Middle Easterners Change Hollywood, One Laugh at a Time

posted on: Sep 15, 2009

The first-ever Middle Eastern Comedy Festival, to be held this September 22-25 in Los Angeles, is bringing together a talented team of Middle Eastern-Arab,
Persian, Israeli, Afghani, and Armenian-stand-up comedians, actors, writers and directors in a one-of-a-kind showcase of stand-up and sketch comedy. The Festival aims to establish Middle Eastern comedy as a mainstream form of
entertainment.

“One day I`d love for us to create programming that alters the way people view our cultures,” says Ronnie Khalil, co-Executive Producer and well-known
Egyptian-American stand-up comedian. “The way The Cosby Show did for African-Americans, The George Lopez Show did for Latinos, and Mr. Ed did for
Caucasian horses.”

The stellar line-up includes guest host Maz Jobrani (The Interpreter, ABC`s Knights of Prosperity), Aron Kader (Axis of Evil), Jann Karam (Tonight Show,
David Letterman), Peter the Persian (Sultans of Satire), Nadine Rajabi (E! TV, XM Satellite Radio), Yisreal Campbell (CNN, ABC News) and founders and Executive Producers Ronnie Khalil (CNN, Comedy Central’s “The Watch List”) and Ryan P. Shrime (Conan O`Brian, David Letterman) and a whole host of Middle Eastern actors and comedians who will come together to bring laughter to Hollywood,
performing at multiple venues throughout the city over the course of four days.

“We`re just here to show off our talents and diversity to the Hollywood community,” says co-Executive Producer Ryan P. Shrime. “The Middle East is filled with so many rich and entertaining cultures; we`re just making certain they all get the spotlight. Of course, we`d never promise that it will all be politically correct. That just wouldn`t be fun!”

Politically correct or not, the Festival promises to be entertaining for all cultures and ethnicities, and a starting point for a new and positive collaboration between Middle Eastern talent and the entertainment industry.

Reuters
——————————–

Detailed Festival schedule and ticket info for all shows can be found at:
www.MidEastComedyFest.com

Middle Eastern Comedy Festival
Ronnie Khalil, 786-210-9671
Ronnie@ronniekhalil.com