Laughing all the way to the bank

Comedy Arabia plans to take its roadshow around the Middle East over the next two years.

Ahmed Ahmed on form Comedy Arabia's Abu Dhabi premier: its no laughing matter making money out of humour.

Making people laugh is one thing. Making money at it is another. The comedians behind Comedy Arabia, who made their Abu Dhabi debut at the Beach Rotana hotel on Tuesday night, are determined to do both, kicking off a regional comedy industry in the process. To do that, the new company, one of the founding partners of Abu Dhabi's media zone, twofour54, is building an online social network for Middle Eastern comedians and plans to take its comedy roadshow around the region over the next two years.

The two-night performance this week in Abu Dhabi was the first part of its current tour that will include stops in Lebanon, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. "We are like the Comedy Central of the Middle East," said Ahmed Ahmed, the Egyptian-born American comic who co-founded the company and hosted this week's show. "We want to do films, programmes, live shows - and we already have a digital platform. In order to fuel this industry, you need to give it a kick-start."

The nascent media company has already made connections with other players in Abu Dhabi's media scene, most recently signing a filming and production deal with Abu Dhabi Al Emarat television, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC). ADMC owns and publishes The National. "We will be filming the live show, and we helped them go around the malls to find the funniest people last weekend," said Vida Rizq, the chief marketing officer of ADMC. "We are enjoying working with them. They are funny because quite often it is that shock value."

The taped show will be edited down into a 30-minute programme to be aired on Abu Dhabi Al Emarat, and the two companies are in talks to continue their relationship throughout Comedy Arabia's stand-up roadshow tour. Another connection was forged with the Abu Dhabi campus of the New York Film Academy, which sent students to operate the cameras and receive some comedy training during the auditions at the mall.

The chance to train the students was part of the company's educational mission, Ahmed said. "We want to be able to nurture at least 100 comedians over the next year," he said. While the first round of talent-scouting at Abu Dhabi Mall failed to find a comedian who was ready to perform at this week's show, Ahmed remains undeterred. "We are trying to get people to have the confidence to stand up on stage and tell jokes," he said. "It's difficult at the moment. It's a challenge, but we are very confident that we are going to be able to produce iconic comedy from this region. We know that Arabs have an opinion about everything, they just need an opportunity to be able to express that and the training to help them know their comedic talents."

The social networking site will play a major role in this scouting, he said, because people who might feel too shy to try their jokes in front of a live audience at a mall might feel more comfortable uploading videos of their routines to a site similar to YouTube visited by other comics. "The idea is to give them an online channel to start submitting regular material," he said. "On one hand, it is a comedy channel for the region. On the other hand, it is a social network for comedians."

Once these comedians get their acts down, there are real career opportunities in the region. In the past six months, Comedy Arabia has participated in shows in nine Middle Eastern countries, selling more than 40,000 tickets. "Comedy is clearly an emerging market over here," Ahmed said. "Every show has been sold out, and the demand for contemporary entertainment that's relevant to the Middle East is growing."