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FEATURE STORY Profile: Sherif Hedayat: By Jameeleh Shelo Sherif Hedayat is an Egyptian American, stand-up comedian and entertainer who has been performing since 1996. He continues to pursue his art in a country where recent events have made the general audience less than open to a Middle Easterner, and has slowly but surely carved out a name for himself in the stand-up comedy world. What sets Sherif apart from most Middle Eastern comedians, and comedians in general, is the giant heart behind most of his jokes.
Whether he is tackling such controversial topics as religion and media, or just talking about his father’s aging, Sherif’s strong point is how easily you identify with him and laugh along. Believing that comedy is something that you “don’t plan but that you fall into”, Sherif began his career at an open mic night in college. The Ohio native bombed that night, and didn’t get back on the stage again for one year. During that time he continued to do sets, but never considered comedy as a career seriously, instead he focused on his Internet business (which he later sold). It wasn’t until the attacks on the World Trade Center that Sherif’s comedy became a personal calling. After 9/11 Sherif’s friends, family, other comedians and comedy bookers recommended that he should tone down his act, and downplay his Egyptian background. Sherif remained true to his stand-up act and won over audiences. He credits it to his friendly demeanor and everyman approach. Sherif describes his style as more of telling stories about his life and making truthful observations about the world around him, rather than telling jokes. “I talk about things in a relatable manner”, says Sherif,” I talk about me, and my life. My life is so crazy, I have hours worth of material I haven’t used yet.” Despite performing to critical praise at The Arab American Comedy Showcase in New York, Sherif still wasn’t getting booked due to his Middles Eastern background. Towards the end of 2003 and decided to take a comedy hiatus, with the intention of never returning. It wasn’t until he received a phone call late last year from his comedy co-hort Ahmed Ahmed, inviting him to an Axis of Evil comedy show that Sherif began to miss his former calling. Impressed by the progress his friends made in the comedy world. Sherif quit his six-figure job at Lexis Nexis and decided to dedicate himself full time to comedy. Expecting resistance his parents regarding his decision, Sherif was pleasantly surprised when his parents supported him fully. They showed their support by coming to the first show after his return. His father has even contributed to his comedy act, helping write a joke about being twice over the hill. Sherif is not without his critics. There are people who take offense at his liberal discussion of religion in his act. Being born and raised a Muslim, Sherif contends that he doesn’t really make fun of the religion, as much as just making observations. “I’m not doing this just to make people laugh, when I tell a story I am educating people about a part of the culture they might not have otherwise known or asked about”. Sherif has a very strong following in states like West Virginia, where audiences might not usually be as open to seeing a culturally diverse show. The best advice Sherif can give any aspiring stand-up is to stay true to yourself. “Stay positive. Do good things and good things will happen. Act as if.” He stresses the importance of really working hard and getting a college education. “Ninety percent of headliners I know are college educated. How can someone write a joke if they can’t write?” He also advises young comics not to stress out over material, a mistake he made early on. “America is going to watch what they want and comedy is a business, the sooner you realize that the more successful you will be.” With that goal in mind, Sherif is trying to be the first Middle Eastern comic with one million youtube hits. To check out a part of his stand up routine go to www.youtube.com/sherif.
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While his homepage warns you that it’ll be a “cold day in hell” before he changes his act, once you venture further, you see there is no need for him to change his act. His jokes come from his own experiences and resonate. While many comics use their ethnicity as a crutch relying on the same tired airport security jokes or distancing themselves from their heritage to create a more politically correct act, Sherif brings a fresh perspective to being a first generation Middle Eastern American without alienating the audience.