February 12th to February 22nd marked the tenth Anniversary of Just for Laughs in Vancouver. Most events were either sold out or near capacity. The festival brought Brent Butt, Tranna Wintour, Katherine Blanford, Ed Gamble, Rachid Badouri, Michael Longfellow, Cristela Alonzo, Zoltan Kaszas, Aurie Styla, Alingon Mitra, Ola Dada, Joe List, Drew Lynch, Red Richardson, UpDating, Lucy Darling, Jimbo’s Clown Town, Wally Baram, Craig Conant, Laura Ramoso, Jesus Sepulveda, Yakov Smirnoff, Nimesh Patel, Vladimir Caamaño, Nacho Redondo, Mary Beth Barone, Michelle Buteau, Jack Jr., Rene Vaca, Dylan Adler, Grace Helbig, ISMO, Annie Lederman, Jessie “Jetski” Johnson, Tumua, Emil Wakim, Mario Adrion, Dan Duval, Rafi Bastos, Connor Wood, Rosebud Baker, Dropout Improv, David Letterman with Zach Galifianakis and more.
We had a chance to sit down with Nick Brazao, VP of Programming and Talent at Just for Laughs.
HNMAG: Did you grow up in Montreal?
Nick Brazao: I grew up in Toronto, but I’ve been in Montreal since 2000.
HNMAG: What brought you there?
Nick Brazao: Came to Montreal to attend Concordia for theater and ended up making Montreal home.
HNMAG: Oh, great.
Nick Brazao: I got into stand-up in Montreal and started acting in plays too all while working in the service industry. Eventually I landed a job at the old Just For Laughs Museum (which doesn’t exist anymore). I started producing a few shows as well. From there, I eventually found my way to the festival side of things.
HNMAG: What year did you start working for JFL?
Nick Brazao: February 2009.
HNMAG: This is the tenth year in Vancouver for JFL?
Nick Brazao: Yes. JFL Vancouver continues to grow and with it being our 10th anniversary, it’s a nice moment to reflect on how far it’s come. We are offering a wide mix of programming, which helps us reach different audiences and that’s a big part of the festival’s success. We’re bringing in more local programming, scouting new talent, and building out more educational opportunities through our creator series.
HNMAG: Dropout Improv performed at the Queen Elizabeth Theater on February 19th. Were you at that performance?
Nick Brazao: I was there. I was bouncing between that and the Playhouse, where we had UpDating. I ended up catching about half of Dropout and half of UpDating as I went back and forth.
HNMAG: You’re lucky they’re right next to each other, so that works out. Dropout Improv incorporated a lot of Canadian content into their show. Jeremy Culhane decided to be from Calgary for his character in the dating game. Vic Michaelis had a lot of fun with that. They would prod Jeremy on Canadian trivia since Jeremy is not Canadian and knows very little beyond that Calgary is the name of a city in this country. It was a fun and risky choice, which demonstrates the magic of comedy improv. Was this Vic Michaelis’s first performance at Vancouver JFL?
Nick Brazao: Yeah, this was Vic’s first year. It’s such a fun show. The audiences go absolutely crazy. There’s a totally different kind of electricity compared to a typical stand-up show like, you walk in already knowing what you’re in for, and that changes everything. A big part of that is the audience participation. The host really knows how to steer it, and having the keyboard there adds so much to the whole vibe. I remember last year when we did it at the Vogue, I didn’t totally know what to expect. I’d seen some long-form improv before but the Dropout format just taps into a whole other level of fandom
HNMAG: What are your duties with Just For Laughs at this point?
Nick Brazao: I’m the VP of Programming and Talent. I oversee all of our festival programming. Obviously there’s the flagship festival in Montreal. Then we have Vancouver, which we do as a partnership with our friends at NorthWest Comedy, and a Toronto festival in September. We also do a festival in Sydney, Australia in collaboration with our partners there.
HNMAG: A little far.
Nick Brazao: A similar sort of relationship to what we do in Vancouver, but just with Australian partners.
HNMAG: What was the change in Montreal?
Nick Brazao: In June of 2024, the festival was acquired by Sylvain Parent-Bédard and his company, ComediHa! This marked a significant new chapter for the organization. ComediHa! already has a strong track record in producing comedy content and live events, especially in Quebec, so the acquisition brought in a lot of experience on both the production and business sides. Since then, there’s been a real focus on building on the festival’s legacy while expanding programming, strengthening partnerships, and finding new ways to grow the brand both in Canada and internationally. It’s been about keeping what people love about the festival, but also setting it up to evolve and reach new audiences moving forward.
HNMAG: Comedy in Vancouver is different from that in Montreal.
Nick Brazao: Vancouver is really artist-friendly and an incredible place for performers who want to test the market and get exposure. For example, we did a panel with four or five TV bookers to give local artists practical advice on making a move to the States. Things like this are exactly what you need: how to approach your career, what to focus on, what’s worth worrying about, and what’s not.
Vancouver doesn’t have to be Montreal. It’s a different market, but because the two are connected, there’s potential for talent to move between scenes, which can open up even more opportunities. It just doesn’t make sense to try to turn Vancouver’s Just For Laughs into a Montreal clone. The city has its own vibe, its own strengths, and that’s what makes it special.
HNMAG: The Just for Laughs Festival also brings more visitors to the city.
Nick Brazao: Definitely. There is a nice synergy with tourism and that’s why our tourism partners like working with us. We received a proclamation recognizing the festival’s impact.
The Montreal Just For Laughs Festival established itself as the premier destination for comedy. So many careers took off from performing at Montreal JFL. In comedy clubs around the world, when the word gets out that a performer has been selected to go to “Montreal,” everyone knows what that means in terms of excitement and envy. That’s the big break! In 2024, that almost ended, but it was saved by ComediHa! and put in good hands with people like Nick Brazao. He moved to Montreal, worked from a young age with JFL, and has grown as a producer with the festival. He is passionate, knowledgeable, and loves Comedy. Vancouver Just For Laughs has grown as well over the past ten years. The festival brings in the best talent from around the globe and shows that have never been seen before. In 2026, David Letterman hosted a show with actor Zach Galifianakis. This has never been seen live in Vancouver before. Paul Shaffer joined them on stage with a patriotic rendition of Oh Canada. Of course, this show sold out in record time. We have wonderful memories from Just For Laughs and are looking forward to the next festival here in Vancouver in 2027.