Chanel Ali is a dynamic comedian from the Philadelphia area that hopes to move to New York in the near future. With a background in journalism, her unique story-telling style and crowd engagement make her stand out in the comedy scene. Chanel Ali offers a fresh perspective that leaves crowds handing on her every word.
As a member of the local Philadelphia comedy scene, Chanel Ali performs 3 or 4 days a week. She often frequents clubs like Helium, The Legendary Dobbs, The Raven Lounge, Quig's Pub, Kung Fu Necktie, Liberties and Underground Arts.
In between scheduled shows, she frequents open mic opportunities throughout the city to workshop new material and to discuss ideas with other comedians. Chanel Ali also takes time to meet with other comedians to write together and to brainstorm new ideas outside of the comedy club atmosphere.
Adapting to the creative culture in Philadelphia has given Chanel the opportunity to befriend musicians, actors and various other performers. She consistently strives to surround herself with ambitious people who are actively pursuing their dreams.
On the weekends, Chanel often performs in New Jersey or New York. She has developed a large network of dynamic comedians throughout the tri-state area. If they aren't on the way to a show, they often meet for creative sessions to brainstorm fresh material.
Chanel Ali was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1988. Although she is a Jersey girl at heart, Chanel has lived all over the country. She even lived in Alaska for a year when she was 7. The consistent movement allowed her to learn about different people and sharpened her oral communication skills. She had to make friends at dozens of new schools although she lived in California for most of her life.
Although Chanel Ali enjoyed the California weather, she always felt compelled to move back east once she graduated high school. She graduated high school with honors in 2006 and was offered four scholarships. She decided to attend Temple University and quickly packed her bags for Philadelphia. With no intentions of looking back, she moved across the country in hopes of making it on her own in a new city.
After graduating with a degree in Advertising, Chanel found herself working in the legal field. Finishing school felt like a huge relief for Chanel Ali, who had been focused on the goal since grade school. During her new found free time, she began to invest more time in the cultural events around Philadelphia. She soon befriended artists, musicians and other interesting people who introduced her to the vibrant parts of city life.
Chanel first performed at the University of the Arts in South Philadelphia back in 2012. She went to the open mic event to listen her friend who was playing in the house band. Once the host complained that the were in need of additional acts, Chanel felt compelled to take a time slot. With no written material or comedy experience, she got up in front of the crowd and discussed living in Philadelphia and working at the airport. Chanel Ali stepped in front of the microphone and left the audience in stitches.
To this date, she still recounts this performance as one of her greatest sets because it her comedy was in its most natural form.
On her blog, Chanel Ali describes the laughter that night as entrancing. The audience and their laughter gave off a powerful energy that she began to crave. After the show, she decided to give stand-up comedy a sincere chance.
After performing in the midwest for a year and djing weddings, Chanel decided that she wanted to focus her efforts on the east coast comedy scene in hopes of scoring an SNL audition.
Soon she was performing at open mic events in Philadelphia comedy clubs live The Raven Lounge, Helium and The Laff House. Senior comedians took interest in her unique writing style and her confidence on stage. Chanel Ali was invited to comedy competitions around Philadelphia and New Jersey where she wowed diverse crowds. After rising to the occasion of performing regularly, Chanel befriended local comedians and began to work on material with them.
During the day she worked as a journalist for an online news organization in order to allow her to perform in the evenings. The writing experience proved extremely valuable as it sharpened her communication skills. Within a year she was receiving accolades and invitations to perform in front of large audiences.
With an entrancing stage presence, she offers material that comes from daily life experiences. She has performed in front of diverse crowds in unique performance venues. Chanel Ali pulls inspiration from her daily interactions. She is extremely observant and can always seem to find the lighter side of anything.
Although her ultimate goal is to become a player on SNL, she is currently focused on becoming the best comedian possible. Her dedication drivers her to perform multiple times a week and sometimes even multiple times in a night. You can often find her jotting down a new idea in one of her comedy notebooks or typing out a new joke on her cell phone. Utilizing technology has allowed her to focus on the newly created idea as she records it.
Chanel Ali is a disciplined stand-up comedian that is consistently working on her craft. She recognizes that she is always capable of getting better and she thrives after adopting constructive criticism. She reads comedy literature and auto-biographies from some of the world's greatest performers. Although she contends that she has not reacher her peak, her commitment to practice keeps her moving forward.
In the future, Chanel Ali hopes to expand her writing style to began to perform long-form stand up. As of today, she prides herself on performing 12 minutes of comedy with confidence and agility. In the next year she hopes to get closer to 20 minutes and half hour long performances. In 2014, Chanel Ali has been invited to perform as the feature comedian in long-running Philadelphia area shows.
The Philadelphia comedy scene recognize Chanel Ali for her uniqueness and often seek her out to fill important time slots. Apart from her stand up skills, she is also an impressive host. Her personality allows her to relate to anyone in new atmospheres. Although her comedy isn't always curse-free, she prides herself on the freshness of her material and her story-telling style.
Talking about every-day occurrences allows her comedy to be relatable enough to transition in any environment. From telling jokes in smoky clubs in Detroit, to popular clubs in New Yor City, Chanel Ali and her material never disappoint. She has a knack for writing jokes so that the audience can visualize the scenario and understand where the humor lies.
Chanel Ali hopes to move to the New York City area in the next year to further her comedy career as she finds more and more opportunities to peform in the city. Although she is interested in sketch comedy and writing for others, her first love will always be the stand-up comedy scene. Chanel Ali explains that it can feel entrancing to stand in front of crowd of people who are genuinely laughing. She describes the laughter as waves of energy and positivity that leave her feeling refreshed after each performance.