John Pinder (comedy producer)
John Pinder (6 January 1945 – 26 May 2015) was a New Zealand-born Australian comedy producer and festival director who produced band performances, ran live venues and co-founded three Australian comedy festivals, including Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Circus Oz.
Early life
Pinder was born in
1960s
Pinder was working for the ABC when he produced his first concert/show and the first Lightshow Concert in Melbourne "The Electric Blues Thing" featuring Doug Parkinson in Focus, The Semblence of Dignity and the Ellis D Fogg Lightshow at the Carlton Cinema, 1968. During the late 1960s Pinder was a partner in a band management company called Let It Be
1970s
In the early 1970s Pinder established The Flying Trapeze Cafe, Australia's first comedy cabaret venue, in
Pinder was closely associated with Circus Oz – a contemporary circus founded in 1977 – and is considered by many to be a non-performing founding member. He guaranteed their first bank loan, and Circus Oz enjoyed a long running season at the Last Laugh.[citation needed]
1980s
In 1987, Pinder sold the Last Laugh to an employee, Rick McKenna, who ran the venue for a time with his sister Mary Tobin. While McKenna went on to become executive producer of hit Australian comedy show
The decision to move on from the Last Laugh was aided by Pinder’s role, that same year, as co-ordinator of the very first Melbourne International Comedy Festival at venues across Melbourne, including the Last Laugh.
In 1988, Pinder developed a package of 50 Australian performers to appear under the banner Oznost in the Assembly Rooms at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Most of the shows were comedy productions and several travelled to other European festivals under the Australian Bicentennial banner.[citation needed]
Pinder subsequently moved to New York City, spending the end of the decade developing a music venue based in Harlem.
1990s
A return to Sydney in the early 1990s gave Pinder the opportunity to develop a series of festival venues, including The Starfish Club for the
He followed up his fringe successes with Red Square, a vast outdoor arena build from 150 sea containers, for the 1996
The 1990s also saw Pinder move into television, initially as a consultant on
2000s
In 2001, Robert Love, Director of the
In 2009, Pinder was part of the team that devised The
Death
Pinder died on 26 May 2015 after a bout of cancer.[4][5][6][7] He is survived by his partner Dasha and two daughters.[6]
Notes and references
- ^ Romeo, Dom (7 August 2009). "World's Funniest Island". see the Comedy Pinderview section. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ Milesago. "Michael Chugg". Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ Negus, George (14 July 2003). "Last Laugh". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ a b Harmer, Wendy (17 June 2015). "Heart and soul of local laughter fostered talent aplenty and left the world a brighter place". The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. p. 15.
- ^ Watts, Richard (27 May 2015). "Vale John Pinder". Performing ArtsHub. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ a b Cuthbertson, Debbie (27 May 2015). "Circus Oz and Melbourne International Comedy Festival co-founder John Pinder dies aged 70". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ Brown, Simon Leo (27 May 2015). "Vale John Pinder: Comedians, entertainers pay tribute to Last Laugh founder on social media". ABC News. Retrieved 27 May 2015.