Meet Our Hosts

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Dauood Naimyar

Week One is hosted by Afghan-American comedian Dauood Mohammad Naimyar.

He learned the value of assimilating at a very young age. Because of this, he tried his best to not be different but failed at every encounter. Once he embraced his eccentric point of view, he saw the humor all around him. Dauood’s comedic perspective is shaped by the duality of his constant need to fit in and his relentless desire to be different. His search for being relatable yet unique has brought audiences joy for nine years—and will probably continue until he finally figures himself out. Dauood has built a following of 150,000+ TikTok followers by showing the humor of his circumstances as an Afghan living in America, with multiple viral hits poking fun at politicians and world leaders. Dauood’s debut comedy album, Pier 69: Junior Varsity, topped all the charts upon its release.

Orion Levine

week Two is hosted by Orion Levine, a stand up comedian from the Bay Area.

He has appeared on the Late Late Show with James Corden, was named a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in 2022, appeared at New York Comedy Festival, was featured on Netflix Radio, won So Cal’s Funniest Comic in 2023.

Orion was a finalist at the San Francisco International Comedy Competition in 2021. Now he performs all over the country.

Ellis Rodriguez

Semifinals are hosted by Ellis Rodriguez, one of the fastest rising comedians today. Ellis was the winner of the San Francisco Comedy Competition, a Finalist in both the Las Vegas World Series of Comedy, ‘Comedy Central’s Up Next’, and ‘Stand Up NBC’ comedy showcases. He is a favorite at comedy clubs across the West Coast including the Improv, Laugh’s Unlimited, Tommy T’s, PepperBelly’s, and the Laugh Factory. He has also performed in filmed showcases including Shaq’s All Star Jam, Laugh’s On FOX, and Comedy Central & Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City. A smart and insightful performer, his comedy is appealing to any comedy audience.

Sammy Obeid

Sammy Obeid will be appearing as a special host for our Semifinal shows at the Montalvo Arts Center.

Sammy has appeared on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Last Comic Standing, TBS’s Conan, and often reminds strangers that he was the first comedian to ever tell jokes on the Food Network (sorry Rachael Ray). In 2013, he may have even impressed his parents by setting a world record of performing comedy 1,001 consecutive nights, with his story featured in Time Magazine and The New York Times. As soon as the pandemic hit, Sammy opened his own virtual comedy club, KO Comedy, which allows comedians from all over the globe to continue working their craft. Now we can see him in person.

Dan St. Paul

We are very happy to have Dan St. Paul as our host for the Finals. It’s not an easy gig, since the comics in the Finals tend to throw a lot of heat.

Dan should be able to handle it, he has been a national headlining comedian at some of the top comedy clubs in the country. He has appeared on NBC, ABC, FOX, Comedy Central, A&E, and VH-1. He has also opened for such entertainers as Ringo Starr, Natalie Cole, Hall and Oates, Vince Gill, Clint Black, Chicago, and even the San Francisco Symphony (“I knew them when they were just a garage band.”) His“First Baseball Game” is one of the most requested comedy pieces on the syndicated Bob and Tom Radio Show.

For more information, check out the 2023 Competition page.