Conversations with Feraz Ozel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Feraz Ozel.

Hi Feraz, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started doing stand up comedy when I was a sophomore at UC San Diego, where I was studying theater and political science. Back then I never thought I’d actually pursue a life in comedy, and figured I’d go to law school or work in politics. But after I graduated, and got into law school and the CIA as a counterterrorism analyst, I decided to see how far I could take the stand up dream. One thing led to another and eventually I found myself in LA as full time comic, and touring around the world. Then the right people noticed I had written a lot of solid, original pilots, and I got the opportunity to write for American Housewife on ABC. Soon after I became a writer on DELI BOYS, SHIFTING GEARS, and another NETFLIX show. I also recently filmed my debut comedy special, FERAZ OZEL: OPEN. NOW, and am working with Comedy Dynamics for its release in the coming months. These days I’ve got a good rhythm going: I write TV during the day, hit the stand-up stages at night, and go on tour between seasons of television. Definitely feeling grateful and blessed. And praying AI doesn’t burn it all to the ground. JK, but seriously….

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Things are so perfect right now I’m scared to jinx it. But my road has had patches of smoothness, valleys of gravel, lanes of pot-holes, and occasional road-kill. Anyone who tells you a journey through entertainment has been smooth is either lying, lucky as hell, a nepobaby, or on some very high quality THC. I’ve experienced the highest of highs, and some bad lows. But, it has been a fun adventure and that’s what I signed up for. When I first moved to LA I shared a one bedroom apartment with two other dudes, who happened to be ex-convicts and ex-ms13 members with face tattoos. for those first few years, I’d eat black beans for dinner half the week, work my day job from 6AM-5PM, then sprint to the comedy clubs to sign up for the open mics. Do the comedy grind til midnight. Sleep 5 hours and do it all over again. And that’s barely scratching the surface of what it took to get to where I am today. But, I knew what I was getting into form the jump. And I’m glad I took the leap. In this business, everyone has moments of triumph, and moments where you wonder how much longer you can keep all this up, or maintain momentum, but I believe that if you truly foster your talent, spirit and grit, you can keep rising to a place you’re happy with. And I’m ecstatic about where I’m at right now, and I know I’m still just getting started.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m what is now called a “multi-hyphenate.” This means I’m a stand-up comic, writer, director and actor, with professional credits across all those mediums. When I first moved out here, people had the mentality that you had to pick a lane or it would confuse people about what type of artist you really are. You didn’t want to look like you were just dabbling. But I always loved various mediums and had been practicing them my whole life. I think doing theater since high school, then studying it in college, where I was introduced to screenwriting as well, played a huge part in my ability to write and perform stand up out the gate. And then my 17 years as a stand up comic played a huge part in my ability to write jokes and dialogue for television, and pitch concepts. So, all my experiences, coupled with my background as a Afghan-Pakistani American, gave me a unique starting place, and set of tools throughout this journey.

How do you think about happiness?
I love seeing something I made on television, or a joke I’ve been tinkering and tinkering finally click and crush with a crowd. There’s truly nothing like it. Outside of work, I love spending time with my wife, my dog, and my besties. It’s nice to have people to ground you and keep you sane in this entertainment jungle. Highly recommend.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://OzelComedy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ferazozel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OzelComedy/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/wtferaz