Promoter AEG Presents has appointed its first-ever head of comedy ahead of its comedy festival, Just For Laughs, making its U.K. debut next spring.
Comedy specialist Georgie Donnelly has been tapped to take on the inaugural role. She will be based in London.
The company said that Donnelly’s appointment was integral to its focus on expanding AEG Presents’ footprint “beyond music,” with live comedy a particular area of interest thanks to its exponential growth for the business.
AEG Presents is the second-largest live music company in the U.S. Its global music stable includes iconic events such as Coachella, New Orleans Jazz Festival, British Summer Time at Hyde Park and Stagecoach as well as promoting global tours for the world’s biggest artists, from The Rolling Stones to Taylor Swift.
Now the company is bringing Montreal comedy festival Just For Laughs to London for the first time next March 2-5 at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena. The festival, which has also played New York and Los Angeles, celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this year.
Donnelly joins from Moment House where she served as head of comedy and podcasts. She was previously an agent at UTA and has also worked as head of comedy at Kilimanjaro Live, where she stablished and built the comedy department.
“I am absolutely delighted to join the team at AEG Presents who are synonymous with live music and entertainment,” Donnelly said. “I am so excited to be expanding the live comedy aspect of the business and look forward to bringing some of the biggest stars and events in global comedy to the U.K.”
Steve Homer, CEO of AEG Presents, said: “Georgie is immersed in the comedy world and has incredible experience booking and running tours and shows across multiple comedic genres. It’s an area AEG Presents is increasingly taking up residence and with Just for Laughs, as well as the arrival of Georgie to this newly created role, our plan is to really accelerate our comedic footprint.”
