Perfect Timing

Comedian Hisham Fageeh, whose spoof video “No Woman No Drive” went viral in November, on synergy and teamwork.

 Your video has gotten almost 11 million views. What’s your reaction?

I’ve been blocking it out. Of course it’s awesome, but I don’t want to get caught up in the hype.

Why this video now?

Comedy is all about timing, so it’s all about being relevant and delivering a joke. On a personal level I’m not into getting caught up in causes.

Who did you think would laugh hardest?

My only measure of what’s funny or not is myself. I don’t tailor my bits or products to a specific target audience; my main audience is myself and if others like it, that’s great, ahlan wa sahlan.

How does being part of a team help you create?

I started out as a solo comedian and maxed out on that quickly. It was fun, but it wasn’t till I started working with Telfaz11 that I made a big impression (with La Yekthar 14). That got a lot of attention and media buzz. So I knew I was home right away.

It’s a brilliant collective, with great great synergy, each person brings something to the table. But we approach making content as a collaboration. Making comedy is like dancing, it’s no fun to do it alone. Sometimes two people is perfect, but ultimately it’s the ensemble and feeling all those energies flow that really gets you excited.

How’s the stand-up scene in the KSA?

In the past five years, with the arrival of new media and the stand-up scene, there has been a huge boom in the industry. Mostly because of the awareness of each other’s existence. It’s like “oh shit, you wanna do comedy, too? Let’s work together!”

What are you working on now?

I’m the production manager at Telfaz11 so at any given moment we’re working on at least four things. I’m a head writer for the show “Khambalah”. Plus stand-up in English and Arabic. And trying to live a healthy social life, being a workaholic.

For more info – Telfaz11 and Hisham on Youtube