Omid Singh

Born to an Iranian mother and Indian father, Omid Singh is one of the top multicultural comics working today. Not that he considers himself a public symbol or boundary-breaker. As he puts it onstage, "I don't do anything scary when I go to the airport.. but I do like to see how far I can walk away from my luggage".

Singh's childhood found him living in far-flung locations ranging from San Diego, ten years in Dubai, a year in fiercely conservative Katy, Texas, and back to the West Coast with addresses across Orange County. After hosting his fifth-grade talent show and participating in Comedy Sportz's High School League, at 16 Omid produced his own stand-up night (for which he admittedly borrowed plenty of Eddie Izzard material). His participation in a 2008 Ice House comedy contest – this time with 100 percent original jokes – hooked him for life.

Despite experiencing stereotyping and even bullying, Singh doesn't use his unique upbringing as a crutch. As he sees it, celebrating diversity allows him to connect with every type of audience imaginable. Singh spent his developmental years in New York City. There he studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade, performed on 2011’s New York Comedy Festival, and was featured in Ben Affleck's 2012 thriller Argo. Fun fact: In a scene depicting Iranians rushing the American Embassy, extras aren't wielding U.S. baseball bats thanks to his outspoken fact-checking. 2013 short film Subway, based on his material about a post-workout commute gone awry, was voted the Audience Award winner at the annual No Budget Film Festival.