Everyone loves to laugh, right? But live stand-up comedy just isn’t that accessible, save for in major city centres, where the acts are found in dark and cramped clubs and the talent is often hit-or-miss. Enter Brothers DePaul, a media production company aiming to change the Canadian comedy and media landscape.
Co-founder Miles DePaul recognized that while Canadian comedy is strong, American media often drowns it out. In order to take Canadian comedic content beyond the few late-night clubs in Toronto and Montreal, and top-end once-a-year comedy festivals, Brothers DePaul is filling the niche between these segments with their series Comedy in the X — beautifully produced comedy specials set in intimate and unique spaces (Toronto alleyways, galleries, and home basements, for example) and presented eight times a year.
The company aims mainly to serve city-dwelling adults aged 25 to 40. This demographic is typically tech-savvy, interested in indie music, craft beer, local food, and active on social media — they crave quality entertainment and unique experiences. With $5,000 in start-up capital, Brothers DePaul plans to transition from renting to purchasing camera equipment, which will allow them to reduce ticket prices, pay production teams and comedians better rates, and bring in a wider audience.
Miles sees the company moving forward and expanding into other entertainment mediums with the winnings, "The Canon Get Started program will enable us to invest in company equipment, reducing on-going costs from renting cameras, microphones, and other equipment. Ultimately, this award will allow us to focus on producing unique and compelling films, events, and podcasts for our audience."
Stay up to date on the Brothers Depaul’s films and growing podcast network at www.brothersdepaul.com.
