30 Under 30: Comedians to Watch

Some people are just born funny. But being funny doesn’t necessarily make you a good comedian. Like any other trade, you have to work at it, study it, adapt to its changes, and practice, practice, practice. That said, making audiences laugh just seems to come more easily to some people. In partnership with Funny or Die, we found 30 young comedians who are not only committed to perfecting their skills, but already have audiences across the country in stitches.

Name: Nick Youssef
Age: 28
Medium: Stand-up
Location: Los Angeles
Website: twitter.com/nickyoussef

How does performing in front of an audience affect your confidence?
"Me in front of a live audience is my confidence. There’s no better feeling in the world. Period."

Where does your material come from?
"Newspapers, boredom, television, friends, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, family, going for a walk, dreams, parties, books, drinking, depression, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, sadness, happiness, sex, music…"

Comedians tend to be open books; is there anything you wouldn’t joke about?
"Everything is fodder for comedy. Every joke has an audience; some are just smaller than others."

What’s your favorite thing about being a comedian? And what do people in your profession get to do that others don’t?
"It’s definitely the ability to express myself and say whatever I want at work. My buddy once told me that he couldn’t laugh at a potentially offensive joke at his office out of fear he would be reprimanded. That sounds like a prison sentence. At my job, I can write and tell an offensive joke, then get paid for it (usually)."

What gets on your nerves about audiences today?
"The fact that people’s attention spans are getting so short."

How did you get your start?
"I started two months after my 18th birthday. I had just gotten a car and could finally make the commute from the suburbs into Hollywood. I compiled a list of every open mic in town and started getting on stage every night of the week. I haven’t looked back since."

Name: Ali Wong
Age: 28
Medium: Stand-up
Location: Los Angeles
Website: aliwong.com

How does performing in front of an audience affect your confidence?
"I'm the youngest child of four in my family, and am used to being criticized my whole life. My brother, two sisters, and parents gave me everything I wanted, but they also told me everything I never wanted to hear. 'You're lazy, you're fat, etc.' Performing on stage only made the emotional skin thicker."

Where does your material come from?
"I currently talk about my relationship with my boyfriend because he's a vegan who goes to Harvard Business School. He fascinates me and I could discuss him for hours."

What would you be if not a comedian?
"I'd be an Asian American studies professor." 

In your opinion, how has video and social networking changed the comedy world today?
"I hate Twitter. You have to constantly Twitter now as a comedian, entertaining all these people for free, and it drives me crazy. But all these other comics do it so I have to put time into doing it."

If you could meet any comedian (alive or dead) who would it be and why?
"Eddie Murphy. Raw and Delirious made me want to be a stand-up comedian."

How did you promote your own shows when you first got going?
"When I first started, I paired up with The Onion to produce shows. So they did all the graphic design for the flyers and published it in the San Francisco editions of the paper. I built a huge following from those shows in San Francisco, and now I communicate with them exclusively through Facebook." 

Name three things on the horizon for you.
"I have a small recurring role on a new FOX show called Breaking In. I'm one of the commentators on the E! special 50 Wackiest Moments on TV. And I am starting a monthly show at the Hollywood Improv Lab.