Today we’d like to introduce you to Zain Sharif.
Hi Zain, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started comedy in high school by taking improv classes with Dad’s Garage. I fell in love with making people laugh, but I wasn’t a big fan of all that teamwork. I realized I wanted to be alone up there with a captive audience that would let me talk about myself. It’s a selfish pursuit if you think about it.
I did my first standup set when I was 18 for about 200 students at my high school talent show. You never forget your first. I did about 25 minutes because I was too naive to know that that’s a dumb thing to do for your first set. Thankfully, it went over well, so I figured I would just keep doing it for the next decade.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a smooth road in terms of getting better. Every comic has the same advice – get on stage and keep writing. For me, the challenge was accepting that I’m a comedian to begin with. I honestly thought I was going to be a doctor my whole life. I did medical research in high school, I majored in Biology, I took pre-med classes, and I attempted to study for the MCATs. Somewhere along the way, I realized I liked doing standup more than making my parents proud.
That’s just a joke. My parents are very supportive.
I think I always thought that calling yourself a “comedian” was an announcement to the world that you’re going to try to get rich and famous doing this. That’s an insane thing to expect. I had to accept that I love doing it, and I’ll do it forever, no matter the outcome. A comedian is just someone who does comedy.
What do you like most about your work?
I’m proud of my writing. There’s this age-old idea that comics are primarily writers or performers. I’ve always been infatuated with the writers. I love working out new ideas or stories and finding out that eight of them are terrible and two of them have some potential. It’s like mining for gold. Looking for a little glitter as you go through life can be fun and insanely addictive.
I’m also proud of my sketches. I’ve been making them since I was a teenager, and I enjoy the challenge of writing, directing, acting, and filming. I have no formal training, so I’ve really enjoyed the trial-and-error process of learning how to write, shoot, and edit something funny. It’s also a great excuse to hang out with my talented friends and boss them around.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I put a good bit of my material and sketches online, so if you’d like to watch those on YouTube, Instagram, or the ultra-addictive-spying-app TikTok, check out @zainsharifcomedy.
Contact Info:
- Website: zainsharifcomedy.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/zainsharifcomedy
- Facebook: facebook.com/zainsharifcomedy/
- Youtube: youtube.com/zainsharifcomedy
- Other: tiktok.com/@zainsharifcomedy
Image Credits
PC: Alyx Libby
