TESTIMONIAL
Just for Laughs
Just For Laughs hosts the world’s largest comedy festival annually in Montreal, Quebec and produces programming year-round with the simple mission to “make people happy.”
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The Challenge
The Just For Laughs Festival is held each July, boasting an elite comedy line-up and attracting ~2 million fans to the city for the event.
When the pandemic hit, Just For Laughs was faced with the challenge of delivering a world-class festival amidst restrictions that prevented large in-person events.
While they had produced content for broadcast television and video-on-demand before, they had never gone virtual on the festival level -- a feat that would involve transforming 2 jam-packed days of A-list comedy programming into an equally engaging virtual experience.
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The Solution
Stage TEN worked closely as a producing partner to Just For Laughs, embedding dedicated producers, designers and technicians to carry the festival from creative ideation to online execution.
Using Stage TEN, Just For Laughs regained access to comedy heavyweights such as Chelsea Handler, Judd Apatow and Kevin Hart from their own homes during lockdown -- without needing to fly in talent or set foot in a venue.
Stage TEN provided specialised technicians to virtually onboard each comedian, ensuring they were comfortable with the technology. Directors were able to communicate with performers in real-time using the integrated backstage chat.
“Stage TEN being a turnkey solution was exactly what we needed. The pandemic had put everything into chaos for so many arts and entertainment industries, that it was lovely to have a company come in that had the expertise and the knowledge that knew exactly what they were doing.”
Oz Weaver, Producer, ComedyPRO & ComedyCON, Just For Laughs
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The Results
Using Stage TEN, the 38th annual Just For Laughs Festival was held over 2 days, featuring 100+ performers and 28 shows (including programming from official partner, Kevin Hart’s the Laugh Out Loud Network), streaming simultaneously across multiple virtual “stages”.
Just For Laughs was able to instantly turn the live broadcast into 29 hours of polished video-on-demand content across the Just For Laughs and Laugh Out Loud Networks, attracting an audience of 750,000 viewers to enjoy the festival on their own time.
Going digital with Stage TEN allowed Just For Laughs to “reach a larger part of the world and people who may not necessarily be able to join us at the festival,” according to Oz Weaver, Just For Laughs ComedyPRO & ComedyCON Producer. “It gives them accessibility into comedy and into the conference and I think it really opens up a whole new playing field.”
After the success of its first online festival, Just For Laughs is strategising the addition of live, online formats to future “hybrid” events, making its event programming even more eco-friendly and accessible in the years to come.
IN 2020
750k
VIEWERS
100+
PERFORMERS
29
HOURS OF CONTENT
