specials taped yesterday and today at Toronto's Berkeley Church during the JFL42 Festival. Now in its sixth year, JFL42 is a pass-based interactive comedy Festival and has established itself as one of the world's most successful and cutting-edge comedy events. This year's Festival runs until September 30.

"We're excited to broaden our original production strategy for CraveTV to include stand-up comedy, and couldn't ask for a better partner than the team at Just For Laughs," said Mike Cosentino, President, Content and Programming, Bell Media. "Debra, Darcy, and Graham are incredible talents and we can't wait to bring their acts to CraveTV".

Bell Media and Just For Laughs have a long history of joining forces to bring audiences hilarious hits, such as five seasons of the original stand-up series JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS (Season 5 premieres Saturday, September 30 at 9 p.m. ET on The Comedy Network); six seasons of FUNNY AS HELL hosted by Jon Dore; and numerous original specials like ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: CIRCUS AWESOMEUS, JUST FOR LAUGHS PRESENTS: WHITNEY CUMMINGS BLEEP SHOW, SETH ROGEN'S HILARITY FOR CHARITY, and more.

A mainstay of the Canadian comedy scene for 15 years, Debra DiGiovanni is known for her hilarious stand-up comedy and appearances on television series like VIDEO ON TRIAL, Just For Laughs ALL ACCESS, and The Comedy Network original series, MATCH GAME. She was also a finalist on Season 5 of LAST COMIC STANDING. Currently based in Los Angeles, DiGiovanni is a three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winner.

Vancouver-based Darcy Michael has appeared at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montréal for five consecutive years. He also co-starred in two seasons of the CTV original comedy series SPUN OUT.

A familiar face at the Just For Laughs Festival, Graham Chittenden is also a writer on the hit comedy series MR. D. Known for his fresh and clean, but still relentlessly funny style of humour, the Canadian Comedy Award-nominee has also appeared on television series like MATCH GAME, COMEDY NOW!, and MTV SHOWTOWN.  

Co-produced by Just For Laughs Television and Counterfeit Pictures, in association with Bell Media's CraveTV. Executive producers are Bruce Hills and Gilbert Rozon from Just For Laughs and Dan Bennett, Shane Corkery and Anton Leo from Counterfeit Pictures. The specials are directed by Shelagh O'Brien. For Bell Media, production executive is Bill Lundy. Sarah Fowlie is Director, Original Production, Comedy, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Original Programming, Bell Media. Tracey Pearce is President, Distribution and Pay, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is President, Content and Programming, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Bell Media.

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About CraveTV:
Created for TV lovers and devoted to television, CraveTV is Canada's premium TV streaming service, providing the most robust lineup of superior television content in the country. From TV's most-acclaimed dramas and beloved comedies to documentaries, music, and factual programming, CraveTV features thousands of hours of premium non-kids TV programming, representing hundreds of unique titles including the entire off-air library of HBO's iconic programming catalogue and hundreds of hours of acclaimed SHOWTIME series and specials. CraveTV is available directly to all Canadians with access to the Internet, as well as to customers of Eastlink, TELUS Optik TV, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Satellite TV, Bell Aliant FibreOP TV, Access Communications, Northwestel, SaskTel, Cable Cable, Hay Communications, Mitchell Seaforth Cable TV, Tuckersmith Communications, Wightman Telecom subscribers, NRTC Communications, WTC Communications, Tbaytel, Execulink Telecom, and VMedia. Available through traditional set-top boxes, mobile apps on iOS, Android, and Microsoft Windows 8.1 and Xbox One, the web, Apple TV, Chromecast, and select Samsung Smart TVs. CraveTV is from Bell Media, Canada's premier multi-media company with more than a decade of leadership delivering Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed television programming across the Pay, Specialty, Digital, and Network TV landscapes. For more on CraveTV, visit www.CraveTV.ca.

Just For Laughs Television is one of the world's leading producers of stand-up comedy and variety programming.  JFL's productions have been seen in Canada on CBC and an array of Bell networks and platforms (The Comedy Network, CTV, CTV2, The Movie Network, HBO Canada, CraveTV and Snackable), and internationally on HBO, FOX, ABC, MTV, Kevin Hart's LOL Network, TBS, CBC, IFC, W, The CW, RTL, TF1, Comedy Central, Showtime, Hulu, SeeSo, BBC1, BBC America and TEN Australia. Beyond stand-up, the TV franchise Just For Laughs Gags has also become a household name worldwide, being seen in 135 countries, on 95 airlines, and on its own YouTube channel which has over 9 billion views. Just For Laughs Television is part of the Just For Laughs Group, with growth concentrated on four major focal points: festivals (in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney); television production; live shows (Canadian tour dates for Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, and more). Its inaugural Montreal Festival is 35 years old and is now the world's largest and most prestigious comedy event, welcoming 2.5 million people each summer. The Group has offices in Montreal, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto and London.

SOURCE CraveTV

Nicolle Stranges, 416.384.2056, [email protected]