Charles Décarie appointed President and CEO of Groupe Juste pour rire

MONTREAL, March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Groupe CH, Bell Media and ICM Partners are proud to announce the appointment of Charles Décarie as President and CEO of Groupe Juste pour rire. Based in Montréal, Mr. Décarie will take office on March 25, 2019.

"The arrival of Charles Décarie is excellent news, not only for our group of owners, but also for the comedy industry," said Geoff Molson, Owner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe CH and Chairman of Groupe Juste pour rire. "His vast experience in the entertainment field coupled with his dynamism will ensure the growth of Juste pour rire, as well as its influence both locally and internationally. Décarie will also be able to count on the support and exceptional network of each of our corporate entities at Groupe CH, Bell Media and ICM Partners."

"Charles joins a powerhouse leadership team including President of Just for Laughs Bruce Hills and Vice-President of French Content, Patrick Rozon," said Randy Lennox, President, Bell Media. "With its management and ownership now established, Just for Laughs is well positioned for increased growth and success."

"I am extremely pleased to have been selected by the new owners of Groupe Juste pour rire to lead an inspiring cultural business," said Mr. Décarie. "I will put all my expertise and my passion at the service of the development of this flagship in Québec and Canadian culture. It is an honour for me to fill this challenging and exciting position, and I look forward to working with the very competent Juste pour rire team. By combining our creativity, our passion and our know-how, we will ensure increased success reflective of its history."

Charles Décarie has been working in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. Until recently, he was Chief Operating Officer of Triotech Inc., a Canadian company that specializes in the design of immersive and interactive attractions that operates in Asia, Europe and North America. From 1999 to 2016, he greatly contributed to the growth of Cirque du Soleil, where he held various senior management positions, including most recently as Chief Operating Officer.

ABOUT GROUPE JUSTE POUR RIRE 
Founded in 1983, Groupe Juste pour rire's growth is concentrated on three major focal points: festivals (in Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney); television production and stand-up specials (most notably Gags, seen in 135 countries and on 95 airlines); and live shows (Canadian tour dates for Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Jimmy Carr, Danny Bhoy, North American dates for John Cleese & Eric Idle and Family Guy Live! to name a few). Its inaugural Montréal Festival, which will celebrate its 37th edition in 2019, is the world's largest and most prestigious comedy event, welcoming more than 2 million people each summer. Groupe has offices in Montréal, Los Angeles, Toronto, and London.

ABOUT GROUPE CH
Through its live entertainment divisions evenko and L'Équipe Spectra, Groupe CH is Canada's leading event promoter and festival producer, presenting over 1,500 shows yearly as well as major festivals like Osheaga Music and Arts Festival, Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Francos de Montréal, HEAVY MONTRÉAL, îleSoniq, '77 Montréal, Montréal en Lumière, Nuit Blanche à Montréal and others. Groupe CH events attract millions of happy fans every year, hundreds of thousands of which come from outside of Quebec and Canada, generating tens of millions of dollars in economic windfalls for the community.

ABOUT BELL MEDIA
Bell Media is Canada's leading digital and content creation company with premier assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, digital media, and more. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's highest-rated television network; 30 specialty channels, including leading specialty services TSN and RDS. Bell Media is Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 215 music channels including 109 licensed radio stations in 58 markets across the country, all part of the iHeartRadio brand and streaming service. Bell Media owns Astral, an out-of-home advertising network of more than 30,000 faces in five provinces. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; video streaming services including Crave, TSN Direct, and RDS Direct; and multi-channel network Much Studios. The company owns a majority stake in Pinewood Toronto Studios; is a partner in Just for Laughs, the live comedy event and TV producer; and owns Dome Productions Inc., one of North America's leading production facilities providers. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. Learn more at www.BellMedia.ca.

ABOUT ICM PARTNERS
ICM Partners is one of the world's leading talent agencies. Many of the biggest hits in motion pictures, television, music, theatre and publishing were created on the page, on the stage, in front of and behind the camera, by the agency's clients. The company has the expertise of a legacy agency, with over six decades in the business, coupled with the entrepreneurial spirit of its agent owners who bought the company in 2012 and changed the name from ICM to ICM Partners. The firm has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., and London.

SOURCE Groupe CH