From a media release:
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.
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.
