ARTS MANAGEMENT & PRODUCING
JUST FOR LAUGHS
Executive Producer, Just For Laughs Toronto
January 2023 to March 2024
Just for Laughs was home to the world’s largest comedy festivals, with over 7 festivals, a large TV department and JFL Gags; Just for Laughs truly was a household name in comedy.
Formerly as Executive Producer for Just For Laughs Toronto, Oz worked closely with the President of JFL Group and Vice-President of Festivals, to ensure the smooth execution of the JFL Toronto Festival. Just For Laughs Toronto was one of the largest comedy festivals in North America, running over 10 days with over 185,000 patron entries, 280+ Artists, 19 venues and over 200 staff; JFL Toronto is truly one of the biggest festivals in Ontario.
Overseeing the year-round operations of the JFL Toronto not-for-profit company and the fall festival. Oz created the strategic visioning and plans, the operating budget and helped define new trajectories for the festival, while setting and oversight of the company operating budget of over $8 million. Oz’s role included direct oversight of the various teams throughout the festival, including sponsor & partnership relations, programming, marketing, production and government relations. Acting as the liaison between Groupe Juste pour rire and the NPO, they worked with the various members of the executive team, from the CFO to the CEO, and reported to the VP of Festivals.
Festival Producer, Just For Laughs Toronto
October 2021 to March 2023
For the 2022 festival, Oz architected a major multi-year strategic growth path for the festival. Achieved 90% overall growth for the festival for its first post-pandemic return, bringing 86% more patron entries, diversification and growth of programming, artists and offerings, and millions in new revenue. They also helmed the creation of the Street Festival, a brand new million-dollar public outdoor festival which brought together an unprecedented group of municipal, cultural, business and community stakeholders, and saw over 66,000 patron entries in its first year. Oz lead the teams to bring in over $700,000 in new revenue from public funding in one year and nearly $1 million in new sponsorships.
Producer, ComedyPRO & ComedyCON
June 2019 to October 2021
Responsible for managing and overseeing all production, marketing and logistical aspects of the events, including budgets ranging between $1 to $2.5 million. Throughout their time with JFL, Oz has taken on responsibilities outside of their job purview and helped lead the producing team on their pivot to digital festivals in the time of COVID.
LUMINATO
Producer
2017, 2018 & 2019 Festivals
Producer over three festival seasons with Luminato, Toronto’s international arts festival dedicated to performance, media and visual arts, and programming that cuts across traditional artform boundaries.
Reporting to the Artistic Director and Executive Producer, Oz was Producer on KIRA, Obeah Opera, Triptych (2019); Producer on Le Grand Continental® (2018) by Montréal-based company Sylvain Émard Danse performed at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square; and Associate Producer on Akram Khan’s Until the Lions (2017) and Signal Theatre’s Bearing (2017) performed at the Imperial Oil Opera Theatre.
They oversaw $750,000 in budgets for KIRA, Obeah Opera and Triptych during the 2019 season. For Le Grand Continental® in 2018, Oz was accountable for the $250,000 production budget, hiring, fee negotiations, and onboarding, for all new staff and contractors for Le Grand Continental®
THE DIETRICH GROUP
Executive Director & Producer
2021-2022
Founding director of The Dietrich Group, an interdisciplinary dance company presenting the work of DA Hoskins, based in Toronto and touring internationally. As the administrative and production head for the past ten years, Oz led the growth of the company from a small dance platform surviving on project-based funding to an internationally recognized company with a $100 – 150k annual operating budget, incorporated non-profit status, and a dedicated board of directors.