Notable Profile: Zoe Rabnett, Just For Laughs Manager of Talent and Festival Planning

Just in time for the Just for Laughs festival, which runs today through July 28th, notable comedy guru Zoe Rabnett answered a few questions in regards to her role and the role of Montrealers in attendance for this 32nd edition of the funniest festival in town.

This year, the festival highlights some seriously notable comedic talent such as Andy Samberg, Russell Peters and Seth Rogen. Zoe’s role as manager of talent and festival planning, where she is responsible for programming the Canadian and international talent, is essential in the amount of laughs produced by the festival’s  attendees. 

What are some of the unique challenges you face daily as the manager of talent and festival planning for a festival of this grandeur?

The travel. While I consider myself so incredibly lucky that I get to travel the world watching comedy (seriously, that’s a real job?!), it’s exhausting being on the road so much. That said, it’s a dream come true that I get to visit the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (to recruit talent) every summer – it’s incredible! It’s also genuinely fun to book artists who have dreamed of performing at Just For Laughs; it sometimes feels a little like I’m making dreams come true. I’ve worked in comedy for a long time, and so I ‘grew up’ on the comedy scene along with so many talented people. What an awesome thing it is when I get to book them to come to Montreal so we can hang out at comedy camp together! The downside, of course, is that I can’t book everyone and have to disappoint really talented people.


Luckily, Zoe explained, the club shows have grown. Date Night: The Relationship Show, The Ethnic Show, and the Nasty Show are all bigger and better than ever. Bigger shows mean more talent and the chance to give more comedians a chance to shine in the spotlight.

New to the festival this year is The All Star show, which is exactly what you think it is going to be and will definitely live up to its name. OFF-JFL is full of cool, young, and awesome comedy. If she wasn’t going to be so busy running around, this is where she said she’d park herself. Get a schedule and memorize it; you can see 3 or 4 shows a night, and they are all going to be outstanding, she assures us.

What notable local Montreal talent is involved in this edition?

“Derek Seguin is joining us on the Nasty Show line-up this year after the standing ovation set he did on the Whitney Cummings gala last year. DeAnne Smith is back to host Stand Up Strip Down at Off-JFL. There will be a Montreal up and comer who will be a part of the Homegrown Comics line up, but that name hasn’t been announced yet… so it’s top secret for now! The Homegrown Comics show is where to go if you want to cheer on a local champ. This is where you can watch the rising stars of Canada catch their big break in the business.” 

Expect nothing less of world-class talent in the weeks to come. 

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