Joel McHale Gala – July 30, LiveEvents July 25, 2017 4183 The Joel McHale Gala As one of the most sought after comedians and actors in the industry, Joel McHale has starred in the beloved television sitcom, Community, and also brought his biting commentary to mass audiences during his 12 years of hosting The Soup. Currently in the swing of his 2017 stand-up tour, he has been performing stand-up for sold out crowds for years. Now he is coming to Just for Laughs Montreal for his very own gala! After all, he has hosted the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner and the ESPYS, so we trust him to bring the best of the best to our stage. Joel McHale is one of the most sought after comedians and actors in the industry. McHale was on shows such as E!’s The Soup in which he satirized pop culture and current events. He is also best known for his starring role on the hit comedy series Community, which wrapped its sixth season on Yahoo after five seasons on NBC. McHale was recently on Fox’s revival of the X-Files, as well as CBS’ The Great Indoors. He continues to perform his stand-up act around the country to sold-out audiences. Joel released his new book, Thanks for the Money, in October. Previously, McHale starred as Robin Williams’ son in A Merry Friggin’ Christmas and was seen in the supernatural thriller Deliver Us From Evil. He also appeared in the WB’s romantic comedy Blended alongside Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. His additional film credits include Seth MacFarlane’s comedy smash TED, What’s Your Number?, The Big Year, Spy Kids: All The Time in The World, and The Informant. In 2014, McHale hosted the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington D.C.. He also hosted the 2015 ESPYS on ABC. Born in Rome and raised in Seattle, Washington, McHale was a history major at the University of Washington, where he also was a member of their championship football team. He received his Masters of Fine Arts from UW’s Actor’s Training Program. McHale lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. Elon Gold Elon Gold is a comedian and actor who has starred in FOX’s Stacked and NBC’s In-Laws. His one-hour stand up special, Chosen and Taken, currently out on Netflix, has been getting rave reviews from fans and critics alike. He has made ten appearances on The Tonight Show and had a recurring role on the hit show, Bones. Elon was also a writer and performer on ABC’s The Dana Carvey Show and has guest starred on Frasier, The Mentalist, and Chappelle’s Show, among others. His routine on Christmas trees went viral and was shared by millions around the globe. Future projects include a web series he filmed in Israel and a new stand up special that was recently taped in front of fifteen thousand people at the AIPAC Policy Conference in D.C. He may also be the only comedian to ever perform at the U.N. Although knowing the history of the U.N., that’s debatable… Elon is looking forward to his 11th appearance at JFL and another sold out run for his new show, Elon Gold: Pro-Semite. Rod Man Rod Man Best known as the winner of Last Comic Standing Season 8, Rod Man is truly a gem in the World of Stand-up Comedy today. His unique delivery and voice allows Rod Man to find the funny in everyday life like no else can. Rod Man’s numerous television appearances include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, HBO‘s The Bad Boys of Comedy, Martin Lawrence’s First Amendment for Starz and BBC America’s The World Stands Up. Other notable achievements for Rod Man include co-hosting a morning drive-time show in Los Angeles on Stevie Wonder owned KJLH Radio. On the big screen, he appeared in the Adam Sandler & Seth Rogen comedy Funny People. And currently, Rod Man has a sitcom in development with NBC and Wanda Skyes. Martha Chaves Martha Chaves is a seasoned comic. She has performed here at Just For Laughs multiple times, as well as all the other major comedy festivals in Canada, including the Winnipeg, Halifax, Edmonton, and Vancouver Comedy Festivals. She has also performed in Boston and New York Comedy Festivals, and in Colombia’s Festival Del Humour. Martha’s infectious, candid style, and her natural ability to relate to a wide range of audiences, has made her a very popular headliner comedian at clubs, colleges, festivals, fundraisers, and corporate functions. Her versatility has also brought her all over the world and to entertain specific audiences – including Canadian Peacekeeping Troops in Alert, Egypt, Israel, and Afghanistan. She also went to Mexico and Central America as a delegate-entertainer of the Nobel Women Initiative, led by Nobel Peace Prize Award Winners. “The Grande Dame of Canadian Comedy is without a doubt – Martha Chaves. Her wit is infectious, her style is delightful and when you work with her – you are assured professionalism. Martha has always made me laugh out loud and she is a genuine asset to Canadian comedy” ~Tracy Rideout, Producer CBC Radio – Laugh Out Loud Jimmy Shubert Whether it’s stealing scenes in major motion pictures or blowing the roof off any comedy club from Hawaii to Halifax, Jimmy Shubert is stand-up comedy’s next breakout star. His full contact comedy has led him from headlining The Improv and Comedy Store in Hollywood, to his own stand-up special on Comedy Central, with five years on King of Queens and several appearances on Entourage for good measure. His hour-long stand-up special Alive N’ Kickin made Top Ten Best Stand Up comedy DVD’s for punchlinemagazine.com, the leading comedy web site in the industry. On screen, Jimmy has played everything from a prison guard in a hostage crisis to a murder victim on Monk. He plays Betty Whites neighbor in the NBC show Off Their Rockers and has also made appearances on such shows as 2 Broke Girls, Heist, ER, Reno 911, Rude Awakenings, Angel, Lucky, New Car Smell, Sonny With a Chance, Just Shoot Me and Youth In Revolt 2. Jimmy recorded his first half-hour special for Comedy Central at the Hudson Theater in New York City. In Addition, he has released two break-out comedy albums, Animal Instincts and Pandemonium, produced by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel. He has performed all over the United States, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, The Bahamas, Korea and, along with Drew Carey, performed for the troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan as part of the America Supports You program for the Defense Department and Armed Forces Entertainment. Jimmy is based in LA where he has performed and written material for acts like Yakov Smirnoff, Jimmy Walker, and Andrew “Dice” Clay. Jimmy’s comedy routine is usually performed with an observational point of view, in comedic short-story form, and typically focuses on poking fun at pop culture. Eliza Skinner Eliza Skinner is an LA based comedian who TimeOutNY described as “definitely one to watch.” She is currently a staff writer TruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything but has also written on CBS’s Late Late Show with James Corden and FX’s Totally Biased w/ W Kamau Bell. In front of the camera, Eliza is best known for her work on VH1’s Best Week Ever and TBS’s Conan. Eliza is also a regular at some of the best comedy festivals including SXSW, the NY Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe as well as headlining at college, comedy clubs, and theaters across the country. Pete Johansson A former resident of Vancouver, Canada, Pete made his first forays into Hollywood after a wildly successful Just For Laughs Festival here in Montréal, where he signed a deal with Warner Brothers Television after appearing on one of the smaller shows. Soon after Pete made his network debut on NBC’s Friday Night and followed that with the lead in the independent film Mixed Signals with Jason London and Brook Langdon. On the road Pete performed across the United States for the Improvisation comedy clubs in his spare time. When he returned, Pete started working with HBO independent productions in a new development deal and landed a spot at the USA Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen Co, as one of the new faces. Here he was named one of the comics to watch by The Hollywood Reporter. Pete also starred in his first half-hour special for CBC in an episode of Comics. He followed this up the following year with an hour-long special for The Comedy Channel’s Comedy Now series. He has also performed on several Just for Laughs Gala shows on CBC. For tickets and information: www.placedesarts.com 514-842-2112 or 1-866-842-2112 Just For Laughs The 35th edition of the Just For Laughs Festival promises to be the most star-studded lineup ever with TV and cinema’s biggest comedy names, top touring comedians, cult-favourites and up-and-comers all converging on Montreal this summer. Galas, street performers, theatrical productions and stand-up shows in indoor venues and in the streets. Guaranteed to keep audiences in stitches. Check out the full festival line-up at www.hahaha.com