École nationale de l'humour

What École nationale de l'humour does

École nationale de l'humour (ÉNH) is a private non-profit (OBNL) post-secondary educational institution founded in 1988 in Montreal, Quebec, recognized as the world's first school dedicated to humour. The institution is licensed by the Quebec Ministry of Education (permit #749995) and delivers three AEC (Attestation d'études collégiales) programs: Création humoristique (two-year performance), Écriture humoristique (one-year writing), and Scénarisation d'une comédie de fiction (screenwriting). Beyond credentialed programs, ÉNH operates a diversified portfolio of recreational workshops (delivered via the MIA platform by Skytech), corporate training services (storytelling, communication, teambuilding, leadership coaching, podcast creation), school and community outreach, and venue rental. AEC admissions are processed through the OMNIVOX platform, also by Skytech, and donations through Yapla.

The school's revenue model combines tuition (AEC programs and recreational workshops), fee-based corporate training (delivered on-site within 300 km of Montreal or at ÉNH facilities), venue rental (75-seat theatre, classrooms, lobby, conference room), and donations supported by registered charity status (BN #135104651RR0001). Government funding from Quebec's Ministry of Culture and Communications, Canadian Heritage, and Ville de Montréal provides institutional support. The school is currently executing a major capital campaign (2024-2029) to fund a new purpose-built campus, replacing its current location at 2120 Rue Sherbrooke Est.

ÉNH's ecosystem includes the Observatoire de l'humour (founded 2011, approximately 40 academic and practitioner researchers), the Éc(rire) masterclass series co-produced with Netflix and distributed via Noovo and iHeart, and strategic partnerships with ComediHa!, BAnQ, Bell Media, Desjardins, Banque Nationale, and LG2. The faculty comprises active comedians, screenwriters, and directors; the founder and director general, Louise Richer (Order of Canada, 2016), has led the institution since inception. Alumni reportedly perform approximately 75% of Quebec comedy shows, reaching nearly 2 million spectators annually, and 14 of 16 Olivier Awards statuettes in 2026 went to ÉNH graduates.

Name

École nationale de l'humour

Legal name

École nationale humour

Website

https://enh.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

École nationale de l'humour is a Quebec non-profit founded in 1988 in Montreal, operating the world's first dedicated humour school. It delivers AEC-certified professional programs, recreational workshops, corporate training, and school/community programming, supported by government funding and a major donor-backed capital campaign.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Programs (AEC): ÉNH offers three government-recognized AEC (Attestation d'études collégiales) programs: Création humoristique (2-year), Écriture humoristique (1-year intensive), and Scénarisation d'une comédie de fiction. These are tuition-based professional programs recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education (permit #749995). Students may qualify for student loans and bursaries.
2. Recreational Workshops and Courses: ÉNH offers evening and weekend workshops for the general public covering comedic writing, performance, digital content creation, youth programs, and Francophonie. Registration is via the MIA platform with credit card payment (Visa/Mastercard). Refund policy applies: full refund before first class, prorated after, plus 10% admin fee.
3. Corporate Training Services: ÉNH provides customized corporate training programs including Storytelling, Creativity, Effective Communication, Strategic Humour Use, Meeting Facilitation, Teambuilding, Social Media, Podcast Creation, and Leadership Coaching. Training is delivered on-site at client companies within a 300km radius of Montreal, or at ÉNH facilities. These programs qualify under Quebec's Workforce Skills Development Act (Loi du 1%). Trainings are also recognized by the Barreau du Québec, Chambre des notaires du Québec, and Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec for continuing education credits.
4. Venue Rental: ÉNH rents out its facilities including a 75-person theatre (with sound/lighting), up to three 30-person classrooms, a 75-person lobby/event space, and a 12-person conference room. Revenue supports the school's mission.
5. Donations and Fundraising: As a registered non-profit organization (OBNL) and registered charity (BN #135104651RR0001), ÉNH raises funds through an annual donation campaign (target $75,000 in 2023-2024), a major capital campaign (2024-2029), and benefit auctions. Corporate and individual donors are acknowledged on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

École nationale de l'humour (ENH) is a non-profit post-secondary educational institution that delivers government-recognized AEC programs in comedic creation, humor writing, and comedy screenwriting. It also offers evening/weekend recreational workshops to the general public, customized corporate training using humor methodologies, and school- and community-based humor programming, supported by venue rental, an annual graduate comedy tour, and the Observatoire de l'humour research initiative.

Product overview

École nationale de l'humour (ENH) is a private, non-profit post-secondary educational institution (OBNL) offering humor-focused professional and recreational programs. The institution operates three main professional AEC programs: Création humoristique (a 2-year on-stage comedy performance program), Écriture humoristique (a 1-year comedy writing program), and Scénarisation d'une comédie de fiction (a screenwriting specialization). Beyond professional training, ENH provides continuing education through evening and weekend workshops covering comedic writing, stage performance, digital content creation, and youth programs. The corporate training division offers humor-based professional development services including storytelling, communication, creativity, teambuilding, executive coaching, podcast creation, and social media workshops. ENH also serves educational institutions and community organizations with humor curriculum, manages venue rentals, produces annual graduate comedy tours and benefit events, and operates the Observatoire de l'humour research initiative for humor studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Création humoristique (AEC) Two-year government-recognized AEC program training students in on-stage comedic performance, sketch creation, character development, and comedic writing, preparing graduates for careers as professional stand-up artists, theatre comedians, and comedic content creators.
• Écriture humoristique (AEC) One-year intensive AEC program focused on developing comedic writing skills for stand-up, sketches, sitcoms, digital content, monologues, columns, and radio, preparing writers for professional comedy markets.
• Scénarisation d'une comédie de fiction AEC-recognised screenwriting specialization program focusing on comedy writing for television and cinema, part of ENH's professional program offerings.
• Ateliers et cours récréatifs Evening and weekend recreational workshops for the general public covering comedic writing, stage performance, improvisation, podcast creation, novel writing, and youth programs (ages 9-15), with beginner to advanced levels.
• Formations en entreprise Corporate training programs using humor-based methodologies, including storytelling, effective communication, creativity, strategic humor use, teambuilding, social media, podcast creation, meeting facilitation, and executive coaching, delivered on-site within 300km of Montreal or at ENH facilities.
• Offre pour les milieux scolaire et communautaire Humor education programs tailored for school boards, individual schools, and community organizations, including curriculum-integrated humour workshops for regular classes, specialized classes, welcome/integration classes for newcomers, and programming for groups with special needs.
• Spectacles et animations Booking service connecting businesses with ENH-trained graduates for comedic performances and event hosting at corporate events, parties, and galas.
• Création de contenus Professional content creation service connecting businesses with ENH-trained writers and authors for comedic content development.
• Location de locaux Venue rental service offering a 75-seat performance theater with sound/lighting, classrooms up to 30 people, lobby/cocktail space for 75, and a 12-person conference room, with revenue supporting the school's non-profit mission.
• Tournée des finissants humoristes Annual touring showcase where graduating students perform comedy shows across Quebec between April and August, serving as both a community engagement and promotional showcase.
• Sketchetera Annual public reading showcase of sketches written by writing program graduates, performed by professional actors.
• Encan bénéfice Annual online benefit auction featuring over 80 lots including experiences, travel, and cultural outings, raising funds for ENH's new campus development.
• Observatoire de l'humour Research observatory founded in 2011 bringing together approximately 40 humor practitioners and university researchers from disciplines such as sociology, psychology, linguistics, politics, history, and anthropology to archive, research, and develop knowledge in humor.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 out of 4 comedy shows in Quebec are performed by ÉNH graduates, reaching nearly 2 million spectators per year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du QuébeccoreOthers · 1 January 2024The Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications is a primary institutional funder of ENH. It provides ongoing financial support that enables ENH to carry out its educational mission. This is a long-standing institutional partnership critical to ENH's operations as a recognized private educational institution.
• Patrimoine canadien (Canadian Heritage)coreOthers · 1 January 2024The federal Department of Canadian Heritage provides financial support to ENH as part of the institution's broader funding framework. This partnership reflects the national importance attributed to humour as a cultural discipline in Canada.
• Ville de Montréal (City of Montreal)minorOthers · 1 January 2024The City of Montreal supports ENH through the Entente de Montréal cultural funding agreement. This provides municipal-level financial support for the school's cultural programming.
• ComediHa!flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ComediHa! is a key industry partner collaborating with ENH on the ENH-Netflix Fund bursary program. ComediHa! also serves as a placement and development partner for ENH graduates in the Quebec comedy industry.
• Ensemble pour le respect de la diversitéminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Since fall 2023, ENH has partnered with this organization to deliver gender diversity workshops to students, faculty, and staff at each academic intake, supporting ENH's commitment to inclusivity and social responsibility.
• NoovoflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Noovo serves as the streaming and broadcast partner for the Éc(rire) masterclass video series, making the content available to a broad francophone audience across Quebec and Canada.
• iHeart (Radio)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022iHeart distributes the Éc(rire) podcast series, extending the reach of ENH's educational content through audio streaming platforms.
• Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014ENH's Observatoire de l'humour signed a partnership with BAnQ in spring 2014 to archive Quebec's humour heritage, document practices, and preserve humour-related research. This is a landmark cultural preservation initiative with a national cultural institution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• iO Theater (formerly ImprovOlympic): Chicago-born improv school with locations in multiple U.S. cities, training performers in long-form improv. Comparable to ENH as a performing-arts specialty school offering credentialed-style training in comedy disciplines.
• Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB): Improv and sketch comedy training school in New York and Los Angeles with progressive-level curricula and alumni heavily placed in entertainment. Directly comparable to ENH's structured, multi-level comedy training with industry placement.
• Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec: Quebec government network offering post-secondary programs in music, drama, and other performing arts. Comparable to ENH as a Quebec-recognized performing-arts training institution with government credentialing and similar funding/governance structure.
• Second City: Chicago-based comedy school and theatre offering improv and sketch writing training with entertainment-conservatory positioning. Directly comparable to ENH as a specialized comedy performance/writing school with a professional training pipeline, though it serves the English-language market across multiple North American cities.
• National Theatre School of Canada: Canada's nationally recognized post-secondary theatre conservatory based in Montreal, offering government-recognized programs in acting, playwriting, and production. Comparable to ENH as a francophone-Canadian performing-arts school with government credentials and similar nonprofit funding structure.
• The Groundlings: Los Angeles-based comedy school known for sketch and improv training with a famous alumni network feeding Hollywood. Comparable to ENH in offering tiered, faculty-led comedy training programs that funnel graduates into professional entertainment careers.

Emerging players

• Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Canadian post-secondary arts institution offering residencies and programs across multiple creative disciplines. Comparable as a Canadian performing-arts training institution with government support and credentialed programming, though broader in scope and not specialized in comedy.

Broad incumbents

• Concordia University (Department of Theatre): Montreal-based university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in theatre, including acting and playwriting. Comparable as a larger Montreal performing-arts education option that competes for the same francophone creative talent pool, though it offers broader academic degrees rather than specialized comedy credentials.
• Just for Laughs: Montreal-based global comedy festival and comedy-industry powerhouse with related training, distribution, and content arms. Comparable as a Quebec-headquartered comedy institution with overlapping alumni network and brand authority, though primarily a festival rather than a school.

Regional players

• Humber College (Comedy Writing and Performance): Toronto-based college offering a comedy writing program within its Faculty of Media & Creative Arts. Comparable as a Canadian post-secondary comedy-writing credential program, though operating in the English-language Ontario market rather than Quebec's francophone ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecolehumour
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Ecolenationalehumour
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecolehumour
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/ecolehumour
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecolenationalehumour

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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