AEG Presents appoints first head of comedy
On the heels of the appointment of Lucy Noble as AEG Presents’ inaugural artistic director, the company has named Georgie Donnelly as its first head of comedy.
Previously head of comedy & podcasts at Moment House, Donnelly has also served stints as an agent at UTA and established the comedy department at promoter Kilimanjaro Live.
Donnelly’s hiring is considered central to AEG’s plans to expand its footprint beyond music and exponentially grow its comedy portfolio, which includes the London debut of Just For Laughs festival, which takes place at The O2 from 2-5 March 2023.
“I am absolutely delighted to join the team at AEG Presents who are synonymous with live music and entertainment,” says Donnelly, who has worked with the likes of Jonathan Van Ness, Hasan Minhaj, Daniel Howell, Yvonne Orji, and Russell Peters. “I am so excited to be expanding the live comedy aspect of the business and look forward to bringing some of the biggest stars and events in global comedy to the UK.”
“With Just for Laughs, as well as the arrival of Georgie to this newly created role, our plan is to really accelerate our comedic footprint”
AEG Presents UK CEO Steve Homer adds: “Georgie is immersed in the comedy world and has incredible experience booking and running tours and shows across multiple comedic genres. It’s an area AEG Presents is increasingly taking up residence and with Just for Laughs, as well as the arrival of Georgie to this newly created role, our plan is to really accelerate our comedic footprint.”
Donnelly’s arrival comes just weeks after it was announced that Royal Albert Hall artistic director Lucy Noble will be joining AEG’s European senior leadership team, assuming responsibility for setting the artistic direction across the company’s live touring and events business.
Noble, who is tasked with overseeing content creation as well as the production of new events, also assumes responsibility for promoting and touring shows, with an initial focus on the UK, followed by an eventual expansion into Europe and other territories.
Meanwhile, Stormzy has been announced as the first headliner of AEG’s All Points East 2023 festival in Victoria Park, London. In a UK exclusive, the grime artist will star in his own curated This Is What We Mean Day on Friday 18 August.
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LN acquires talent management firm Jubilee Street
Live Nation has announced the strategic acquisition of Australasian comedy artist management company Jubilee Street.
The two companies, which will act as co-promoters for domestic comedic talent, previously united to stage the Together Again series in New Zealand in 2020, as well as shows by comedian Russell Howard, who became the first international artist to tour both Australia and New Zealand post-lockdown in 2021.
Established in 2018 by Bec Sutherland, Jubilee Street currently manages 11 artists, including Australian and New Zealand comedians Julia Morris, Urzila Carlson, Nazeem Hussain, Kate Langbroek, Melanie Bracewell and Becky Lucas.
“We are extremely proud to be taking our long-standing relationship with Jubilee Street to the next level,” says Roger Field, President of Live Nation Asia Pacific. “This deal gives us the opportunity to continue working alongside Bec Sutherland, who was a valued member of the Live Nation team for a long time, and one of the country’s best comedy talent managers and comedy promoters.
“Together, we are dedicated to nurturing and showcasing the best of Australian and New Zealand comedy, while strengthening our position as a world-class comedy destination.”
“This is an exciting next step in my career and for the development of the amazing talent I represent”
Sutherland also served as a strategic leader of Live Nation’s comedy touring business across the region. She will step down from her role as VP of comedy at Live Nation APAC to focus on her responsibilities as MD of Jubilee Street, and will continue to promote her roster through LN.
“Both Jubilee Street and Live Nation are committed to driving the careers of Australian and New Zealand comedic talent locally and globally, and this is an exciting next step in my career and for the development of the amazing talent I represent,” she says
Andy Curtain, Live Nation Asia Pacific’s head of comedy, will continue managing operations and leading on all other comedy talent across the region.
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FKP Scorpio establishes new touring department
FKP Scorpio is further expanding its portfolio with a new department for spoken word and comedy acts.
The Hamburg-headquartered, pan-European concert and festival promoter says the establishment of the department is “the next logical step” after a series of successful collaborations in the spoken word and comedy world.
The live entertainment behemoth has previously co-operated with acts such as Iliza Shlesinger, Trevor Noah, Jimmy Carr, Jimm Jeffries, Hannah Gadsby, Daniel Sloss, Russell Howard and John Cleese.
Currently, FKP Scorpio is touring Markus Krebs, Thomas Schmidt and Shlesinger, and has announced upcoming tours with the likes of Bastian Bielendorfer.
“Our goal is to build a broad and diverse roster, which we have already achieved very well in a short period of time”
“I am very happy about the trust [FKP] has placed in me and about the tasks ahead of us. Our goal is to build a broad and diverse roster, which we have already achieved very well in a short period of time,” says Thilo Elsner, who has been named the head of FKP’s spoken word and comedy department.
“We are very happy to be able to present Bastian Bielendorfer, a well-known artist right at the start of the new department, who is a perfect fit for us and also fits in perfectly with our previous successes.”
Stephan Thanscheidt, CEO of FKP Scorpio, adds: “This new department enables us to deepen our previous work in this exciting segment and to continue strategically. The portfolio of FKP Scorpio has never been as diverse as it is today.”
The core business of the CTS Eventim-backed company includes tours, festivals, local events, arena operas, shows and comedy.
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All Things Live acquires comedy agency ROA
Leading Nordic live entertainment company All Things Live has acquired ROA, a Swedish booking agency and management company for comedians, speakers, actors, screenwriters and authors.
Stockholm-based ROA becomes part of All Things Live’s comedy business, which also includes Norway’s Stand Up Norge and Sweden’s Blixten & Co. All ROA employees will remain in their jobs following the acquisition, terms of which were not disclosed.
“I am very pleased that we finally become part of All Things Live,” says Sabina Donoukará, the agency’s CEO. “It is a step in the right direction for ROA as a company, for our clients and our staff. Having the opportunity to realise our full potential feels good.
“This is the ultimate proof of the fantastic job our staff and us have done over the years. I am excited and looking forward to what is to come.”
“We are pleased and proud to welcome ROA and their many gifted comedians to the All Things Live family”
“We have owned this company for 13 years, and it is now time for us to step down as coowners and just be comedians,” says Johan Glans, a comedian who co-founded ROA in 2007 alongside David Batra, Thomas Järvheden, Özz Nûjen, Hasse Brontén and Måns Möller. “We are handing over the reins to people who can really make ROA reach its full potential. And the close collaboration with our Nordic neighbours will, of course, be extra exciting.”
Adds Henrik Berndtson of All Things Live Sweden: “We are pleased and proud to welcome ROA and their many gifted comedians to the All Things Live family. We are looking forward to strengthening our common platform in Sweden and exchanging talent, productions and experience across the other Nordic countries.”
Founded in 2018, All Things Live – backed by private-equity firm Waterland – also includes ICO Concerts and ICO Management and Touring (Denmark), Friction and Atomic Soul Booking (Norway), Maloney Concerts, Monkfish and Big Slap festival (Sweden) and Weekend Festival (Finland).
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Comedy promoter Stand Up Norge joins All Things Live
Pan-Nordic live music group All Things Live has acquired Stand Up Norge, Norway’s biggest comedy promoter.
Founded in 1997 by Elina Krantz, Stand Up Norge is a full-service entertainment company which represents 67 comedians (17 permanent and 50 affiliated) and organises nearly 2,000 stand-up shows a year, for an expected 2019 turnover of 200 million krone (€20m).
Stand Up also owns Latter in Oslo, Norway’s biggest comedy club.
With the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, All Things Live says it aims to export successful Norwegian comedians to the other Nordic countries.
“We have achieved a lot in Norway, and we now turn to the Nordics to delight our neighbours as well,” says Krantz (pictured), who joins All Things Live as a partner and co-owner.
“We have achieved a lot in Norway, and we now turn to the Nordics to delight our neighbours as well”
“We look forward to working with our colleagues in All Things Live aiming to attract even more international stand up stars to Norway.”
All Things Live, backed by private-equity firm Waterland, was formed in December 2018, and includes ICO Concerts and ICO Management and Touring (Denmark), Friction and Atomic Soul Booking (Norway), Blixten & Co and Maloney Concerts (Sweden), and Weekend Festival (Finland).
The combined company has 85 employees, represents over 150 artists and produces more than 3,000 events annually.
“Stand Up Norge is a well-run company with many talented comedians and great prospects in Norway and beyond,” says Kim Worsøe, CEO of All Things Live. “We look forward to strengthening our position in Norway and introducing talents, texts and experiences from Norway in the other Nordic countries.”
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Comedy duo smash Swiss ticket sales record
Comic duo Cabaret DivertiMento have broken the record for the highest-ever ticket sales for a single tour of Switzerland.
The pair’s Sabbatical tour, which began in September 2016, has sold more than 350,000 tickets to date. In recognition of the new record, Christof Zogg, CEO of ticket agency Starticket, presented DivertiMento’s Jonny Fischer and Manuel Burkart with a ‘golden ticket award’ before their recent show at the Messehalle in Berne.
Zogg said the level of DivertiMento’s success has not been “achieved by other [local] greats such as Cabaret Rotstift, Marcocello, Cabaret Götterspass, the Schmirinskis or Peach Weber, nor international superstars like AC/DC or Metallica. We congratulate the duo on this success.”
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Comedy promoter Michael Clapham joins Kilimanjaro Live
Michael Clapham has joined Kilimanjaro Live, replacing the London-based company’s outgoing comedy promoter, Georgie Donnelly.
Clapham, who joins from Perfect Strangers Comedy, will focus on Kilimanjaro’s comedy events, promoting under the Kilimanjaro Live, Perfect Strangers and Rabbit Rabbit brands, including shows ‘in conversation with’ and the live podcast market. He brings more than six years’ experience of promoting comedy events, with previous work including producing profitable runs at the Edinburgh Festival; programming the comedy at Bluedot; and co-founding the award-winning Group Therapy brand and the first Manchester Podcast Festival.
“I’m extremely pleased to be joining Kilimanjaro Live, working on some incredibly exciting projects,” he says. “I’ll be helping to develop the great work at Kili promoting the finest stand-up comedy shows and working with emerging talent across this growing industry”.
“We look forward to Michael building on our huge successes of the past few years in comedy”
Donnelly, whose departure was announced earlier today, is headed to UTA as a comedy agent.
“We are delighted to welcome Michael into the Kili family and particularly pleased to be working with someone with such an encyclopaedic knowledge of the comedy world,” comments Kilimanjaro CEO Stuart Galbraith. “We look forward to Michael building on our huge successes of the past few years in comedy and developing further into the worlds of spoken word and podcast live entertainment”.
Kili’s tenth-anniversary year in 2018 was its busiest to date, with highlights including comedy tours by Jim Jefferies, Aziz Ansari, Maria Bamford and Tape Face, 15 stadium shows for Ed Sheeran (for which it won an Artist and Manager Award), two stadium shows for Stereophonics and ten additional outdoor shows, including dates at Kew the Music and Live at Chelsea.
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Ex-Kili comedy promoter Georgie Donnelly joins UTA
United Talent Agency (UTA) has hired Georgie Donnelly, most recently head of comedy at UK promoter Kilimanjaro Live, as an agent in its comedy touring division.
Based in UTA’s London office, Donnelly will book and represent comedy acts internationally. The hire forms part of an ongoing expansion of the agency’s comedy division, following the hiring last year of agent Bjorn Wentlandt from Avalon Entertainment.
Nick Nuciforo, head of comedy touring for UTA, says: “We are thrilled to have Georgie join our expanding global team. Her extensive and unique experience in promotion will be an invaluable resource to our team.
“She is a respected figure in the industry, and we look forward to working with her.”
“I cannot wait to work closely with market-leading artists and agents at the top of their game”
Donnelly joined Kilimanjaro in 2016, and has toured US comedy greats Jim Jefferies, Aziz Ansari, Rob Lowe and Amy Schumer, as well as international talent including Tape Face, Jessica Fostekew and Tony Law, around the UK. She is also a leading producer at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
She comments: “I am absolutely delighted to join the team at UTA, whose roster of brilliant comedic talent is unparallelled in the industry. I cannot wait to work closely with market-leading artists and agents at the top of their game.”
Donnelly’s exit from Kili follows that of promoter Carlo Scarampi, who joined Communion Music last year.
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Debut Kaleidoscope festival takes place in Ally Pally grounds
Against the backdrop of London’s skyline, the first ever festival in the grounds of Alexandra Palace took place this weekend (21 July). Kaleidoscope festival saw music, poetry, comedy, art and theatre descend on the grade II listed building and surrounding park slopes and woodland.
The festival isn’t the first to take advantage of a historical spot to attract festivalgoers. Hampton Court Palace Festival, now in its 26th year, celebrated its 2018 edition with a record breaking crowd, and Kenwood House’s Heritage Concert Series saw success this year with its first shows since 2013.
On the main stage of Kaleidoscope’s inaugural year festivalgoers were treated to performances from The Flaming Lips, Mystery Jets and Beth Orton. Elsewhere, comedy performances were delivered by Katherine Ryan, Mark Watson and Dr. John Cooper Clarke.
“It’s been amazing to see so many people of all ages enjoying such a diverse mix of music, theatre, comedy and performing arts”
Guests also had the opportunity to explore the rarely-opened Victorian basements within the palace itself. Inside, an immersive theatre experience paid tribute to Alexandra Palace’s role in the creation of television.
Aimed at festivalgoers of all ages, organisers hoped the first edition of the festival would leave people ready for Kaleidoscope instalments for years to come. Speaking about the success of this year’s event, Simon Fell, founder of the Kaleidoscope, says: “It’s been amazing to see so many people of all ages enjoying such a diverse mix of music, theatre, comedy and performing arts this weekend. And what better place to do so than in one of the most beautiful locations in London.
“Something magical took place on Saturday and we can’t wait to welcome people back next year.”
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ICM Partners acquires Just for Laughs comedy festival
Just for Laughs Group, the company behind Montreal’s Just for Laughs, the world’s largest international comedy festival, has been acquired by an investor group led by booking agency ICM Partners and its longtime client, Canadian comedian and actor Howie Mandel.
In addition to Just for Laughs Montreal, the company organises comedy tours, TV specialists and festivals around the world, including in Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney, and has subsidiaries in the US and France and production/distribution business in some 135 other countries.
“Just For Laughs has done a phenomenal job of producing the world’s most respected comedy festival for decades and have built that into a very successful global comedy business,” says Chris Silbermann, managing director of LA-based ICM Partners.
“We see a great opportunity to work with Just for Laughs to grow the global comedy brand”
“We see a great opportunity to work with them to grow the global comedy brand, in both French- and English-speaking comedy, while allowing the team on the ground in Montreal to continue to produce the festival as they have so successfully for all these years.”
ICM made two acquisitions last year, of broadcast news agency Headline Media Management in March and speakers business Royce Carlton in October. Its music roster includes Celine Dion, the Beach Boys, Barry Gibb, Anderson Paak, Dave Stewart, the Skins, Little Simz and Mike Will Made It.
The 36th Just For Laughs Festival will take place in Montreal from 14 to 28 July.
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