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Meet Azize Erim of Broken English YouTube Channel in Studio City

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Azize Erim.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Azize. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in London but grew up in Adana, a city in the southern part of Turkey. I have always been eager to perform dance, comedy and theater since childhood. After I graduated from high school, I moved to Istanbul to study Sociology. I continued to do theater at the University. I was actually one of the founding members of the Theater and Arts club. I have always wanted to be a documentarist, so I continued acting as a hobby.

After I graduated from the University, it was challenging to find a paying documentarist position, so I started working for free as an assistant director for a documentary project. However, our funding was cut, so we had to finish the project earlier than expected. I had no savings left at this point. So, I accepted an offer from my musician friends to be the manager of their rock band. I became the manager of one of the coolest rock bands in Turkey at the age of 22. Being a rock band manager was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I started meeting key people in the entertainment industry. During this time, I also started acting in commercials. After working for the band for two years, I decided to go on my separate way and pursue my dream. While acting in commercials, I also co-produced and hosted my cooking show. The format of the show was really unique and fun, so it was easy for us to find funding. I did the cooking show for two seasons. I also co-produced a documentary about the music industry in Istanbul. Things were going really well, and I started to audition for big movies. But something crazy happened! I fell in love, got married and moved to the United States. And all of these things happened in 6 months!

I left everything behind and settled in Bethesda, MD. I was so excited because both Discovery Channel’s and National Geographic’s headquarters are there. So, as you can imagine, I started to apply for positions there. I was so happy to finally pursue my dream of becoming a documentarist. Well, I applied to every single position I thought I would be great at; however, I never got an interview. I needed a job. So through a friend, I found a position at a hospital as a medical interpreter and a patient coordinator. And don’t think I quit applying to jobs at National Geographic and Discovery Channel. For the next 8 years, I kept applying to positions at those channels. I never got an interview. I used to drive by the Discovery Channel and send energy to them to call me, but it never worked. So, sometimes sending energy does not work.

Working at a hospital was a good job, but it never satisfied me as an artist. I also jumped at any opportunity that had anything to do with art, filming, hosting while I was working at the hospital. I needed passion and art in my life. So, I decided to do comedy improv. That’s when I realized, how much I loved comedy and acting and being in the industry. I would not be happy if I did not pursue my dreams. After my husband graduated from law school, we sold our condo, quit our jobs and made the big move to Los Angeles in 2014.

As soon as I moved to LA, I started taking acting techniques and improv classes at Playhouse West Acting School and Repertory Theater. In less than a year, I produced my first short movie, played in a number of commercials, cast as the lead for several short films and supporting roles for several feature films. The short movie “Conscience” where I played the lead role was accepted to the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. In 2015, I met Margie Haber and started taking classes from her and worked for her Studio as an Assistant Teacher for kids’ classes. I also started taking improv and writing classes at the UCB. In 2016, I co-created our YouTube Channel Broken English where we wrote and filmed our comedy sketches. Our sketches made it to several festivals and featured on comedy platforms like Funny or Die and WhoHaha.

However, it is still hard to be a woman and a foreigner in the industry. It’s a big struggle, and it is difficult to prove yourself. Also, there aren’t many Turkish actors in the industry who could open doors for the other Turkish actors. So, I really feel alone. That’s why I decided to do Stand Up comedy. I think this will be the best way to put myself out there and show the audience who I really am. And I love it. So far, I’ve performed in several clubs like Flappers, Comedy Store, Second City and Tao Comedy Studio.

Currently, I’m working on producing my own stand-up show to raise funds for the charity I volunteer at called CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocate, for foster kids. I am also writing a TV show with my writing and creative partner Yasemin Isil.

Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think living or pursuing your dream is a smooth process for anyone. I definitely struggled and continue to struggle with this process. Being a foreigner, coming from a different culture and speaking a different language all make this process even more challenging. In addition, moving to Los Angeles at the age of thirty-five had its own challenges. But it is part of the dream, right? Nothing is easy. I believe hard work and persistence make you get to where you wanna be. I always say “successful people are the ones who never give up”. So, the struggles and challenges have their own benefits. It makes us grow and see how much we can handle. So far, I’ve been handling it pretty well. I still have a very long way to go, and as I move forward the challenges and struggles get more difficult, but I get stronger.

Another struggle I experienced was finding a creative partner. I love collaborating with others; however, everyone has a unique path, and it is really difficult to find your creative twin. I tried to collaborate with several different people over the years. They were all amazingly talented and hard-working people, and we created great projects together. However, we had to say our goodbyes after a while because of our goals and the path we were on ended up being different. I have a very loyal personality, and if I commit to someone as a creative partner, I would like this to continue for a long time like Ilana and Abbey (Broad City), Amy Poehler and Tina Fey and Key and Peele. After five years of trial and error, I’ve found an amazing creative partner with whom I currently produce a comedy feature and write a comedy TV show. I am very happy and excited to see where our collaboration is going to take us.

What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
What are you most proud of?

I am proud of myself for taking a chance and leaving my corporate job and moving to Los Angeles at the age of thirty-five to pursue acting in a country where I am a foreigner.

Aside from my acting and comedy career, I volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. We are volunteers appointed by the Judges to ensure that the needs and interests of abused or neglected children are being met. I currently work with a transgender foster teen. Two years ago, we fought for him to start his hormone treatment, and we won a landmark case. A couple of months after our victory, the teen I work with was asked to be a witness for a bill in California regarding a law aimed at guaranteeing access to gender surgery and hormonal treatments for foster children who identify as transgender. The bill passed successfully. I am very proud to have played a role in all of this; be a little crumb in the pie crust. The most important thing to me in life is to make a difference.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, Los Angeles is one of the best places in the world to pursue acting and comedy. It is a rough place but there are so many opportunities here. However, I highly suggest that if anybody wants to move out here they have to plan it really well. Having some savings and also some experience in your career would definitely make things easier.

Contact Info:

 

Image Credit:

Main Picture with colorful lights : Nicholas Acosta

Sandal Nation – From our Comedy Sketch YouTube Channel, Broken English. Directed by Nicholas Acosta

Black and White: Screenshot of a character created for one of our sketches for Broken English YouTube Channel.

Screen Shot from Infiniti Commercial Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig

Stand up show at The Flappers Comedy Club

Stand up show at The Flappers Comedy Club

In front of the mosaic wall: Xenia LeBlanc

Sitting at the patio: Xenia Le Blanc

Stand up show at The Flappers Comedy Club

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