Ali Al Sayed

Ali Al Sayed is a comedian based in Dubai.[1] Al Sayed was named "one of the most influential comedians in the world" by Toastmasters International Magazine[2] and was recently dubbed the “King of Laughter” by a group of university students competing for an internship with Rolling Stone ME.[3] Al Sayed is the founder of the local entertainment company Viva Arts and is the co-director of Dubomedy Arts, the first and only Comedy and Urban Arts School in the MENA region.[4]

Throughout his career, Al Sayed has performed alongside great comics including Dean Edwards of SNL, Dean Obeidallah, Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader, Remy Munasifi 'Saudi in Audis' creator, Sugar Sammy, Tommy Davidson of 'In Living Color', Hollywood legend Michael Winslow of 'Police Academy' movies, Stand Up Comedy Qatar's Halal Bilal[5] and many more.[6]

Performances and productions

Al Sayed performed in, as well as co-produced the first weekly Comedy and Variety Night in the UAE entitled 'Monday Night Funnies',[7] got the crowd going at the 2010 EFFIE MENA Awards and Ahlan's 'Best in Dubai' Awards,[8] performed in all three evenings of "The Hilarious Show"[9] which featured top international comedians, headlined the 'Academy of Joy Tour',[10] 'Stand Up Expat' Comedy Tour [11] and 'Boys Night Out' [12] as part of the UAE Comedy Rotana Tour which packed them in for 12 shows over a 2-month period[13] He also performed in New York as a featured comedian for the Comeback Dinner and Ceremony of the Hickok Belt Award.[14]

Al Sayed also successfully produced the DUBOMEDY International Performing Arts Festival (DIPAF) 2010 and 2011 to unite and celebrate the diversity of the arts with the many cultural communities of the region that proved to be promising and inspiring to many performers and audiences.[15] Al Sayed also produced 'Funny Girls' the first all female stand up comedy troupe and tour in the MENA Region.[16] Al Sayed was invited as a part of the Dubomedy team to host Comedy workshops at the '3rd Annual Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival',[6] received rave reviews for his performance in Improv Revolution and recently co-produced the very first Comedy Festival in Abu Dhabi where he also performed to full houses.[17]

Al Sayed also recently performed to full houses in Lebanon and in Qatar, where he was hosted by Stand Up Comedy Qatar.[5]

He also appeared in the Edinburgh show Big In Dubai! at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the first UAE-produced comedy show to be a part of the festival.[18] Al Sayed was also chosen to be an instructor at the 'Theater of Changes' festival in Greece,[19] performed at the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival and the Muslim Funny Fest in New York City.[19]

Coaching

Al Sayed has reached the stars by acting as a Diction Coach for the Hollywood actor 'Navid Negahban'.[6] Al Sayed also achieved acclaim and recognition for his Acting Coaching skills and persona on the sets of the First Emirati-Indian film, the first prize award winning movie at the Dubai International Film Festival (Muhr Awards) – 'Mallal'; by the award winning director Nayla Al Khaja.[6] Al Sayed was also selected along with his partner and now wife Mina Liccione, for Ahlan's Hot 100 as Dubai's Comedy Couple.[1] Ali is currently working on TV and film projects and can be found performing in numerous live shows. Al Sayed also serves as a comedy coach for Dubomedy.

Media

Ali has been a prominent figure in news and media, with news speeding all the way to the other side of the world, leaving his mark on The New York Times,[20] as well as his own specials on Abu Dhabi TV and City 7.[6] Ali has also been seen on MBC's Morning Show- 'Sabah Al Khair Ya Arab', 'Zahrat Al Khaleej', Dubai One TV's 'Twenty Something', Studio One and 'Out and About', as well as segments on Al Hurra, Al Rai and OSN.[6] He is currently the weekly comedy commentator on Abu Dhabi Sports TV's show "The Beautiful Game" where he both writes and performs comedy material.[6]

References
  1. Hot 100 2011 – Ali Al Sayed and Mina Liccione. (2011, February 21). Retrieved June 25, 2012, from Ahlan: http://www.ahlanlive.com/hot-100-2011-ali-al-sayed-mina-liccione-101403.html
  2. Kushner, M. (2011, December 1). Keeping It Funny. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from Toastmaster Magazine: http://magazines.toastmasters.org/publication/?i=88861&p=17
  3. Abbas, D. (2012, May 16). Sunday Afternoon with Ali Al Sayed. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstoneme.com/intern/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Fahim, S. (2011, May 1). Dubomedy: Meet the Comics Behind the Region's First Comedy Art School. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from Khaleej Esque: http://www.khaleejesque.com/2011/05/entertainment/dubomedy-meet-the-comics-behind-the-regions-first-comedy-arts-school/
  5. Stand Up Comedy Qatar is hosting the UAE’s most famous comedy duo. (2011). Retrieved July 17, 2013, from Doha News: http://dohanews.co/post/16688128414/update-the-venue-for-this-event-has-been-changed
  6. Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from Al Sayed Comedy: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2012-06-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Chubb, L. (2009, November 2). Home-grown comedians on new show Monday Night Funnies. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from TimeOut Dubai: http://www.timeoutdubai.com/aroundtown/features/11438-uae-comedians
  8. Meet the Best in Dubai Judges. (2011). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from Ahlan: http://www.ahlanlive.com/meet-best-in-dubai-judges-136633.html Archived 2012-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Comedians. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from The Hilarious Show: http://www.thehilariousshow.com/ Archived 2011-09-02 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Cadbury Academy of Joy Stand-Up Comedy GCC Tour. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from Dubomedy: http://www.dubomedy.com/aoj/artists.html
  11. 'Stand-Up Expat' Comedy Tour. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from InterNations: http://www.internations.org/events/view/standup-expat-comedy-tour-dubai-gig-100-seats:::15317
  12. Clack, D. (2011, June 14). Local comedian Ali Al Sayed on his show Boys' Night Out. Retrieved June 25, 2012, from TimeOut Abu Dhabi: http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/nightlife/features/24658-ali-al-sayed-on-comedy
  13. The Future of UAE Comedy. (2011, June). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from What's On: http://issuu.com/motivatepublishing/docs/what_s_on_abu_dhabi_june_2011
  14. Dubai Comedians Head to New York. (2011, October 6). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from Newz Globe: http://www.newzglobe.com/article/20111006/dubai-comedians-head-new-york?page=0%2C3
  15. The Organizers. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from DIPAF: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2012-06-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. Wadham, J. (2010, May 3). Funny Girls: UAE Comediennes stand up. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from The National: http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/on-stage/funny-girls-uae-comediennes-stand-up
  17. Abu Dhabi International Comedy Festival. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2012, from The National: http://www.thenational.ae/events/categories/performance/abu-dhabi-international-comedy-festival Archived 2012-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  18. Hawes, C. (2012, May 1). UAE Comedy: Who Needs Russell Peters? Retrieved June 27, 2012, from Gulf News: http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/performing-visual-arts/uae-comedy-who-needs-russell-peters-1.1013459
  19. 8th In.F.o.Ma.T Invitation for Participants. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2012, from Theatre of Change: http://theater-school.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=379&Itemid=218&lang=en
  20. Hamdan, S. (2010, December 15). Pushing the Envelope Through Stand-Up Comedy. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/arts/16iht-m16cstandup.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
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