SiriusXM Canada's national search for Top Comic awards $15,000 grand prize and career jump with Just for Laughs

Special guest Harland Williams headlined Top Comic Finale in Toronto

TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2015 /CNW/ - SiriusXM Canada (TSX: XSR), the country's leading audio entertainment company, crowned Derek Seguin of Montreal the winner in the sixth annual Top Comic competition at last night's finale held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, as part of the Just For Laughs' JFL42 Festival in Toronto. In addition to winning the title of SiriusXM's Top Comic, which was broadcast live on SiriusXM's Canada Laughs (ch. 168), Seguin took home the $15,000 grand prize. He will also perform at his own JFL42 2016 headliner show and receive a televised performance at Just For Laughs Montreal 2016.

As part of the runners-up prizes, Matt Billon of Vancouver and Jordan Welwood of Winnipeg, will also perform at a televised Just For Laughs Montreal 2016 show and be teamed up to headline a show as part of JFL42 2016.

Harland Williams, the quirky Toronto-born comic who has appeared in Dumb & Dumber and There's Something About Mary, closed out the finale to an uproarious crowd. 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.

"To win this year's title, especially among such a talented group of Canadian comedians, is very special," said Seguin. "And to have the opportunity to share the stage with Harland Williams was an added bonus to an already memorable evening!"

"Derek came out swinging last night; what a set! We couldn't be happier with him and the comics who made up this year's stellar group of finalists," said Ben Miner, Canadian comic and host of SiriusXM's Canada Laughs channel. 

The finale featured eight finalists from across Canada, who were chosen through a cross-country audition earlier this year, followed by a national online vote this summer. Representing Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax, were comedians Kelly Taylor, Ryan Dillon, Derek Seguin, Nigel Grinstead, Trixx, Steph Tolev, Matt Billon, and Jordan Welwood.

Five judges were tasked with the difficult choice of selecting the winner; they included Joe Thistel (SiriusXM), Zoe Rabnett (JFL), Don Ferguson (Royal Canadian Air Farce), Steve Kernzer (TV producer and creator of Ed The Sock), and Pete Holmes (comedian and podcast host).

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 Faisal Butt, 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, Raw Dog Comedy Hits, SiriusXM Comedy Greats, The Foxxhole, Jeff and Larry's Comedy Roundup, Laugh USA, and more.

Those satellite radio subscribers who add SiriusXM Internet Radio access to their subscription can also listen to Canada Laughs on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online. 

To learn more 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, 2014 and 2015 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 SiriusXM Canada

Image with caption: "Derek Seguin of Montreal wins SiriusXM's Top Comic 2015 (CNW Group/SiriusXM Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151002_C5866_PHOTO_EN_512536.jpg

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