Khalid Khalifa

Long before he was one of the rising comedians at the forefront of Saudi stand­up in 2008, Khalid Khalifa was already bringing the laughs to the stages of his home state of California, part of Laughs Unlimited, Sacramento back in 2001. With over 80 stand-up comedy performances in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain among others in the region, fans all over kept coming back for more of Khalid’s hilariously identifiable comedy.  One of his most notable career highlights is when he opened for Maz Jobrani six times in Dubai, and the NorCal native also opened for Ahmed Ahmed at the first ever stand-up comedy show in Yemen. In addition to writing new material and performing, Khalid is the host of his all English podcast: The Karweeta Talk Show that targets an international audience to give an insight on Saudi-life hacks and ideas.

Yaser Bakr

Discouraged by the market gap for stand¬up comedy and scarcity of comedy clubs in Saudi Arabia, the ambitious Yaser Bakr set out to create the first comedy club in Saudi Arabia! He put his resources together and shortly after launched AlComedy Club in Saudi Arabia. AlComedy Club offers a regular platform for professional and amateur comedians to develop their routines, but it was Yaser’s consistent effort in discovering and nurturing new talents that make him one of the grand patriarchs of Saudi comedy. On the outside, Yaser is that nice guy next door who lives with his wife and their 3 kids, whom you’d never expect to leave you on the floor laughing. His satirical material is mostly inspired by his personal life and one of his favorite things to do on stage is engage with the audience on social antics. His relentless determination to encourage uncontrollable laughter is one of the qualities that make Yaser truly unique.

Ahmed Ahmed

Egyptian-American actor, comedian, producer, and director Ahmed Ahmed is one of the most diverse, multi-faceted talents in the entertainment industry today. In 2014, he can be seen starring as “Ahmed” on TBS’ hit comedy series Sullivan & Son. Executive Produced by Vince Vaughn, the show follows Steve Sullivan [Steve Byrne], a corporate lawyer who surprises his parents when he leaves his job to take over a bar owned by his father in Pittsburgh. Ahmed made his first appearance as unlucky in love, tow-truck driver [and best friend to Steve] “Ahmed” in season one, and joined the cast as a series regular in season two, quickly becoming a fan favorite. Ahmed is currently the only Arab-American actor playing a non-stereotypical role on a comedy sitcom, today.

Born in Helwan, Egypt and raised in Riverside, California Ahmed immigrated to the US when he was one month old with his family. When he was 19 years old he made the move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. His first big break was in the suspense, action film Executive Decision alongside Kurt Russell, Steven Segal, and Halle Berry in 1996. Ahmed went on to appear in a handful of blockbuster and cult hit features including Swingers, Iron Man, and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan. On the television front, Ahmed has appeared on top series such as Tracy Takes On, Weeds, and Roseanne to name a few.

In 2011, Ahmed made his directorial debut with his groundbreaking documentary Just Like Us. The film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, and went on to be selected at 30 international film festivals, winning several “Best Director” and “Best Documentary” awards. The documentary, a celebration of culture and comedy, follows Ahmed and ten American comedians through Dubai, Egypt, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, performing in front of over 20,000 Arabs and Muslims across the region. Just Like Us garnered Ahmed attention on the political front, and he was invited to The White House to have dinner with President Obama, and was also invited to The State Department to have dinner with Hilary Clinton- as they commended him on creating a project that made an effort to break down barriers and encourage cross-cultural dialogue. Ahmed is currently in post-production on Just Like Us Too, which takes place in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Oman.

While working in film and television Ahmed’s profile in comedy continues to rise, being hand picked by Vince Vaughn for his Wild West Comedy Tour [2005-present]. Vaughn is currently producing the first ever Wild West comedy festival in Nashville, TN where Ahmed will hold the roll of Comedy Ambassador, performing and hosting shows. In 2005, Ahmed cofounded and performed in the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour which aired on Comedy Central as the first ever Middle Eastern stand up comedy special. Ahmed is also the winner of the first annual Richard Pryor Award for Ethnic Comedy at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in Scotland.

Ahmed is currently a paid regular performer at the world famous Comedy Story in Hollywood, The Laugh Factory, and the Comedy Cellar in New York City. He regularly tours nationally and internationally, and in summer 2014, Ahmed will hit the road for the Sullivan & Son Comedy Tour with his cast mates from the series, hitting 20+ markets across the country. Ahmed is a true believer that laughter heals, and that comedy can bridge the gap between communities across the world.

Lama Alfard

At 5 feet, Lama Alfard’s scorecard runs longer than her height! Her career in comedy unfolded when she entered an open-mic competition and won 1st place. This stellar performance quickly catapulted her to the next level giving Lama such a boost that within months she was sharing the stage with the talented Reggie Watts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Lama’s remarkable personality, impressive stride and mildly deadpan humor make it impossible for anyone not to be drawn to her. In fact, while on a holiday trip in Orlando in 2013, Lama was eagerly welcomed to take the stage with the one and only ‘Fluffy Guy’ Gabriel Iglesias at the Orlando Improv. Not only into stand¬up, Lama’s an occasional thought-provoking podcaster and a scriptwriter who has written for a number of Saudi comedy shows, and is currently writes for the Middle Eastern late night show Al Layla Maa Bader Saleh. She may be small in size but her comedy routine and sassy demeanor packs one of the largest punches the comedy industry has ever seen.

Shakir Sharif

Born on February 23, 1985 Shakir Sharif launched his professional career as a scriptwriter on the hit Saudi YouTube sketch¬show ‘Esh Elly.’ After years of working alongside a number of stand-up comedians on set, Shakir caught the comedy bug and was ready to try his hand at stand-up. This proved to be the right move and things began to fall in place for Shakir.  He started performing in the AlComedy Club (in Saudi) regularly, and soon after, appeared in the Dubai Arabic Comedy Nights Festival! This talented funnyman and head-writer of the hit Middle–Eastern late night show Al Layla Maa Bader Saleh is also an amazing impressionist; Shaker’s wide range of impressions covers famous Hollywood actors all the way to lovable cartoon characters. He stand-up sets are guaranteed to leave an impression.

Thamer Alhazmi

Born in Louisiana and raised in the Heart of England, combined with his traditional Bedouin background gives Thamer Alhazmi more material than most! His rich cultural experiences supply endless stories and jokes that make you think and laugh at the same time. For his debut in 2009, Thamer went up against dozens of Saudi¬ based comedians. As a newcomer, Thamer was nominated as the opening act for an impressive lineup of international comedians including Maz Jobrani and Ahmed Ahmed at the Italian Cultural Center in Saudi Arabia. He was also a part of the first Saudi standup comedy tour in the U.S. and the U.K. in 2013. Thamer loves exploring the provocative and pushing the envelope in his routine, and credits Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais as his inspirations.