Paul Ronca

Just For Laughs ComedyPro and Film Festival Director, Paul Ronca, has been one of the forces behind the success of the festival in the last seven years. Since his beginnings in the business, first as a writer, then as a stand-up comedian, and later as the owner and founder of Montreal’s first comedy club offering shows in English and French (The Comedy Zone), Paul as always adapted quickly to new challenges in the world of comedy. Paul began as a Talent Producer at Just For Laughs, and played a major role in the creation of new shows such as Wiseguys, Asian Invasion, The Sketch Show, and the most-talked about show in 2008 — Apatow For Destruction. Paul also played a role in programming all live Festival shows from the smallest club shows to the prestigious Just For Laughs galas.

During his tenure as Director of Just For Laughs ComedyPro and Film Festival, highlights have included a special advance screening of Pineapple Express with a live presentation by the cast and crew, including Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Ken Jeong and Danny McBride and the North American premiere of the most successful French-language film ever, Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis, with a live presentation by the film’s star and director, Dany Boon. OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus also premiered at the festival with live presentations by Oscar winners Jean Dujardin and Michel Hazanavicius. This was preceded by the North American premiere of Mr. Bean’s Holiday which included a live presentation by the film’s star, Rowan Atkinson.

Paul was also instrumental in helping to create the Just For Laughs ComedyPro conference. Some of the biggest names in the comedy industry have participated in the conference, which has become a can’t- miss comedy gathering. In its first five years, the conference has attracted an all-star cast including: Judd Apatow, Todd Phillips, Jay Roach, Paul Feig, Lewis Black, Steven Levitan, Jason Reitman, Ivan Reitman, Edgar Wright, Louis CK, Dan Harmon, Patton Oswalt, Marc Maron, Chelsea Handler, Adam Carolla and so much more!

At the top of his experience in the world of comedy, Paul holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University. Before stepping into the world of comedy, he spent several years working in sales and marketing with two major companies: Bausch & Lomb Canada and Prentice Hall Allyn & Bacon (A division of Simon & Schuster). Paul also produced and performed on a number of independent live shows, which led him to discover his passion for producing.

Paul remains very active in the Montreal community. He often returns to the local clubs to share his wisdom and experience with young comedians. He’s also always ready to help out local charities such as the Arthritis Foundation, Breast Cancer Society, and ALS.

Born and raised in Montreal, Paul remains loyal to his roots and his very devoted and passionate about developing the arts scene in this city for audiences and future generations of performers. At the start of his career in comedy, Paul was a stand-up and ran into many challenges and obstacles. So, an important objective for him is to create avenues and bridges that will allow young promising performers and filmmakers the opportunity to develop and to be discovered.