Gilbert Rozon
| Gilbert Rozon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 26, 1954 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Known for | Founder of Just for Laughs |
| Spouse(s) | Danielle Roy |
| Children | Charles, Arthur, Édouard |
Gilbert Rozon (born October 26, 1954) is a Canadian impresario and founder of the Just for Laughs (French: Juste pour Rire) comedy festival, which he created on July 14, 1983. He is also responsible for the development and international deployment of the Just for Laughs/Juste pour Rire brand in over 150 countries. The Just for Laughs festival is considered the largest comedy festival in the world.
Gilbert Rozon is the eldest of seven children. Raised in Saint-André d'Argenteuil, he began working at a young age as a paperboy. At the age of 14 he became a gravedigger, salesman, printer, show organizer, publisher of telephone directories business, key to real estate, etc. It is in this context from his work experience that he developed his sense of humour. After a short stay in France at age 20, he studied law at the Université de Montréal where he graduated.
In 1980, he founded the La Grande Virée (English: The Grand Excursion) festival in Lachute which welcomed more than 60,000 spectators in its first year and more than 80,000 in 1981. For its third year, Gilbert Rozon moved La Grande Virée to the Pointe-aux-Trembles neighbourhood in Montreal. It was a failure.
Despite the failure of his first festival in Montreal, Rozon borrowed more than C$1 million to found the Just for Laughs festival in 1983. The festival was based in Montreal, although spread to Toronto, Chicago, Nantes and Paris.
Rozon was the impresario of Charles Trenet until his death. He was the producer of shows featuring Laurent Ruquier, Franck Dubosc, Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, Florence Foresti, Arturo Brachetti, Stéphane Rousseau, Jean-Marc Parent, Jean-Luc Lemoine, Rachid Badouri, André Sauvé, Christophe Alévêque, etc.
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