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When Bassam Shawl left his career as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. to become a comedian in New York, he never thought he’d be named a “Comic To Watch” by the New York Comedy Festival — a showcase featuring the best up and coming comedians from all around the United States.

Shawl, a Syracuse native and Syracuse University alumnus, was rejected from an improv team when he was at SU. He initially decided to move on from comedy, but took it up again in 2017.

“I started doing an open mic once a week, twice a week just as a ‘hobby,’ but then I kind of enjoyed more of those five minutes on stage than the nine to five I was working,” Shawl said.

Shawl is now a standup comic, actor and writer based in New York City. He performs stand-up weekly at The Stand Comedy Club, showcasing his sardonic humor mixed with cultural anecdotes. He also produces “Comedy Bazaar,” a standup show featuring comics from HBO, Comedy Central, Netflix and more.

Shawl majored in political science and international relations while attending SU, aspiring to follow a career in government. He was also a member of the Alpha Nu chapter of Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, Inc. during his undergraduate years. The historically multicultural fraternity opened and connected Shawl to a plethora of other cultures, he said.

“It’s very nice to have someone that was both in my field and in my fraternity,” said Yogesh Mohapatra, a political science junior at SU and president of SU’s SigRho fraternity. “A lot of the experiences that I’ve had personally, he’s also gone through.”

As a Kashmiri American and son of immigrants, Shawl recognizes the importance of creating comedy for people of color who he resonates with, he said. While surrounding himself with those of many cultures, both at SU and at home, Shawl learned how to better shape his comedy style, as he became able to understand what people were comfortable laughing at.

Former comedian and current sports journalist Monis Khan first met Shawl when they were both doing comedy in Washington, D.C.. The two instantly hit it off and formed a connection, Khan said. Khan compared their meeting to the viral Spider-Man meme, which features three identical Spider-Men pointing at each other.

“We hit it off in a way that it was as if we had known each other growing up,” Khan said. “I’m Pakistani American. He’s Kashmiri American. It was cool within that scene to meet someone from a similar background who had similar interests.”

Khan said he looks up to Shawl because of his commitment and dedication to his craft, he said. Shawl finds inspiration from everyday news topics and literary pieces, while maintaining thoughtfulness and intention in his comedic craft, Khan said. Shawl is able to bring a worldly perspective to normal, everyday topics and connect people of all cultures through his comedy. He can turn niche topics into jokes that everyone loves, Khan said.

Shawl performs twice a week at The Stand comedy club in New York City. Patrick Milligan, co-owner, booker and proprietor of The Stand, said Shawl brings in close to 110 people for his shows. Shawl first started at The Stand in 2019 with his self-produced comedy show “Brown Mirror Comedy,” Milligan said.

“Brown Mirror Comedy” ran from 2018 to 2024 and highlighted South Asian and Middle Eastern comics, Shawl said. He created the show after finding gaps in shows that featured South Asian and Middle Eastern comedians. Shawl aimed to bring in those comedians and give them a platform, especially to create a tape showing off their comedy skills, he said.

Shawl was in charge of marketing, booking and paying lineups, selling tickets and hosting for the show, he said. The show went on to become one of the best in the city — constantly selling out and bringing in comedians from far and wide, he said. Ultimately, he decided to end the show to focus on building his own career, Shawl said.

Shawl has also performed stand-up at other comedy clubs across the country, he said, including Laugh Factory Hollywood, Comedy Store Los Angeles and The Riot Comedy Club Texas, just to name a few. He’s also performed at Syracuse hotspots like Funk ‘n Waffles.

“The whole thing with Bassam is I can refer him to these other legendary clubs and not worry about it,” Milligan said. “They all love him. He just shows up and delivers.”

Shawl’s new show on the Upper East Side, “Comedy Bazaar,” maintains his focus on highlighting comics of color and serves as a tasting menu for audiences — featuring a wide array of comics to enrich the audience’s palette, Shawl said. The show is produced in conjunction with his close friend Harshil Shukla, Shawl said.

Shawl also has a stand-up special releasing on Feb. 12 with Don’t Tell Comedy. The independent stand-up comedy company puts on pop-up, surprise comedy shows in unique locations across the country.

Shawl describes his comedy style as one that rewards audiences. He hopes audience members’ brains will be activated in a new way while hearing his jokes.

“I don’t want to necessarily kind of always be like, ‘I want this audience to be educated,’ but it’s more of ‘I want this audience to understand that humor can be subversive,’” Shawl said.

Like in his comedy, Khan said Shawl acts with selflessness and care through everything he does. He’s committed to uplifting his community and helping fellow comics, Khan said.

“It takes an extraordinary person to push themselves and work through all of the adversity that is natural in trying to succeed in media and entertainment in any capacity,” Khan said.

Published on February 12, 2025 at 12:35 am

Contact Sydney: sabrocki@syr.edu