Don Ward is a British comedy entrepreneur, producer and CEO of The Comedy Store which he co-founded in 1979 in London's Soho.[1] In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy, and although he performed as a variety performer in the 1970s, he is not actually known as a comedian.
Owner of the London and Manchester Comedy Stores, he opened a branch in Leeds in 2002, but closed it after just eight months.[2] [3] The company now has clubs in Manchester and Mumbai. In 2001 he founded the Manchester Comedy Festival.[4]
Ward started out as a stand-up himself, hosting rock and roll road shows with the stars of the day including Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, and Billy Fury. He is also co-executive producer of The Comedy Store series for Comedy Central.