Every July, comedians from all over the United States and Canada, and around the world, come to the Montreal Comedy Festival, Just for Laughs, to showcase their talents and attempt to advance their careers.

What started off in 1983 as a small festival in French that added English in 1985, has mushroomed into a gigantic event, with over 2,000 performers, 1.7 million spectators, and millions of television viewers. Over 1,200 industry producers, agents, managers, and talent scouts converge to watch these acts.

Events include shows for kids, comedy writers pitching their pilot ideas to network panelists, plays, radio, and more. Naturally, there is plenty of stand-up comedy and improv, too.

Bruce Hills, chief operating officer of the Montreal Comedy Festival, said, "Anyone that comes here that doesn't have a lot of exposure,… if they're talented,… they usually benefit in a number of ways. From the ultimate situation, where they get a deal that leads to their own TV series or just, in some cases, more road work."

Hills himself advanced in the Festival, starting as a driver. Some of the big names whose careers took off after performing in the Montreal Comedy Festival include Tim Allen, Dave Chappelle, Dennis Leary, Jon Stewart, Ray Romano, Eddie Izzard, Norm MacDonald, Omid Djalili (Whoopi), Christopher Titus (Titus), Kevin James, Nia Vardalos, John Rogers (Cosby writer), Maureen Taran (manager), Tammy Pescatelli and Bonnie McFarlane (Last Comic Standing finalists), John Pinette, Dom Irrera, Richard Jeni, and Bobby Slayton. Puppetry of the Penis and South Park also made their marks here.

"It's been really amazing," Pescatelli said. "The first year at [the Festival event] New Faces, I came up here without an agent or a manager, and I left here with an agent and a manager. This year helped to solidify my career."

Author Stuart Nulman, a comedy expert who has worked for the Festival since 1989, said, "I've seen people develop, not just on stage, but behind the scenes as well: managers, agents, producers. It's terrific to see that."

How does one get to perform in the Montreal Comedy Festival?

Jodi Lieberman, who is the director of programming, said that she seeks comedians who are "funny, smart, witty, clever, charm[ing], grabbing. If we see something [good] on a tape, we decide to see them live. We travel a lot; so, we either wind up in their home towns… or the city that's nearby."

"I worked really hard on getting my promo,… My DVD, my headshots, my bio," comedian Toby Hargrave said.

McFarlane, who performed in the Festival several years ago, almost couldn't. She said, "I got turned down for the Festival, and at the last minute got in. My name wasn't in [any of the Festival handouts]. I did one set; it was seven minutes. I bombed for the first half of it, and killed for the last half. Different networks swarmed backstage. No one had heard of me before. I did a deal with CBS, and I moved to L.A., and did a show on UPN."

Once they get here, comedians still have to shine. One who did was Jay Malone, who won the Homegrown Comedy Competition. "I've been to the finals of a couple of things, but have never won," Malone said. "It's going to get me contacts. It's just overwhelming."

Stand-up comedians weren't the only stars of the Montreal Comedy Festival. Improv, plays, radio, street arts, and more, are featured.

The Festival included the world premiere of Evil Dead 1 & 2: The Musical, which had lines around the block of people waiting to get in.

Christopher Bond, Evil Dead's co-creator and director, said, "It's helped the show, being that it's been covered so extensively. The exposure here should just lead to something else. It's not just how great the festival [is]. It's how much support we've had from the people at Just for Laughs. It was a really good marriage, they're helping us out and we're helping them out. It's not just going to benefit us as individuals, but for the show."

Ryan Ward, who plays the lead character, Ash, agreed. "For the actors, it's helped us, being in so many magazines. They're really behind the show. They really promoted it."

Another opportunity that the Festival offers is being among other comedians, producers, agents, and other industry people.

Mike "Nug" Nahrgang, who plays Jake in Evil Dead, said, "It's fun to be seen not just by the producers. It's really fun to be seen by other actors, comedians."

Frank Cipolla, composer and music director of Evil Dead, added, "We've had people from all across America to see us. Where else do you have this concentration of producers [and other people in the industry from all over the world]? They're here to find new talent. Montreal is kind of a launching pad. It gives artists the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of everybody."

Comedy superstar, Sinbad, agreed. "First year I ever came up was 1994," he said. "I had a ball. I got a chance to see other acts. They actually gave me ideas that I would use later on. Do what you do best and those that are supposed to see you, will."

Out of about 100 people who submitted their ideas for television shows, eight were chosen to hawk their proposals to a panel of broadcasters in the second annual Just for Pitching. While it is too early to see if any of the proposals caught on, some of the panelists offered advice.

Lou Wallach, vice president of original programming and development at Comedy Central, said, "Be clear; think about the specific audience…network you're pitching to. A good pitch never has me…[with] any questions at the end. The most painful pitches are ones that say 'This is a perfect Comedy Central show,' and it couldn't be farther from the truth. Know your audience."

Gina Girolamo, vice president of comedy development for NBC, concurs. "Don't…say right off the bat, 'This is a perfect NBC show.' Write what you're passionate about. The idea needs to come from somewhere. From life experience or…a point of view. Look at what's out here and how you can be different with what you want to say. If the idea is specific and the point of view is clear, then it's obvious in the first few minutes. The best thing to do is think beyond the pilot episode and think about the series, and what about the series would keep people coming back every single week."

"Pitch a show that you really want to do," Brian Banks, the vice president of comedy series at CBS Productions, said. "Don't pitch a show that (you think) we're really looking for. [Don't] come in with a show that sounds like a made-up TV show. If I don't get a sense that you are really passionate about a show, …then it's really not going to work. Most important is, 'Is this the guy or woman to do the show? Is it a distinctive point of view?' It doesn't have to be a distinctive idea. But this has to be the guy or woman to execute it."

Bill Robinson, a partner of Yuk Yuks in Calgary and Edmonton, said, "At Montreal, the whole industry is here, and it really is the luck of the draw after that. [Networks] are all looking at people. If something fits for a performer, then they have a career beyond stand-up comedy. If they want to be discovered, Montreal is the place to do it. The industry generally considers Montreal to be the No. 1 festival in America. I think the Festival is probably one of the best things for the industry."

You can also e-mail Jerry L. Kahn at jerry@thecomical.com or visit him at www.BorderingOnTheRidiculous.com.