The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000.
The CCA have been held in different cities, most often in Toronto and London, Ontario. Between 2003 and 2015, the awards were held as part of the Canadian Comedy Awards Festival, with showcase performances by nominees and other comedic talent. The Comedy Network broadcast the first two award ceremonies and several specials of festival performances. These broadcasts have earned two Gemini Award nominations.
The awards are artist-driven with a mandate "To recognize, celebrate and promote Canadian achievements in comedy at home and abroad." They are run through a non-profit organization and volunteer committees, drawing membership from the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), the Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA), the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), and the Comedy Association. Some awards are determined by industry members while others are open to public voting.
History
Actor, director and producer Tim Progosh founded the Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) after touring for over 20 years in sketch, improv and stand-up comedy. He felt that there was a distance between stand-up comedians and other comedic artists, and that stand-up and comedy as a whole wasn't receiving adequate national recognition. With the establishment of The Comedy Network in late 1997, Progosh felt the time was right to create a national comedy award and comedy hall of fame.
Progosh brought together an advisory board which included himself, Mark Breslin of Yuk Yuk's comedy clubs, Andrew Alexander of The Second City, Sydd Capp, and representatives from the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), the Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA), the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC). Award categories were created for live comedy, film and television, with the mandate "To recognize, celebrate and promote Canadian achievements in comedy at home and abroad."
Philanthropist Bluma Appel helped to establish the awards, and supported a bursary for emerging comics. Breslin noted that it was the first time "that anyone from the Canadian establishment took comedy seriously." The first Canadian Comedy Awards ceremony was held in 2000 at Toronto's Masonic Temple. The Comedy Network televised the first two annual awards ceremonies, but due to lack of sponsorship the broadcast deal ended in 2001.
In 2003, non-profit organization the Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence (CCFE) was incorporated to organize and promote the awards, and the ceremonies moved from Toronto to London, Ontario. The CCFE also organized the Canadian Comedy Awards Festival (CCAF), with showcase performances by the nominees in sketch, stand-up and improvisational comedy, workshops, seminars and special events leading up to the awards gala. As the festival grew during the following years, The Comedy Network began broadcasting Best of the Fest variety specials.
Following sponsorship, the CCFA moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, in 2008 and Saint John, New Brunswick, in 2009. The awards then returned to Toronto, which could more easily accommodate the festival which then had 38 shows over five days. During this period, categories were also broadened and added to recognize emerging media such as podcasts and web series. In 2013, the awards moved to Ottawa and had its first francophone presence at the festival.
In 2015, the license for the awards expired and control of the Canadian Comedy Awards reverted to the trademark holder, Funny Business, Inc. During this same period, Progosh and the CCFE decided to focus on creating a home for the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame. The awards were put on hold until the spring of 2016. Due to budget and time limitations, the industry award categories were suspended for the transitional year and only the public voting categories were considered. Two additional public categories – Best Live Production and Best Live Ensemble – were added to compensate for the lack of industry categories. The 18th awards similarly covered an 18-month eligibility period and were held in 2018. Thereafter, the awards returned to a yearly schedule, considering the works of the previous calendar year.
Governing body
Until 2015, the CCA were organized by the Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence (CCFE), a non-profit corporation registered in 2003. Its volunteer committees sought input from comedy professionals on all aspects of the awards: criteria, marketing, programming and communications.
The Membership and Communications Committee promoted industry awareness and participation in the awards, oversaw all communications to and from the membership, and advised and coordinated with media coverage. The Nominations and Awards Committee oversaw the nomination process, category criteria, jury committees, voting procedures, trophies and prizes. The Programming Committee developed programs and organized talent for various events, the awards gala, and community events.
The CCA membership is made up of industry professionals, largely from the following member organizations: Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) – represents 22,000 performers in English-language media. Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA) – represents 6,000 professionals in English Canadian theatre, including actors, dancers, opera singers, theatre directors, choreographers and stage managers. Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) – represents 2,200 professional writers in English-language film, television, radio, and digital media. Directors Guild of Canada (DGA) – represents 4,800 professionals in 48 occupations in film and television The Comedy Association – represents talent, workers and management of comedy clubs and festivals (including Yuk Yuk's, The Second City, and Just for Laughs).
Awards and categories
Writing on the inaugural awards ceremony, Alan Neister described the trophies as "Plexiglas maple leaves, etched with the outline of a happy, dancing beaver." In some ceremonies, awards have been given for being "pretty funny" in each category instead of "best". the CCA has awarded a total of Beavers.
The number of award categories recognized at each ceremony has most often been between 19 and 24, though categories added for Internet and multimedia works saw the categories peak at 30 in the mid-2010s. Time and budget limitations resulted in the categories being reduced to 9 in 2016. Following this transitional year the number of categories was streamlined to 22, largely by combining the award categories for male and female performers.
Categories are divided by format, organized into those for live performances (including stand-up, improvisation, and plays), television, and film. Internet media was added in 2008 and categories that considered works across different formats were labelled as multimedia.
Current categories
Public voting categories: Comedic Artist of the Year (since 2008) Best Live Production (since 2016) Best Taped Live Performance (since 2005) Best Live Ensemble (since 2016) Best Standup Comic (since 2000) Best Variety Act (since 2014) Best Breakout Artist (since 2013) Best Feature (since 2011) Best TV Show (since 2011) Best Web Series (since 2012) Best Short (since 2013) Best Audio Show or Series (since 2012) Best Comedy Album (since 2017)
Industry voting categories: Best Performance in a Feature (since 2000) Best Writing in a Feature (since 2000) Best Direction in a Feature (since 2000) Best Performance in a TV Series (since 2000) Best Writing in a TV Series or Special (since 2000) Best Direction in a TV Series or Special (since 2000) Best Performance in a Web Series (since 2014) Best Writing in a Web Series (since 2014) Best Direction in a Web Series (since 2014)
Notes:
not awarded in 2016, a transitional year awarded separately to male and female performers, 2001–2015 awarded separately to male and female performers, 2000–2015 awarded separately for series and specials, 2000–2009 awarded separately to male and female performers, 2014–2015 web series and TV series had shared direction, writing and performance categories in 2013
Discontinued categories
Best Radio Program or Clip (2008–2013), Best Audio Clip (2014) Best Stand-up, Large Venue (2008 only) Best Stand-up Newcomer (2000–2012, replaced with Best Breakout Artist) Best Sketch Troupe (2000–2015, merged into Best Live Ensemble) Best Improv Troupe (2001–2015, merged into Best Live Ensemble) Best Newcomer, Sketch Troupe (2000 only) Best Male Improviser (2001–2015) Best Female Improviser (2001–2015) Best Live Performance Male (2000 only) Best Live Performance Female (2000 only) Best Playwriting (2000 only) Best Direction, New Play (2000 only) Best Direction, Existing Play (2000 only) Best New Play (2001–2002) Best One Person Show (2001–2015, merged into Best Live Production) Best Comedic Play, Revue or Series (2003–2015, merged into Best Live Production) Best Television Performance by an Ensemble (2009–2012) Best Ensemble Performance in a TV or Web Series (2013 only) Best Film Writing, Adapted (2000 only) Best Original Screenplay (2000 only) Best Web Clip (2008–2012, replaced with Best Short)
Special award categories
Juried categories were discontinued in 2016. These panels had previously given awards for special achievement including lifetime achievement awards and awards for non-artists who had made significant contributions to Canadian comedy. The juries also inducted people into the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame.
The Bluma Appel "That's Funny" Award (2001) established by philanthropist Bluma Appel (d.2007). Chairman's Award (2004–2010) Dave Broadfoot Award (2004–2014) for comic genius, named for Canadian comedy pioneer Dave Broadfoot (1925–2016) and established by the Royal Canadian Air Farce. Phil Hartman Award (2012–2015) for an individual "who makes the Canadian comedy community better". Established in honour of Canadian-American comic, actor and screenwriter Phil Hartman (1948–1999), it has been awarded to open mic host Jo-Anna Downey, and comedians Mike MacDonald, Kenny Robinson, and producer Joe Bodolai who helped found The Comedy Network.
Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame
The CCA established the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame and inducted its first members in 2000. In 2013, a permanent home was sought for the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame and the CCA presented proposals to the cities of Hamilton, Niagara Falls, and Ottawa, Ontario. The cities declined due to uncertainties of funding. The Just for Laughs Museum in Montreal had closed in 2011 after operating at a loss.
The proposal had called for an interactive museum with a comedy club for performances. In lieu of a permanent museum, interactive exhibits were set up at ByWard Market during the 2014 CCAF, and school groups were invited to participate in workshops.
Nominations and voting
Nominees for a CCA must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants, have been born in Canada or have produced the majority of their work in Canada. Other criteria varied year by year, but generally the eligibility period was the previous calendar year; works had to have premiered in Canada during that period and live performers had to have performed in Canada at least once during that period. In some years there was a nominal fee for the first person to nominate a person or work; in 2018 this fee was $20.