Comedy Bar, a Toronto live comedy venue founded in 2008 by Gary Rideout and James Elksnitis, announced Monday the launch of CBMax, a dedicated YouTube channel designed to be a digital hub for both established and emerging Canadian comedic talent.
The new platform is a partnership between Rideout, Elksnitis, and Rob Metcalfe of Links Live Media, with a creative team including Head of Development Nicholas Carella, Head of Post Production Dave Koval, and Dave Luca.
CBMax’s content offering will include 16 full-length comedy specials slated for release this year, according to a press release. The channel’s initial lineup features Juno-nominated Hisham Kelati, alongside established comedians Rob Bebenek, Ali Hassan, Tamara Shevon and Kate Davis.
In addition to stand-up comedy, CBMax will feature a panel series, Walk Me Through This, hosted by Sean Cullen, as well as a late-night show, After Hours with Ryan Belleville, “to finally fill the void left for many years of Canada not having a late-night talk show to platform Canadian talent, adding another dimension to the channel’s programming,” the press release said.
CBMax also has game shows and podcasts in development for release through 2025, according to the release.
“The barriers to entry for a comedian to gain an audience have never been lower,” Rideout said in a statement. “We’ve seen skilled and talented Canadian comedians like Steph Tolev, Hassan Phills, Lisa Gilroy, Laura Ramoso, Hoodo Hersi, and Tom Hearn find success online and we see an opportunity to help so many more incredibly talented Canadian comedians do that. We have stars in this country, we just want to give them a platform.”
