Original Comedy PICNICFACE Gets in Your Face Sept. 21 on The Comedy Network

Original Comedy PICNICFACE Gets in Your Face Sept. 21 on The Comedy Network

–Sneak Peak of new Comedy Network original series premieres August 31– – Halifax-based sketch troupe showcases at Just For Laughs in Montreal on Thursday –

“Distressingly good” – Dave Foley

“Picnicface cranks out the goods”– Will Ferrell, funnyordie.com  Toronto, ON (July 26, 2011) – Fresh from a Haligonian incubator, a new kind of sketch comedy series is born exclusively to The Comedy Network with the premiere of the original production PICNICFACE. The darkly absurd and hysterically funny new half-hour series premieres Wednesday, September 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PTfollowing a special sneak peak episode on Wednesday, August 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  Known for their stream-of-consciousness style, the sketch comedy collective known as Picnicface mixes contemporary sketch with the absurd and random. The eight-person sketch troupe consists of Andrew Bush, Kyle Dooley, Cheryl Hann, Mark Little, Brian Eldon Macquarrie, Evany Rosen, Scott Vrooman, and Bill Wood. Describing themselves as “a many-headed comedy Hydra”, PICNICFACE offers a smorgasbord of comedy styles with self-aware and alternative sketches appealing to those who devoured everyone from MONTY PYTHON and THE KIDS IN THE HALL to Andy Samberg’s The Lonely Island and TIM AND ERIC AWESOME SHOW, GREAT JOB! The collaborative ensemble reclaims sketch comedy for the digital age, delivering the goods to a generation obsessed with instant viral gratification.  “PICNICFACE has already amassed an incredible and loyal fan base online,” said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. “We are thrilled to be working with this talented troupe, and can’t wait to see their online success translate to television.” **Media Note** PICNICFACE photography is available online atwww.bellmediapr.ca/comedy Check out a behind-the-scenes video of the PICNICFACE promotional photoshoothere. PICNICFACE will feature elements that fans may recognize from their popular live shows and their steady online presence. In the sneak peak episode airing August 31, the show revisits some of the troupe members’ online viral hits, including Manly Ad Agency and The Button, both of which amassed an incredible following online on College Humour and FunnyorDie. Later this week, Picnicface attends Montreal’s Just for Laughs comedy festival for a live performance on Thursday, July 28 at 7 p.m. at Place des Arts – Cinquieme Salle. Additionally, the troupe has been busy wrapping their upcoming feature film Roller Town and completing their satirical book entitled Picnicface’s Canada, both set for release later this year. PICNICFACE is an Ontario-Nova Scotia co-production between Breakthrough Entertainment and Northeast Films in association with The Comedy Network. Executive Producers are Gary Campbell (KIDS IN THE HALL, TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL, MADTV), Mark McKinney (KIDS IN THE HALL, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE), Ira Levy and Peter Williamson (KENNY VS. SPENNY, LESS THAN KIND); producers are Mark Montefiore (Eating Buccaneers), Bill Niven and Jay Dahl (There Are Monsters, Roller Town); directors are Andrew Bush and Vivieno Caldinelli. For Bell Media, Corrie Coe is the Senior Vice President, Independent Production and Production Executives for PICNICFACE are Sarah Fowlie and Jake Labow. About The Comedy Network  Canada’s first specialty comedy service, The Comedy Network airs comedy of all kinds, 24-hours-a-day, across multiple platforms, including a revolutionary broadband service at thecomedynetwork.ca. Launched in October 1997, The Comedy Network broadcasts, uncut and uncensored, an eclectic mix of scripted, stand-up, sketch, improv, and animated comedy – as well as topical comedy talk shows, game shows and classic situation comedies. Offering an unrivalled slate of original Canadian programming, The Comedy Network reinvests nearly 50 per cent of its revenues into home-grown productions. The Comedy Network is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company, and is available in nearly six million households across the country. SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Twitter The Comedy Network – @comedynetwork Picnicface – @Picnicface Mark Little – @markmarklittle Kyle Dooley – @Kyledooley Andrew Bush – @Andycbush Brian Eldon Macquarrie- @brianmacquarrie Evany Rosen – @evanyrosen Scott Vrooman – @mescottvrooman Cheryl Hann – @CherylHann Facebook Comedy Network PICNICFACE – COMEDY – For more information please contact: Nicola Krishna, The Comedy Network, 416.384.5276 ornicola.krishna@bellmedia.ca Renee Dupuis, The Comedy Network, 416.384.3154 orrenee.dupuis@bellmedia.ca