Partner Article

Laughter fuels creation of new business

A COMEDY fan who started organising stand-up shows as a hobby three years ago has launched a new business after bringing the likes of John Bishop, Reginald D Hunter and Kevin Bridges to the region.

Since 2007, Darlington’s Neil Jollie has balanced his job in the entertainment industry with his passion for comedy – spending much of his free time helping to lure top acts to the North East.

Such has been his success in securing some of the hottest talent on the circuit to the region in recent years, that he has now launched a business which will run comedy nights across the North.

Hilarity Bites will operate shows in a number of venues in County Durham and North Yorkshire initially, combining some of the most popular national and international acts with upcoming regional talent and top MCs.

In the longer term the company may look to spread its reach to other areas of the country and ultimately hopes to run its own venue somewhere in the North East.

According to Mr Jollie, the success of his new company will be driven by his ability to attract big names and his strategy to offer reasonable ticket prices.

He said: “I’ve been booking comedy events in Darlington since 2007 when we booked a couple of comedy nights, including one featuring a little known comedian called John Bishop.

“In the past year alone we have played host to acts such as Sarah Millican, Richard Herring, Jon Richardson, Kevin Bridges and Reginald D. Hunter. We have also hosted three of the last four Edinburgh Comedy Award winners, plus countless more nominees.”

Mr Jollie aims to tap into the increased demand for friendly comedy – as emphasised by the success of TV shows such as Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow – rather than old-style shows which pick on audience members.

He said: “Audiences at Hilarity Bites can expect to have a fantastic night of comedy in a friendly, fun atmosphere. There’s always something a little different, but our events will always be exciting and entertaining and people needn’t be scared of being picked on by the acts, as is often the pre-conception of old-style comedy clubs.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .