‘The Qatari Guy’ Hamad Al Amari

Over the years, Hamad has wowed the audience with his impeccable sense of humour and comic timing. He is much loved in the Qatar citizens and spreading laughter since around 2011. People get attracted towards him due to his charismatic personality that allows him to speak his mind. His sense of humour is so fantastic that he’s much loved about it. Apart from that he’s so genuine and authentic in his creativity.

He is a multi-talented artist. A stand-up comedian, MC, entrepreneur, thinker, storyteller, brand ambassador, ultimate family guy and a football hooligan (in his own words). He started a career in comedy in 2011 and since then he has never looked back. He has shared the stage with comedians like Gabriel Iglesias, Maz Jobrani, Nemr, Trevor Noah, Omid Djalili and spreading laughter through his side- splitting stories and comic routines. He has also interest in writing and hopes that one day he’ll publish his own book.

Hamad is well known as the ‘The Qatari Guy’ and hosted many shows. Below we are presenting an extracted part from an exclusive interview with Hamad Al Amari so that you can know more about him.

Q. Tell us about your childhood.

Hamad: I grew up in Ireland where I did my primary and secondary school years. That’s why you’ll often see me being referred to as a Qatari-Irishman! I moved back to Doha in 2004 and left for the UK soon after to study Biomedical Sciences at Cardiff University because I wanted to be an orthopaedic surgeon. I didn’t complete that degree though because I realised medicine wasn’t for me and came back to Doha in 2011.

Q. Tell us about your becoming a comedian.

Hamad: After a while, I realised I needed to find myself a job. My first job was with Al Jazeera Finance where I stayed for just over eight months. After that, I worked for a bank for a few years.

In 2011, I realised my calling as a stand-up comedian. I had my first comedy gig in a restaurant at the Pearl.

My friend Mohammad Kamal is a great comedian, and he pushed me to take this further. In fact, he invited me to his gig, and made it out like it would be the end of the world if I didn’t show up. Things just picked up and I started flying from there.

Q. Did you always know you had a great sense of humour and could be a stand-up comedian?

Hamad: No, I didn’t always know that. I did entertain my friends and family, but I did not know that I could do stand-up comedy. People liked having me around, but I did not know that this was something I would ever get into.

Q. What is comedy to you?

Hamad: Comedy is a profession. At the end of the day, it’s an art form and it’s so underrated and under-appreciated, but it’s also the only art form that gives you that instant gratification. And, you are really in control. There is no misunderstanding on stage. I’m on stage telling you a story and you’re laughing because you like the story. You feel an affinity towards the story and that’s what’s making you laugh. This is skill no other art form has.

I believe art should provoke something in the viewer. You can do that with movies, music and with comedy, I am on stage. It’s now. The moment won’t repeat itself. It’s exciting and debilitating fear at the same time. And, then you get one laugh and you know you have control over the whole room.

Q. What is the comedy club scene like here?

Hamad: I tried to build comedy clubs, but then realised it’s not my thing. I did a lot for it, and worked with comedians, but then when there’s an event and you have someone on your roster who doesn’t show up and the tickets to the event are sold. It’s a lot. People, perhaps, don’t take it seriously. There was a time when I had to go on stage and perform for almost two hours because the comedian who was supposed to be on stage didn’t show up. No other art form does this. And, if you’re not doing well, your audience will let you know that, too.

Q. Tell us about your new show ‘Swalif’?

Hamad: Swalif is an exciting new show where I talk about everything from cooking to space to media with experts from all walks of life. The idea behind the show is to have a conversation with experts in a casual setting, and make the topics more fun and free-flowing, even if they are serious topics like challenges of the media, what is fake news, how is social media changing the world, and so on and so forth. Anyone can watch the show on the US Embassy Facebook and YouTube page. The show is LIVE in English, but later, we add Arabic subtitles, so everyone can watch it and learn something new.

Q. What are Legacy Sports and Events?

Hamad: Legacy Sports is my baby; it’s my first passion project, and I am currently trying to change its format with more optimized service offerings.

Q. What’s your favourite sport?

Hamad: I love football and I am a die-hard fan of the Liverpool Football Club since I was living in Ireland. I used to sometimes watch the game when I was outside from the shop windows because our TV at home didn’t have any football channels and teletext, and that’s when I became a fan of Liverpool. I grew up with football, at home and at school. I would call it football madness.

Q. Describe yourself in five words.

Hamad:

Stubborn.
Lazy. I’m lazy and I like to be more organised.
Stupid. I’m stupid because I know nothing. The more the days go by, the more I realise I know nothing.
Delusional.
And, nice!

This is who I am in my eyes.

Q. What would you like to be remembered for?

Hamad: I would like to be remembered as someone who had dreams and accomplished them; someone who always wanted to learn, so we could create stories and tell our stories, so we can give more to people who come after us.

Q. Have you accomplished all your dreams?

Hamad: None. I don’t think I have accomplished any of my dreams. I feel like there is still a lot to accomplish. I have made many mistakes. I’ve failed many business opportunities and been successful at some, too; lost money and made money, travelled; made lots of friends along the way; lived my life to the best of my ability.

Q. At what point in your life, did you consider yourself to be a successful man?

Hamad: I don’t consider myself a successful man. I’m not successful. I know what success looks like. I mean, I have had moments of success in my life, whether it’s been winning a golf tournament, or killing it on stage in front of thousands of people. But these are all just stepping stones along the way. Success for me is measured on who’s around me in the good times and the hard times.

Q. Tell us about your family.

Hamad: I’m lucky that I have the most amazing wife who supports me and is my foundation to building my empire. She is my rock. She gives me a lifetime of love and is responsible for my beautiful three kids: two boys and a girl.

Q. What skills should people in your field have?

Hamad: Patience. Patience with people and patience with yourself. They need to be able to deal with people because in this field you meet a lot of people, you work with a lot of people; you go to a lot of events. If things don’t go according to your plan, you need to be able to figure out how/what/why you are going to do next because nothing in life goes as planned.

Authenticity. You need to know your stuff. You need to know who you are and keep going.

Awareness: You need to be aware of yourself and what’s around you.