CALLING ALL CANADIAN COMEDY CREATORS

CBC ComedyCoup’s national quest to discover, develop and finance creative talent with an original concept for a television comedy show is officially open for applications. CBC, CineCoup and Just for Laughs Television have joined forces to establish an innovative disruptive studio model to find the next great Canadian comedy by offering

applicants from across Canada the opportunity to garner a potential development deal. CBC ComedyCoup will option between five and 10 projects for development in its inaugural year and ultimately one project will receive $500,000 in production financing for a half-hour comedy special to air during CBC’s 2015 prime time schedule. Below is a snapshot of how CBC ComedyCoup unfolds.

● The best, brightest and funniest comedy creators from across Canada.

Applications: August 18 - September 21, 2014 (Five weeks)

● Team: Sign up with a rockstar team of three Canadians who have the combined talent for creating original comedy, have production experience and are savvy in marketing.

● Teaser video: Submit a 90-second teaser video that showcases your comedy concept.

● Social platforms: Create a Facebook page and a Twitter account for your project.

● Content: Execute weekly missions designed to help develop and package your show.

● Marketing: Promote your project across your social networks and beyond.

● Fans and voting: Leverage national attention and worldwide exposure to build new audiences for your project. Appeal to your fans to help you advance through social voting.

● Top 50 Script: Submit a draft script for a half-hour special and show treatment.

● Top 15 Option: CBC ComedyCoup will option between five and 10 projects for develop-ment.

● Final 5: Pitch your project before a powerhouse industry panel.

● The Big Win: One project will be chosen to receive $500,000 in production financing for a half-hour comedy special that will be aired during CBC Television’s 2015 primetime schedule.

● Action: The selected project team will work with CBC ComedyCoup producers and the CBC through development, pre-production, production and post-production.

● Promotions: CBC, Just For Laughs and CBC ComedyCoup will all aid in the promotion of the winning show special.

● JACKPOT! Your comedy special airs in prime time on CBC with opportunities for further development.

So what is CBC ComedyCoup? Find out on the CBC ComedyCoup five-city meet-up tour when producers will meet creative talent to answer questions about their quest. For more details on the meet-up events, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/ComedyCoup/events

● Vancouver - Monday, August 25, 2014

● Edmonton - Tuesday, August 26, 2014

● Halifax - Tuesday, August 26, 2014

● Montreal - Wednesday, August 27, 2014

● Toronto - Thursday, August 28, 2014

For more information and application details, please visit: www.comedycoup.cbc.ca

For CineCoup:

Neesha Hothi, Jive Communications

e: neesha@jivecommunications.ca | p: 604.715.6057

For CBC:

Simon Bassett, publicist, CBC

e: simon.bassett@cbc.ca | p: 416-205-8533 | m: 416-988-1590

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

A space for us all is CBC/Radio-Canada’s new strategy to modernize the public broadcaster and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mandate for Canadians and for future generations. Through to 2020, it will increase its investment in prime time television programming, and continue to create radio programs of the highest quality, while promoting the development of digital and mobile platforms and content.

CineCoup Media is a disruptive studio for independent creators to develop, market and finance their original film and television projects. In 2013 The CineCoup Film Accelerator optioned ten scripts for development and greenlit its first feature film WolfCop by guaranteeing a minimum $1M production financing and a Canadian theatrical release at Cineplex. The WolfCop filmmakers delivered the goods and worked with CineCoup to unleash a killer marketing campaign. To date WolfCop has secured distribution in 15+ territories while greenlighting a sequel. In fall 2014, CineCoup Media is teaming up with its ComedyCoup partners to offer comedy creators development and production opportunities for their original show concepts for broadcast. CineCoup Media is the brainchild of media entrepreneur, J. Joly.

Just For Laughs Television is one of the leading producers of stand-up and variety programming and has produced television programs that have been seen around the world on FOX, ABC, MTV, TBS, CBC, IFC, HBO, W, BBC1, TF1, RTL, Showtime, Versus, BBC America, TEN Australia, HBO Canada, and The Comedy Network. The company has also expanded into scripted and non-variety programming with the acclaimed shows The Tournament (CBC), Deal with It (W Network), and Bullet in the Face (IFC). Just For Laughs Television is part of the Just For Laughs Group. Founded in 1983, the Just For Laughs Group’s growth is concentrated on four major focal points: Festivals (in Montreal, Toronto and Sydney); television production (most notably Gags, seen in 135 countries and on 95 airlines); live shows (Canadian tour dates for Jerry Seinfeld, Louis C.K., Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr, Craig Ferguson, North American dates for Family Guy Live!); and talent management. Its inaugural Montreal Festival is over 30 years old, and is now the world’s largest and most prestigious comedy event, welcoming two million people each summer. The Group has offices in Montreal, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, and a small apartment on the Internet.