The Comics Unseen
Press Kit
Stand-up · Sketch · Actor
Paul Elia
An Iraqi-Assyrian comic from Detroit who traded a near-finished English degree and a path to law school for a microphone — and held firm when parts of his own community threatened him over the material.
From
Detroit, Michigan · Chaldean-Assyrian heritage
Works in
Stand-up · Sketch · Screen acting
Known for
Detroit Player · Good Son — specials on YouTube
Reach
250 million+ views online · a dozen-plus sketches on Conan
Interview
Written interview · hopforpop.com
“The people who stick around become a much more loyal fanbase than you’d ever get by playing it safe.”
Paul Elia — The Comics Unseen
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Biography
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Paul Elia is a Chaldean-Assyrian stand-up from Detroit who was close to finishing an English degree at Wayne State, with law school next, when he changed direction. The turn came from working as a stand-in for Michael Imperioli on the ABC series Detroit 187, shot in his hometown, which made him fall in love with entertainment. When the show wrapped he moved to Los Angeles and shared a one-bedroom apartment with a white rapper named Skripture.
He has since built a following of more than 250 million views online, made more than a dozen sketch appearances on Conan over three years, and worked his way to The Comedy Store. He released his specials Detroit Player and Good Son free on YouTube — because, he says with a shrug, none of the streamers wanted them. He also works with a clown coach, Chad Damiani, to find more physical comedy in his act.
His material about his own community has cost him. The Chaldean community can be very protective of its image; some people were unhappy, and some went as far as threats. He did not pull the material, and he found that the audience that stayed became more loyal than any he would have won by playing it safe. He credits his faith in God for getting him through the late-night gigs, acting jobs and self-produced shows.
The part other press kits leave out
What you should know before you book him
Paul Elia is a self-made comic who built an audience directly, without a streamer, and speaks for a community that is rarely on stage — even when that community pushed back.
He brings his own audience
Over 250 million views online and two specials he released himself on YouTube. A booker gets a comic with a large built-in following.
A rarely heard perspective
Chaldean-Assyrian heritage, Detroit upbringing. He writes about his community with affection and without asking its permission.
He did not back down
Faced with threats over his material, he held firm and kept it. He came out of it with a more loyal fanbase than safe material would have given him.
Physical comedy, deliberately
He took a clown class, fell for the form, and hired a clown coach to find more physical moments in his act. He thinks people are sleeping on clowns.
Trained by watching Conan
Three years on the show taught him what a real professional looks like: someone who can fix a joke on the spot and be effortlessly funny on command, even half asleep.
The three things he looks for
Physical ability, voice intonation and storytelling. When a comic commands all three, he says, that is when it becomes something special.
For press · cleared for use with attribution
Quotable
01
“That experience made me fall in love with entertainment.”02
“When the show wrapped, I moved to LA and lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a white rapper named Skripture.”03
“I took a clown class and really fell in love with the art of clown. I respect clown.”04
“People are sleeping on clowns.”05
“My faith in God. Simple as that.”06
“None of the streamers wanted them, so that’s why I chose YouTube. Or maybe they did and I just didn’t know? Either way no one called me, so… yeah!”07
“He’s just so effortlessly hilarious.”08
“Watching that up close taught me what a true professional really looks like: someone who can be effortlessly hilarious on command.”09
“In the beginning it was hard. I wanted my community’s approval.”10
“Some took it far enough to make threats, but I held firm and didn’t pull the material.”11
“The people who stick around become a much more loyal fanbase than you’d ever get by playing it safe.”12
“The common thread is physical ability, voice intonation and storytelling. When a comedian commands all three, that’s when it becomes something special.”
Attribution: Paul Elia, in conversation with The Comics Unseen. Read the interview.
Career
Selected credits
Stand-up
- Detroit Player — debut special, released on YouTube
- Good Son — special, released on YouTube
- The Comedy Store, Los Angeles
Screen
- Conan — more than a dozen sketch appearances over three years
- Detroit 187 (ABC) — stand-in for Michael Imperioli
- Film and television roles
Influences
Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes and Brody Stevens, the first comic he saw live who gave him goosebumps.
This kit was produced by The Comics Unseen. The interview and quotes are drawn from Paul Elia: Chaldean Assyrian Voice In Comedy World, published on hopforpop.com. Paul Elia and their representatives are free to use any part of this document — the biography, the quotes — for booking, press and promotion, with credit to The Comics Unseen for the interview material.
The Comics Unseen shines a light on stand-up artists and spreads comedy across the world. Follow at instagram.com/hopforpop.
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