Day in the life: Laughing matters in Dubai for salesman/comedian

As a medical and insurance recruiter by day and a comedian by night, Dave Marosi starts the day with an early tennis session to ensure he can keep up with his rigorous routine.

David Marosi works as a recruitment consultant in the day, then as a comedian at night. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Dave Marosi is a comedian and MC by night and a sales-driven medical and insurance recruiter by day. The 29-year-old has rapidly developed a reputation for both quick wit and fast sales, having already won salesman of the month twice in the past year. A former tennis pro, Mr Marosi, from Canada, moved to Dubai a year ago for the business opportunities on offer and discovered a profitable profession that suits his personality and a thriving comedy scene that welcomed him with open arms.

5.30am

The alarm goes and I spring out of bed and head to the tennis courts near my apartment in JBR for an hour’s “hit session” with my buddy Nabeel.

6am

I start the match and after a solid hour, emerge victorious – much to the annoyance of my opponent. I used to be a tennis pro for two years in the Caribbean – Turks & Caicos, then the Dominican Republic. Tennis is my first passion and I play as much as possible to keep fit and maintain my technique.

7.30am

After a shower and protein shake, I leave for work, which is thankfully nearby in Internet City. I truly believe the early bird catches the worm and I’m wide awake after exercise, which helps in a fast-paced sales job.

7.45am

I flag a taxi and get to work on time at 8am. I’m usually among the first to arrive and I try to be as energetic and positive as possible in the morning, which I feel also motivates some of my colleagues.

8am

I order a cappuccino from Costa (full fat) and set my schedule for the day. I am a type-A control freak and I need to know exactly what I am going to be doing. I think because I am so busy, keeping to a tight agenda is the key to my success.

8.30am

My role is a combination of sales and relationship management. It’s ironic, since I’ve been single forever, but I’m really good at managing professional relationships. For the next few hours it’s a case of emails, calls and any face-to-face meetings or morning networking events.

Noon

I eat my gluten-full lunch. My favourite restaurant nearby is Nando’s, where I’ll treat myself to a chicken wrap and then sit out by the Internet City lake and write some new material. If I have a show that night I will design my set like a puzzle – try and figure out where each joke will fit into my routine. If I’m testing new material I usually put it in the middle, between some of my strongest material, to protect it.

1pm

Back to work and this is when the magic happens. I’m often out of the office for the next four hours, building relationships and getting my face out in the market. For instance, I attended the recent Dubai Motor Show a few times, meeting with both exhibitors and attendees. Greasing palms like this is the key to being a successful recruiter and rising above the competition.

5pm

Quitting time has got to be my favourite time of day, especially when I feel like I’ve accomplished something. I grab my second protein shake of the day and aggressively slurp it as I make my way to the gym.

6pm

I always feel when I enter the gym that it is important to keep the body guessing. People think my body is God-given. It’s not; I have to work hard to look this average.

6.30pm

I have dinner early; my favourite meal is chicken stir-fry over couscous – the food so nice they named it twice. After eating, I rehearse the set I designed at lunchtime and practise, practise, practise. A lot of comedians don’t ever have to practice. They just get up on stage and perform well. However, I am not one of them, I need to rehearse extensively. After a few run-throughs, I then practice in front of the mirror to see facial expressions. I also often record my sessions, so I can hear if I am being too wordy.

7.30pm

I arrive at the show. Whether I’m hosting at Frankie’s Comedy Cellar in JBR or Live and Laughing at McGettigan’s DWTC, or I’m doing a slot at another show – it’s important to me that I’m performing as often as possible. I always arrive early to check out the crowd, weigh up the demographic and figure out if I have to change any jokes to suit the audience. When I’m up on stage I feel empowered, calm and really thrive off engagement with the audience.

9.30pm

The shows is over – and it went well, of course. I’ll always hang out with the other comedians for an hour or so, then check my notes on the way home. I’ll decide what worked where, jokes that were funny but need a lot of work, and – most importantly – which parts were not funny.

11pm

Home and to bed, but still buzzing from the gig. I have to read before I go to sleep, or it just doesn’t happen. Right now I am reading Killing Lincoln, by Bill O’Reilly, a faction novel about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln from the perspective of both Lincoln and the assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

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