The Business of Funny: How Dubomedy co-founder Mina Riccione is redefining comedy in the GCC

In 2007, Italian-American performance artist, tap dancer, and comedian Mina Riccione received a call from her agent offering her a gig in the UAE. Riccione was a little apprehensive at a time when information about the country and surrounding region was limited in the United States. However, she dispelled all her fears and landed in Dubai. And this was the beginning of her journey that would forever change her life and the landscape of comedy in the GCC.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to take the plunge and do it,'” Riccione recalled. “What was supposed to be a 10-day show as part of a festival turned into a month and a half.Everyone I met kept saying they loved comedy, but there was no comedy scene locally. “No, neither did I.” One of the comics sent from the sky. People told me I should come back and start doing comics. [comedy] school. I had to finish my master’s degree and some contracts, but I said I’d be back in a year, and like everyone says, I’d make it through the year. ”

Back in 2008, Riccione, who has a background in performing arts and education, saw an opportunity to fill an obvious void in the local comedy scene. She was talking to people who were interested in what she thought she wanted to accomplish, and multiple people asked her, “Have you met Ali? She has to meet Ali.” “No,” I kept saying. They all mentioned Ali Al Said, the UAE comedian and TV host. “It was like an arranged friendship,” Riccione laughs. “He had just quit his job because he wanted to start a comedy company and start building the comedy scene. We had the same vision. His dream was to “It was about being able to export talent. We partnered almost immediately.” ”

Shortly thereafter, Riccione and Al Said (who, incidentally, married in 2011) launched Dubomedi as a platform for aspiring comedians and performers. From the beginning, the club was envisioned as more than just a comedy club. The two entrepreneurs who run it see the club as a platform to foster talent, offering workshops and classes in improvisation, sketch comedy, stand-up dancing and even tap dancing. I did.

Dubomedi, co-founded by Mina Riccione and Ali Al Said in 2008, plans to open a permanent venue in 2024.Source: Dubomedi

Reminiscing about when he first started teaching Dubo Medi’s signature “Comedy 101” course, Riccione says, “It was a great experience. “When we first started classes in 2008, we had a group of 20 people who had never met a local person. Ali had a lot of questions. Many women felt more comfortable attending the workshop because it was an Italian-American woman I was with, and many Arabs (especially if English is their second language) felt more comfortable attending the workshop. felt very comfortable being there.”

However, starting this business was not always smooth sailing. After all, back in 2008, venues mostly booked their bands for karaoke spots and covers as live entertainment, and comics weren’t necessarily on the list. “The hardest part was definitely the first part,” Riccione admits. “This was 2008, and the only comedy shows going on were big-name actors, and there weren’t that many.”

However, Liccione and Al Sayed, who founded Dubomedy, were looking for a platform to showcase their students. “We were ready to do it on a weekly basis [show]” Riccione recalled. Now they needed a platform to get better. I talked to several venues, but they were a little more strict back then, so they said, “No, it’s too dirty.” And we told them we’re going to keep it in a cleaner direction. And they said, “But that wouldn’t be any fun.” So there was this juxtaposition and constant backlash. ”

But this did not deter the two entrepreneurs, and soon their efforts bore fruit. “It took me a few months, but I finally met a man named Jose. He worked at a restaurant called The Warehouse at Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Center. “I said,” Riccione said. And as it turns out, this was all his Dubomedy co-founders needed. Ms. Liccione proudly declared that she and She Al Sayed started the first weekly comedy show in Dubai featuring both local and local comedians. “The phone didn’t stop ringing after that,” Riccione added. “Suddenly, everyone wanted comedy.”

Nearly 16 years later, the two still co-teach their signature classes. Importantly, Al Said also teaches classes in Arabic. “It’s very important. He’s very passionate because a lot of kids in our generation don’t want to speak Arabic,” Riccione added. “And it’s really important that we do that.”

That said, Dubomedy is also evolving and offering products in response to changing market needs. For example, in addition to classes and workshops that welcome beginners and experts alike, Dubomedi currently produces events and festivals, offers corporate training and team-building workshops, as well as programs such as Clowns Who Care and Autism Smiles. We also promote several community projects such as. “The Clowns Who Care program runs a number of art camps, shows and workshops in refugee camps and centers for determined children,” explains Riccione. “It’s definitely in our hearts.”

Meanwhile, “Autism Smiles” is a film produced by Abu Dhabi-based Image Nation and released in 2014 called “As One: The Autism Project,” in which Riccione and Al Said worked as comedy coaches. It was born after being requested. This documentary focused on children and parents. , and teachers involved in drama and music programs in the UAE designed specifically for children on the spectrum. After the emotional experience of being part of a film, Riccione and Al Said decided to start Autism Smiles, which teaches children the performing arts and comedy of determination.

Dubomedi promotes several community projects such as Clowns Who Care, which hosts art camps, shows and workshops in refugee camps and centers for determined children.Source: Dubomedi

Riccione has also made it a personal priority to create a safe space for women in comedy. This is why Dubomedy launched her 2009 Funny Girls, the region’s first all-female stand-up troupe, which is still active today. “We specifically started doing this because there were a lot of local women who wanted to do comedy, but they were too scared to go to those places.” [like bars]”And I said, ‘Okay, let’s make this happen,'” she explains. I have a group of women from different parts of the world and we started doing a show at a ladies club specifically to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. ” She continued to talk about the importance of inclusivity in comedy, and Riccione added: -We want women in hijab to sit in the front row and feel comfortable so that their in-laws can come to the show. We really wanted to create an inclusive environment in the comedy world because a lot of women don’t go to bars. ”

Looking at how Dubomedi has grown from its humble origins, Riccione proudly says that the company has achieved many goals in building the country’s comedy scene. “Our mission and vision were exactly the opposite. [to other companies]”This is our comedy, and we’re going to build it here,” she says. There are no plans to import it. We wanted to export and it happened 100%. We struggled to get permission and struggled to get a single venue that would give us a chance because we were worried that we would say something and get everyone in trouble. I was there. But you can’t lie about your accomplishments. Once we built a very strong reputation and community, it continued and now we have so many alumni doing great things. ”

Here, Riccione plays Amal in Iftah Ya Simsim, the Arabic version of the American children’s show Sesame Street, and stars in the Netflix show Justice: Qalb Al Adara, Fatima Al. – Criticizing Dubomedi graduates like Tai. The role of Ammar Dabaa, who is famous for starting the Arabic comedy scene in Amsterdam. “We have impacted people’s lives,” Riccione declares. “We’re not just trying to make people laugh. You’ll get letters in a year or two.” [from alumni] “Thank you so much.” You changed my life. ‘For us, that’s one of the greatest things you could ask for, and many of our graduates continue to create their own evenings by producing their own shows or doing podcasts, and among Some people write short films. ”

Mina Riccione and Dubomedi’s students. Source: Dubomedi

So what’s next for Dubo Medi? “The next step is the comedy industry. As anyone will tell you, the local comedy scene would not exist 100% without Dubomedi,” Riccione replies. “We are the OG pioneers, that’s what they call us.” And it is this foundation that Dubomedy plans to use as a springboard to further grow the industry. , some of which maintain their independence so that they can chart their own path. “Comedy is difficult,” Riccione explains. “There’s truth in the jokes, so as comedians we have a responsibility to tell the truth and expose it in our own ways. Both Ali and I want to make people laugh from day one. “Of course we want to do that too.” “Let them think and maybe change some negative perspectives along the way. From day one, Ali and I have been committed to having ethics and integrity in our work. And if you bring in a corporate sponsor, unfortunately that’s going to change. So we didn’t do that. There are a lot of brands and clients that would hire us. , of course we sponsor big events and festivals, but internally it’s us. We’re a family-run shop, so to speak.”

But that doesn’t mean this mom-and-pop shop won’t grow. It starts with the launch of a permanent store. “We usually partner with a variety of venues, but right now we’re at the Paramount Hotel Midtown, and we have a beautiful facility and a gorgeous studio,” Riccione says. “Our students love taking classes there, and our weekly shows are also held there. But we’ve always wanted a home, so I can’t reveal any details, but we’ll have a permanent venue this year. It’s a schedule.”

With more festival, TV and film projects on Dubomedi’s list for 2024, Riccione and Al Said are looking forward to seeing what happens to the GCC’s comedy scene in the coming years. . “Comedy has been in our culture for a long time,” Riccione added. “For Ali and I, comedy is a way of life.”

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