Solidarity Fund QFL inks $10 million financing deal to raise profile of Just For Laughs brand Montréal, February 2, 2009 – Just For Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon has succeeded in turning comedy into a valued artistic discipline and transforming it into a recognized Québec product, a magnet for tourists, and a source of national pride. After a successful foray into Toronto and Europe, the company he founded and still heads has now set its sights on the U.S., the Middle East and Asia. To this end, Gestion Juste pour rire Inc. and the Solidarity Fund QFL (the “Fund”), two beacons of the Québec economy created over 25 years ago, have concluded a $10 million financing deal to enable the company to market its brand in these promising markets. “Although it remains closely associated with the Montréal festival, the Just For Laughs name now encompasses a wide variety of activities involving the arts and shows in which the company has not only built expertise but a solid reputation as well,” explains Gilbert Rozon. “Québec is our home; it’s where we’re headquartered and where we have our biggest fans. But our success abroad, particularly in France and the United Kingdom, has encouraged us to focus more on exporting our know-how and adding an international dimension to the Just For Laughs name. The Fund is backing our strategy, and we’re happy to be able to count on a Québec investor to help us achieve our goals.” “You need a major investment to effectively boost a trademark’s visibility, especially when you’re trying to grow. Thanks to our creative teams, we can offer innovative financial solutions tailored to our partners’ needs. Our investment comes at a strategic point in the development of Gestion Juste pour rire. And we’re especially proud that this investment will help spread the word about Québec’s creativity around the globe,” said the Fund’s Executive Vice-President of Investments, Gaétan Morin. “This is another great Québec product that should be exported around the world. Gilbert Rozon is a visionary and an inspired businessman who has done an incredible job at marketing comedy. His convictions and his team’s expertise convinced us that backing him is a smart decision.” In the near term, Gestion Juste pour rire is targeting the U.S., the Middle East, and Australia, where it will produce large-scale comedy shows with local talent. Following successful runs in Nantes (France) and Toronto for the past two years, the Just For Laughs Festival – the springboard for the company’s expansion strategy – will soon take on Chicago. About Gestion Juste pour rire Founded 26 years ago, the Just For Laughs Festival has become the largest comedy event in the world, attracting thousands of artists and two million attendees every year, including hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world, as well as 500 national and international media representatives and close to 1,200 agents, producers and high-profile scouts in search of new talent. Beyond the millions of dollars generated in economic and fiscal spinoffs, each Festival provides magical moments and over the years has introduced the public to such gems as Arturo Brachetti, Patrick Huard, Stéphane Rousseau, Franck Dubosc, Florence Foresti, Rowan Atkinson (alias Mr. Bean), Tim Allen, Drew Carey and Ray Romano. Today Gestion Juste pour rire is a company with over 200 permanent employees and some 30 shows on the road. With offices in Paris, London and Los Angeles, the group also produces shows in Nantes and Toronto, and regularly participates in the Edinburgh and Montreux Festivals. Just For Laughs also airs on TV in 125 countries and on 95 airlines with its gags series, an unprecedented hit reaching 2 billion viewers across the globe. For more information, visit www.hahaha.com . About the Solidarity Fund QFL With net assets of $6.2 billion as at November 30, 2008, the Solidarity Fund QFL is a development capital company that through its RRSP channels the savings of Quebecers into investments in all sectors of the economy to help create and maintain jobs and to further Québec's economic growth. The Fund is a partner, either directly or through its network members, in 1,881 companies. It currently has nearly 575,000 shareholders and has helped, on its own or with other financial partners, to create, maintain and protect over 126,000 jobs. For more information, visit www.fondsftq.com . - 30 - Note : The telephone numbers provided below are for the exclusive use of journalists and other media representatives. Sources : Josée Lagacé Senior Advisor, Press Relations and Communications Fonds de solidarité FTQ Telephone : 514 850-4835 Email : [email protected] Sylvie Savard Press Relations Gestion Juste pour rire Telephone : 514 844-8864 poste 201 Email : [email protected] .