Paul Elia Announces Debut Comedy Special “Detroit Player” On Christmas Eve

Rising comedian Paul Elia has set a Christmas Eve premiere date for his debut comedy special, Detroit Player, the first-ever shot at the Detroit House of Comedy, which came together over the course of three October tapings.

Directed by Elia’s longtime friend Dan Ringey, with whom he previously collaborated on the indie crime thriller Dirty, the special will be available for a month on Mint Comedy.

Elia came to shoot his special after spending years performing stand-up in many unlikely (and awkward) scenarios, in order to pay his rent. He performed in a Dubai mall (and almost got arrested). Soon after, he performed at a private event for Saudi royalty (again, almost getting detained). With Detroit Player, he explores authenticity, censorship and what it means to “hustle” (while avoiding arrests abroad).

Hailing from The LowKey Company & Avesta Entertainment, the special is produced by Bassem Youssef, Azhar Usman and Danny Mooney. Exec producers are Christina Shams and Matt Rife. Elia’s new hour was independently financed with help from friends and supporters including Mint Comedy, Assyrian American National Federation, and his childhood friend Nawras Najor’s dental office, Devoted Dental, among others. In preparation for the tapings, he went on the road with longtime friend Rife, hitting numerous cities across the U.S.

An L.A.-based stand-up comedian, actor, and content creator originally from Detroit, Michigan, Elia is perhaps best known for appearing in over a dozen sketches on TBS’s Conan, as well as on such acclaimed series as Ramy and Lady Dynamite. Currently, he’s a series regular in longtime friend and former roommate Ramy Youssef’s Amazon/A24 animated series #1 Happy Family USA, which is expected to premiere next year.

An Iraqi-American artist with over 240,000+ followers on TikTok, Elia produced Rife’s specials Natural Selection and Matthew Steven Rife after serving as an associate producer on his debut special, Only Fans. He’s otherwise best known for his web series Roommates co-starring comedian Ian Edwards, and for Lowkey Outside, his and Rife’s indie L.A. comedy show birthed during the coronavirus pandemic, in response to the halting of live entertainment. Previously, the show has been featured on The Tonight Show, as well as at Netflix is a Joke Fest, the Dubai Comedy Festival and Just For Laughs.