Eight finalists to go mic-to-mic in SiriusXM Canada's Top Comic Finale in Toronto

- Finalists will take the stage before headliner Harland Williams at finale on October 1

- One Comic will receive $15,000 Grand Prize & SiriusXM's Top Comic Title

- Finale to air live on Canada Laughs channel 168

TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2015 /CNW/ - SiriusXM Canada (TSX: XSR), the country's leading audio entertainment company, today revealed the eight finalists who have secured a spot behind the mic, on stage at SiriusXM's Top Comic Finale. The finale will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto on October 1 as part of Just For Laughs' JFL42 Comedy Festival.

The eight finalists beat out 16 other semi-finalists in the competition by garnering the most votes in a Canada-wide online campaign this summer. Auditions were held in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and two nights in Toronto to determine the semi-finalists.

SiriusXM's Top Comic 2015 finalists:

Calgary: Kelly Taylor

Halifax: Ryan Dillon

Montreal: Derek Seguin

Ottawa: Nigel Grinstead

Toronto (Audition 1): Trixx

Toronto (Audition 2): Steph Tolev

Vancouver: Matt Bilinski

Winnipeg: Jordan Welwood

At the October 1 finale, hosted by SiriusXM's Ben Miner, a panel of judges will have the task of choosing one comedian to crown with the title of SiriusXM's Top Comic and receive the grand prize of $15,000. The winner will also get a solo show at JFL42 2016 and a TV spot at Just For Laughs Montreal 2016. Two runners up will also receive TV spots at Just For Laughs Montreal 2016, as well as a double-threat show at JFL42 2016.

Harland Williams, the quirky Toronto-born comic who has appeared in Dumb & Dumber and There's Something About Mary, will headline the finale. As a frequent late show guest Williams has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and most recently was seen in the sitcom Package Deal.

Tickets for the SiriusXM's Top Comic Finale are available now and can be purchased online at: https://www.jfl42.com/act/siriusxm-top-comic/.

For those not in Toronto, Canada Laughs (channel 168) will air the entire finale live, starting at 6:00 pm EST. Those satellite radio subscribers who add SiriusXM Internet Radio access to their subscription can also listen to the finale and Canada Laughs on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online. 

Top Comic is part of SiriusXM Canada's ongoing initiatives to provide exposure to Canadian talent. Last year, Montreal's Faisal Butt took home the title of Sirius XM's Top Comic and all finalists went on to open for Russell Peters on the Canadian leg of his Almost Famous World Tour. Previous winners of SiriusXM Canada's Top Comic contest include Pete Zedlacher, Eric Andrews, Matt O'Brien and Brian Stollery.

Canada Laughs (channel 168) features uncensored Canadian comedy 24/7 including stand-up, sketch, musical comedy and more, putting the spotlight on the rich pool of extraordinary talent from Canada. Canada Laughs is available to all Sirius and XM subscribers in Canada and across the U.S. and joins SiriusXM's hilarious comedy lineup, including Comedy Central Radio, SiriusXM Comedy Greats, Raw Dog Comedy, The Foxxhole, Jeff and Larry's Comedy Roundup, Laugh USA and more.

For more information visit www.siriusxm.ca/topcomic.

About SiriusXM Canada

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. (TSX: XSR) operates as SiriusXM Canada. SiriusXM Canada, with more than 2.6 million subscribers, is the country's leading audio entertainment company and broadcasts more than 120 satellite radio channels featuring premier sports, news, talk, entertainment and commercial-free music. SiriusXM Canada offers an array of content from the most recognized news, entertainment and major sports brands including the NHL, NFL, NBA, NASCAR, CNN, CBC, FOX, BBC, Howard Stern, Disney, Comedy Central and more.

SiriusXM programming is available on a variety of devices including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks and boats, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available online at www.siriusxm.ca and on Apple and Android-powered mobile devices.

SiriusXM Canada has partnerships with every major automaker and its radio products are available at more than 2,500 retail locations nationwide. To find out more about SiriusXM Canada (TSX: XSR), visit our website at www.siriusxm.ca.

SiriusXM Canada has been designated one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies six years in a row and 2013 and 2014 rankings in PROFIT 500's list of Canada's Fastest Growing Companies.

Join SiriusXM Canada on Facebook at facebook.com/siriusxmcanada, on Twitter at twitter.com/siriusxmcanada and on Youtube at youtube.com/siriusxmcanada.

SOURCE Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc.

SiriusXM Canada contact: Mike Calnek, Director, Publicity, Promotion and Sponsorship, 416-513-7459, [email protected]; Jennifer Rashwan, Touchwood PR, 416-301-4866, [email protected]