Sharing the same stage as comedians such as Tim Allen, Dave Chappelle, George Lopez and Adam Sandler is somewhat of a dream for an aspiring young comedian. Two students were given the chance to do so and compete in the Super Laugh Bowl at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood.
Eric Saleh, first-year economics student, said that performing was a really great opportunity to get his career started. He named Dave Chappelle’s comedy routines as inspiration.
“Watching his routines made me think about getting into this profession. I hope one day I could deliver a joke to my friends as he is able to.”
Originally from Washington, DC, Saleh did not have the privilege of knowing about the Laugh Factory until he moved to Los Angeles.
“The idea of performing at a club on Sunset Boulevard is overwhelming,” Saleh said. “Just to have been able to share the same stage as other comedians is something of an honor. If at one point they were who I was, I feel like I’m in the right direction and am making something out of this.”
Adam Epelbaum, first-year theater student, is from Miami and said performing on stage was unreal.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actor ever since I saw Adam Sandler sing the Hannukah Song on SNL ““ maybe it’s because we are both Jewish and he had my name that I thought it was my calling,” he said.
Epelbaum said that stand-up comedy is somewhat of a neglected art form.
“I believe it to be the hardest one because a good comedian isn’t hiding behind a character. He is just himself giving his outlook on life and telling you what he finds funny,” Epelbaum said. “It’s just you alone on that stage being you, and there’s something real invigorating about that.”
Daron Moore, associate producer of the Laugh Factory Productions Radio and Television, created the Laugh Bowl for both UCLA and USC students to compete. The contestants had to earn votes online, and the top two from each school went head-to-head in a final on Feb. 25.
“I created it for students to learn how to go up in front of their peers with confidence, how to market and promote oneself with the online voting process, how to compose themselves in front of professional comedians and comedy writers, and how to practice in front of tough crowds on stage,” she said.
Since December, each student comedian had open-mic training with Jamie Masada, the owner of the Laugh Factory.
The students were told the importance of marketing themselves in order to gain more votes. The two relied on sources such as Facebook and endless e-mailing to gain support from their friends and families.
“I created a Facebook group and basically harassed people with daily messages. I became a step below an online predator. The competition didn’t mention that even if you got a lot of votes, you could potentially be losing all your friends in the process with the constant messaging,” Epelbaum said.
One of the toughest parts of the competition was dealing with the criticism of the judges.
“Adam Epelbaum and Eric Saleh did fantastic, especially considering the circumstances of being under the pressure of having professional judges who have been in the business for many years giving their honest critiques, opinions and advice,” Moore said.
Notably, the judges criticized use of offensive material like racial jokes, giving the students advice to criticize their own race before delving into other impersonations of other races.
“It felt good to hear what the judges said. I felt I was taking a lot of risks with my routine regarding offensive material,” said Saleh. “I cut out a Barack Obama impersonation I had done before. I did not want to rely on being an impressionist. I feel like I managed to strike a good balance without offending.”
The judges advised Epelbaum to have fun on stage.
“The judges also said I had raw talent and a good look about me ““which is always a nice thing to hear from other people than your grandmother,” said Epelbaum.
Though the two Bruins did not win, they still have an opportunity to get a spot on the Laugh Factory’s brand new stand-up night called Fresh Faces in March.
“Although the result wasn’t quite what I had hoped for, it’s only the beginning. I’ve been here for five months and am far beyond where I’d thought I’d be, I just got to keep grinding,” Epelbaum said.