Adam Mamawala

When Adam Mamawala graduated from college he had one simple ideology. "I can live with failing, but I can't live with not trying." Less than a year later, Adam showcased at his first NACA event (the 2010 Mid Atlantic Festival), and the rest is history. Since the fall of 2010 Adam has toured over 125 colleges across more than 30 states. In September of 2012 he even had his first opportunity to perform outside of the US when he headlined a show at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

Last year, Campus Activities Magazine named Adam to their Dean's List as the second highest rated comedian, with an average rating of 4.84/5. "It meant a lot to me to be named to that list and to know that colleges think so highly of the show I provide. I've worked tirelessly at making every show a memorable one because for most people in the audience that's their one opportunity to see me live."

Having won the 2013 CAM Award for Fastest Rising Star is yet another affirmation to Adam that he is doing his job well. "I just want to thank everyone who voted. Whether it was students, staff, or otherwise, I can't tell you how much it means to me and how honored I am to have even been considered in this category, much less to have won. I am continually blown away by the enthusiasm and generosity of every campus I've visited, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to perform at so many awesome schools. To every campus I've been to, I want to thank you again for having me and I hope to come back soon. To every campus I haven't, I would love to have the chance to show you what I'm capable of!"

Adam is represented by Sophie K Entertainment. "Kate and Bridget do an incredible job on my behalf, and I honestly couldn't be happier with the relationship we've had over the past couple years. I think what I enjoy most is how well Kate knows comedy and how respected Sophie K is in this industry."

Adam has also performed at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, was the winner of the New Jersey Comedy Festival, and was recently named one of Funny or Die's "Top 30 Under 30: Comedians to Watch". - Campus Activities Magazine

Comedian Adam Mamawala’s show had both students and their parents rocking with laughter. The Feb. 25 show was one of the events for Dad’s Weekend.

According to his website, Mamawala won the title of “The King of Campus Comedy” at the New Jersey Comedy Festival in 2007.

He has performed stand-up for the past five years.

Mamawala has performed at more than 35 colleges in 15 states in the 2010-11 school year.

Mamawala’s skill with college humor was evident in the amount of laughter and applause he got from the audience.

“I didn’t know who the guy was so I wasn’t expecting much at all,” sophomore Hayley Steele said. “I thought I might laugh a little, but afterward, the guy was so funny I wished he could have stayed on stage a few more hours.”

His show explored themes like racial stereotypes, making jokes about everything from racist people to ridiculous Indian first names. Mamawala also did an impression of President Obama that had the audience gasping for breath.

“President Obama has the incredible ability to make everything he says sound really important,” Mamawala said.

He proved his point by reciting the opening lines of Dr. Seuss’s “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” in an imitation of President Obama’s voice.

Mamawala also poked fun at the advance in technology and how it has changed the way kids interact with adults.

He told stories about children’s jokes that have been given new and entirely inappropriate endings.

He read aloud what he called “the most ridiculous text message ever sent,” even calling up a volunteer from the audience to prove that he was not making it up.

The comedian moved on to making fun of political correctness, homophobic people and stupid commercials. His jokes about stupid commercials extended to advertisements for Snuggies and selling gold for cash.

“My favorite routine was him impersonating Obama, especially the part where he read Snooki quotes. But my favorite joke was ‘A Harry Potter Snuggie is both a blanket and birth control,’” Steele said.

Mamawala told a story about one radio advertisement in particular that was so bad he said he couldn’t believe it had ever been written with serious intent to sell a car.

“I don’t even have a punch line, I’m just angry,” Mamawala said.

From there, Mamawala told jokes about odd things people do only when alone in a car and encounters with law enforcement.

Mamawala wrapped up his show with a story about how he once woke up at 5:30 a.m., laughing maniacally, typed something into his phone and went back to sleep. In the morning, he said he checked his phone to discover that he had written a joke about the movie “Inception.”

“I think it’s pretty amazing that I wrote an ‘Inception’ joke in my dream,” Mamawala said. - The Linfield Review

Posted: Thursday, January 26, 2012 1:53 am | Updated: 8:17 pm, Sun Jan 29, 2012.
Ashley Park, Assistant Editor | 0 comments
Adam Mamawala, a 24-year-old comedian, entertained a crowd of University students last Thursday. The Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA) hosted the event in the Cook Campus Center Café. The event was not too far from where the N.J. native actually began his career - right here in New Brunswick's Stress Factory during an open mic night. Since then, he has won the 2007 New Jersey Comedy Festival and performed in more than 35 colleges.
Fresh out of TCNJ, Mamawala's jokes are rife with our generation's college humor. In his joke about the beloved childhood computer game, Oregon Trail, Adam remarked: "Why would I want to shoot Nazis [in Halo] when I could ford a river?" Other jokes involved Snuggies, Degrassi and ridiculous texts by teenage girls gaggling over Zootopia.
His comic style is not crude and heavy on the vulgarity or abrasive, but rather easygoing, intelligent and intimate. He's also clearly not afraid to share embarrassing memories, like the time he was caught crying in a Civil War museum after a breakup. The show maintained a rather PG-13 tone, fluctuating here and there. When asked where he would draw the line in terms of crudeness, he replied, "There's a certain point where as a performer you have to have a sense of tact and tastefulness and what I think is that you can joke about almost anything if the writing is good, clever and well-written. Some things, like 9/11, are never funny."
For a young comedian, he already made friends with the spotlight and didn't hesitate to poke fun at the audience; however, it seems he still needs time to brand his own kind of humor as fellow college-touring comedians have done. Bo Burham, who visited the University in 2008, made a lasting impression with his piano and spitfire-fast songs, which had the audience singing along in between laughs.
Speaking of impressions, the highlight of Mamawala's act was definitely his impressions of President Barack Obama. They were remarkably spot-on; Mamawala said, "The original Obama can make anything he says sound incredibly important." To put his theories to the test, he recited in the President's halting voice some Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi quotes, like "This [is] the things that I'm addicted to: bronzer, boys and alcohol," and "I will attack you like a squirrel monkey."
Mamawala truly has a gift for making people laugh, and students leaving the show were all smiles. "I love the fact that I'm not confined to an office. Even calling it a job is weird because it doesn't even feel like a job," Mamawala said. If you missed the show, Mamawala returns to the University on Jan. 28 for the 2012 New Jersey Comedy Festival Finals! - Inside Beat (Rutgers University)

Of all the young "Hot Comics" to watch from this issue, Adam Mamawala is without a doubt the freshest face. Literally closing his first year of performing professionally in the campus market, Adam has been snagged by Sophie K. Entertainment, and has all the markings of a bright career.

Hailing from New Jersey, Adam thinks that despite being just across the river, his experience has been enhanced by not beginning comedy in the heart of NYC. "Many comics start out in New York and build their way through the system until they have some TV credits and start trying to get booked with name recognition at college and corporate dates. They don't really know what it's like outside of that New York scene."

That breeds a certain kind of comic. If you're a discerning fan of the art you can sometimes (but not always), tell a comic that has come out of the New York club scene. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it can cause a slight case of comedy snobbery in certain instances. "My experience has just been different. I started out doing open mics in New Jersey, which believe it or not is a very different thing than in New York. Then I had success doing colleges over the past year or so. Now I have been living in New York for the past six or seven months and I have been doing all the open mics. It's tough, because you have to swallow your pride and not compare the two. If I let myself go to an open mic in front of 10 people that don't really care if I'm there or not and I try to compare that to the response of an audience of 500 in the college market where I killed, it can be disheartening. There's no point in putting those two in the same frame of reference, I'll just make myself crazy doing that. I have to just accept the fact that I am accomplishing different things in different places."

Adam's world has changed a lot in the last year, thanks to comedy in general, and the ability to support himself in the college market specifically, which enabled him to make the move to New York. "A year or two ago when I started doing all of these college shows, I got so caught up in it, I thought maybe it was enough and I would just do this permanently. Then, ambition got the better of me (laughs) and I started to realize quickly that as awesome as colleges are and as fun as it is to perform for them (and as great as the money can be), there is a lot more to comedy than just doing colleges, or just staying static in any one area period. I've had success at a young age in one small niche of comedy. There are many other places where I need to make a name for myself. Playing in New York now is emotionally draining, going to 3 or 4 open mics in a given night where you are performing mostly for other comedians, who are generally too consumed with their own writing and work to really pay any attention to what's happening on the stage. It definitely takes having no ego whatsoever. That's why I'll keep working the campus market for as long as I can; I can get an emotional boost every so often from the reactions I get from those audiences."

Adam says he was never the class clown, but a good student that was attentive. "It's funny, because the first time I ever did standup was my freshman year of college, so that was about seven years ago. Now, when I run into people from high school who find out I'm a comedian, I get this reaction like ?Oh, I didn't know you were funny.' I don't really know how to react to that (laughs), it seems almost kind of insulting, but I guess what they are saying is no one ever saw me really cutting up or goofing off while I was in school, so no one realized I had a sense of humor. I think what I figured out is that most comics weren't the obvious ones; that is to say they weren't the class clowns. I know I wasn't. I think the people who grow up to be standup comedians are the more perceptive, sarcastic people who are making fun of what an idiot the class clown is (laughs)."

Despite not being the goof around in school, Adam did come from a home supportive of comedy. "I come from a family where comedy was really important. My parents love watching comedies on TV, my mom's favorite shows are things like "Monty Python and The Holy Grail" and "Seinfeld." Growing up in that environment, I just started to pick up on comedic techniques and I have been a very sarcastic person my entire life. I am the type of person who if you don't know me well you might hear me say something and think I am completely serious even though it's my dry way of kidding around. I think that comes through in my comedy."

Now that Adam has found a stable career and home in the college market, he's going to pursue his other ambitions, but knows he's in the right place for the time being. "I have realized that colleges are much easier audiences. I don't mean that in a bad way either. Just on a broad basis, everything about the campus market is easier than the tooth-and-nail, dog-eat-dog world of clubs and TV. It's easier to get boo - Campus Activities Magazine - August 2012

see page 5 of website - Spashlife/Funny or Die

By James Queally
Issue date: 11/29/06

Stand-up comedy. As soon as you read those words, a list of famous names started to compile itself in your head. Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Adam Mamawala.

Wait a minute, Adam Mamawala? Who the hell is that guy?

Mamawala, sophomore communication studies major, has the chance to creep one step closer to that illustrious list when he performs at the Catch A Rising Star comedy club on Dec. 2. Mamawala recently competed in Catch A Rising Star's Comedy Challenge here at the College, performing well enough to warrant a spot at the Atlantic City club that has been visited by many of comedy's best and brightest.

In a recent interview with The Signal, Mamawala discussed how he got into stand-up, what he plans to do after college and how he is preparing for Atlantic City.

Most comedians swear that they aren't actually funny. If you take the time to listen to the commentary on just about any stand-up comedian's DVD, you'll hear them say that the only difference between them and us is that they write things down.

Mamawala concurred with these sentiments, claiming that he was never "the funny guy."

"I'm still surprised when people see me perform and come up to me after the show and say, 'I didn't know you were funny,'" Mamawala said. "People think of funny situations every day; they just never take the time to write it down. To be successful at stand-up comedy … you have to have solid material, but (you must also) be able to deliver it flawlessly. One quality without the other will get you nowhere."

Mamawala swears that he never planned to get into stand-up. He said that the whole idea came into his head at a Nets game, when he started noticing some things at the game that were amusing. He developed his routine from there and tried his hand at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick a couple of weeks later. The warm response from the crowd convinced Mamawala to pursue stand-up as a hobby.

With jokes ranging from sports fans' criticism of the singing of the national anthem to his sister's shower habits to the College's favorite whipping boy, Eickhoff Hall, Mamawala has developed what he hopes is a truly original routine.

"From people I've talked to, I remind them most of Dane Cook, just with my style of delivery," Mamawala said. "However, when I'm on stage, I want to remind people of Adam Mamawala, if that makes any sense."

While Mamawala seems to have a scope and vision for the world of stand-up, he is relatively inexperienced in the limelight. His performance at the Catch A Rising Star qualifier was only the fourth performance of his brief career.

"For whatever reason, I normally don't get nervous before I go on stage, but (at the comedy challenge) I kept thinking about how much I wanted to go to Atlantic City," Mamawala said. "My routine was going alright, but in the middle of it I froze up for what seemed like an eternity, but was in actuality more like five or six seconds."

"This happened during my bit on bad days," continued Mamawala. "And I would have loved to have said, 'Sometimes when you're having a bad day, you'll be doing a comedy show and completely forget what the hell you're talking about!'"

If Mamawala wins the Atlantic City competition this Saturday, his next performance will be at another Catch A Rising Star club, only this time he will be paid to test his mettle against the audience. Despite the surprising success of his young career, Mamawala doesn't see stand-up panning out as a career.

"As of right now, stand-up is more of a hobby for me, and while I do think I'm funny, it is extremely difficult to become successful as a comic," Mamawala said. "After college I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I'd hope to work in public relations or marketing for some type of company or ideally a sports team."

On Saturday, Mamawala's "rising star" will either burn brighter than ever or flicker out disappointingly early. While this thought might terrify some young artists, Mamawala is excited by the challenge.

"From never having done stand-up a year ago to having this kind of opportunity is pretty unbelievable," Mamawala said. "At this point, I'm just honing my material and telling myself to stay calm. When I get on that stage it could be a completely different story, but I'm hoping everything goes well. Win or lose, it's a terrific opportunity." - The Signal (The College of New Jersey newspaper)

By James Queally
Issue date: 1/23/08

Adam Mamawala is on the rise again, and this time, the junior communications studies major and comedian is laughing all the way to an opening slot at one of New York City's most famous comedy dens.

On Dec. 8, Mamawala was crowned "New Jersey King of Campus Comedy" after defeating 35 other would-be stand-up comedians at Monmouth University to win the New Jersey Comedy Festival.

"After I performed at the finals, I felt really good about my chances, but there were over 30 people competing against me, so I wasn't sure," Mamawala said. "When they announced that I was the winner, I didn't jump around and scream or anything, but I was obviously thrilled that I had been chosen."

Of course he was thrilled. The new "King" received $1,000 and an eventual opportunity to perform at New York City's infamous Laugh Factory, a stage that has been graced by a veritable "Who's-Who" of stand up comedy.

Despite the swagger and confidence Mamawala exudes on stage, the rising stand-up admits to being a little star-struck by his upcoming trip to the Big Apple.

"I'll probably be nervous right before I go on, but to even get a chance to perform on the same stage as the likes of (Jerry) Seinfeld, (Dave) Chappelle and Chris Rock will be incredible," Mamawala said.

The last time Mamawala competed at the state level, he fell short. Despite overwhelming fan support, he watched in disappointment as fellow College comedian Vegas Lancaster, junior philosophy major, ran away with the "Catch A Rising Star" comedy contest in Atlantic City. One year later, a more subtle, more intelligent Mamawala appeared on stage at the NJ Comedy Festival's qualifying round in November, wielding a new and powerful weapon: impressions.

"I think what really separated me from the other comics was that I was the only one to do impressions. That showed versatility that few other comedians displayed at the finals," Mamawala said.

The calm, collected junior unveiled an arsenal of spot-on impressions during the NJ Comedy Festival, delighting the crowds at the College and Monmouth as he bounced back and forth between a thick Irish brogue, a spot-on Borat and an aggressive Samuel L. Jackson circa "Pulp Fiction."

His performance and delivery aren't all that have changed, though. During a previous interview with The Signal, Mamawala cited Dane Cook as his main influence, but now, the junior looks up to a different set of laugh-getters for inspiration.

"In recent years, Dane Cook has gotten away from using good material and resorts to yelling and running around the stage a lot. He's still an entertaining performer, but I never wanted to be like him," said Mamawala. "My humor has always been observational, and recently I've been listening to a lot of Mitch Hedberg, Demetri Martin and Louis CK. As far as the impressions go, there's probably no one in comedy more versatile than Frank Caliendo."

Despite his recent wave of success, Mamawala still refuses to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. Wary of taking the risks most artists must to succeed, the junior is determined to earn his bachelor's degree and one day work in the public relations department of a major sports team.

"As much as I was honored and flattered to have won this competition, I still realize how hard it is to make it big in comedy," Mamawala said. "My honest opinion is that if I were to dedicate my time fully to becoming a professional comedian, I could get somewhere with it, but there's really no job security in stand-up comedy."

Don't lose hope Mamawala fans. While he won't wager everything on a comedy career, he wouldn't be against a life where he could work from 9 to 5 and then pass out punchlines at night.

"Ideally, it would be great for me to work in a big city and be able to keep doing stand-up consistently," Mamawala said. "You get noticed by the right people, and a lot of good things can happen." - The Signal (The College of New Jersey newspaper)

By James Queally
Issue date: 4/16/08

The future and present of stand-up comedy met on the small stage Friday night as campus comedy king Adam Mamawala, junior communication studies major, and Comedy Central regular Steve Byrne teamed up for a pair of College Union Board (CUB)-sponsored comedy shows in the Rathskeller.

Insulting basically anything that moved, the sarcastic duo launched barbs at the campus, the Rat's archaic decorations, "Guitar Hero" and club rats.

Drawing on self-deprecation, an impressive repertoire of celebrity impressions and his trademark Eickhoff Hall routine, Mamawala opened up his half-hour set by revealing a "deep, dark secret" to the throng of students who had crammed themselves into the Rat's tiny dining section.

"I used to be a fatass," Mamawala said. "I was somewhere between Goldberg from 'The Mighty Ducks' and Louie Anderson."

After playing up what he called his "pretty boy image," Mamawala rambled through an extended joke about a series of "shitty days" at the College.

"And then at one point you will see the ugliest group of people you have ever seen in your life having a great time," Mamawala said. "I'm talking not fully evolved, Bowser from 'MarioKart.'"

After he finished tearing into the less-than-attractive members of the College's community, Mamawala redirected his verbal assault at Campus Police (after checking to make sure none of our gun-toting boys in blue were hanging around the bar).

"There are only three things worse than getting pulled over by a campus cop," Mamawala remarked. "Getting pulled over by a cop on a bike, a cop on a horse or mall security."

The state's "King of Campus Comedy" went on to recite a story about receiving a ticket from a campus cop who, while filing a report, wrote the number two in the space for eye color.

"Has there been a pirate committing a rash of traffic violations?" the comic asked.

Mamawala's playful sarcasm was quickly replaced by Byrne's unyielding, raw style of delivery. The half-Irish, half-Korean comic laid into the crowd as soon as he grabbed the mic, cutting loose with a brash disclaimer.

"It's gonna be 45 minutes of this shit," Byrne shouted. "So if you don't like it go back to your room and jerk off or watch 'The Hills.'"

Byrne poked fun at his Asian heritage from the get-go.

"In this country, if you're Asian and you're female, you are sexy," Byrne said. "If you're male … tech support."

After polling the audience about the "hottest club" in Ewing (and deciding KatManDu sounded "skanky") Byrne offered some dancing tips to the men in the room.

"If you're not gay, black or Latino, drink as much liquor as you can," Byrne said. "You may look stupid, but you won't feel stupid."

It wouldn't be long before Byrne returned to the Asian jokes. After admitting that he didn't know martial arts, he taught the students in attendance his two lethal fight moves.

"Your first strike move is a double punch to the eyes, because as a man, you can't defend that because it's never happened before," Byrne said. "Then you punch the guy in the asshole."

Acquiring the services of David Novak, junior sociology major, Byrne took the audience through the three "cool faces" he promised would help the 21 and over crowd pick up any ladies they wanted. Novak and Byrne teamed up to display The Jaguar (for the guy who "fucks while listening to DMX"), Little Boy Blue (the guy who does what girls want, or might just be gay) and The Showman (who "owns this shit").

When Novak successfully completed his training, Byrne allowed him to vacuum the stage as a reward. That worked for about three seconds, before the ancient Oreck model literally blew its top on stage, falling apart and vomiting a cloud of dust at the comic and his pimp apprentice.

"Get the fuck off stage," Byrne shouted, dismissing Novak once and for all.

Byrne finished up his act with a bit about the wonders of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Explaining his affection for the sound the famed orange foodstuff made while cooking, Byrne related a story about a neighbor "listening" to the food for over an hour, making an obnoxious lapping sound in the background as he did. A licking sound, one might say.

"I kept hearing her moan, and yell eat it, eat it," Byrne said, meeting with blank stares from half the audience before adding, "That joke was not about pasta people." - The Signal (The College of New Jersey newspaper)

Friday, May 01, 2009
BY LISA RICH
Special to the Times

Adam Mamawala never expected to find a niche in comedy.

Sure, his friends always said he was funny, but could he really be one of the nation's up-and-coming young comedians?

Yup. He's all that.

The 2007 winner of the New Jersey Comedy Festival, Mamawala certainly knows how to bring the funny -- scoring laughs with his observational humor that carries influences from comic giants such as Jerry Seinfeld, with a unique spin, of course.

"I was never the class clown growing up, but now, there's really nothing more satisfying than people coming up to me after a show and saying how funny I was," says Mamawala, a senior at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).

Monday night, he will perform (and headline) a comedy showcase at TCNJ.

It's true these columns typically focus on music, and are meant to give readers and insight into "good times" over the weekend.

But this Monday night performance indeed deserves recognition, as Mamawala has been dubbed the "New Jersey King of Campus Comedy" and won the "Catch a Rising Star" Comedy Challenge in 2006.

His shows are a bit quirky, and he's a bit of a prankster. But Mamawala is also a smart observer -- markedly astute -- and funny to boot.

So what can you expect at his show?

Well, first, you can expect a minimum $5 cover charge -- as the proceeds will benefit the charity group Parents Educating Parents, a program for parents of special needs children.

Second, you can expect a seamless 45-minute show of jokes that lack awkward pauses, the all-too-familiar "uhs" and "ums" of unseasoned comics, and genuinely funny bits about young adulthood, college life, and life in general.

He'll have some new material on hand as well.

Worried you may be too old for the show? Fear not.

"Certain things I mention are geared toward the younger generation, but the vast majority of my jokes are things all generations can relate to," he said. "That's something I've been conscious of from the beginning."

For a sample of his humor, check out the youtube.com clip at youtube.com/mamawalacomdy.

Online, he's scored more than 100,000 views - not too shabby for someone who started comedy less than four years ago at an open mic at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick.

"It's really snowballed since then," he said about the open mic. "That night went over really well and I thought, 'well, maybe this is something for me.'"

A communications major, Mamawala does anticipate graduating this spring. Will comedy be a source of income once he hits the real world?

Well, like any aspiring artist (musician, comedian or otherwise), that's the goal.

"It seems like a pipe dream because like anything else, athletics, acting and whatnot, it's really tough to break into the business," he said.

"I'm not naive about that," he continued. "There are literally thousands of comics who never get anywhere, but with the competition and youtube ratings, I know it's not a false possibility for me."

And hey, he's not stranger to big comic hot spots like New York City.

He's played at major venues including Caroline's in Manhattan, plus other clubs in the area and throughout Atlantic City.

"Comedy is definitely a passion, and it's not something I'm ever willing - nor should I - ignore," Mamawala said. "In an ideal world, I'll be able to get paid to make people laugh."

- The Trenton Times

By Audrey Levine
Staff Writer

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Those with GPS navigation systems know that all directions are politely given by a soothing female voice.

But what if a user could customize the system with different voices, choosing instead more urgent directions from Samuel L. Jackson, of Arnold Schwarzenegger (“The bridge is out!”)?

For Adam Mamawala, of Bigley Road, this question, and some clever impressions, helped him earn the title of New Jersey King of Campus Comedy when he won the 2007 New Jersey Comedy Festival on Dec. 8.

“I think what separated me from the competition was the fact that I did impressions in my routine,” he said. “The joke was about the fact that I think GPS navigation systems should have customizable voices based on race, instead of the generic English woman’s voice. Branching off that, I talked about the idea of using celebrity voices, so I did an Indian accent, an Irish accent, Samuel L. Jackson, Jerry Seinfeld, Forrest Gump, Kermit the Frog, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Borat.”

The festival featured up to three contestants from 12 different New Jersey colleges, including Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rutgers University, Rowan University and The College of New Jersey, Mr. Mamawala’s school.

“I’ve been doing stand-up for a couple of years, and I always like to perform as much as I can,” said Mr. Mamawala, 20, and a junior at TCNJ. “A friend of mine showed me the competition’s Web site and I signed up online. They were going to campuses all across the state, and TCNJ was one of them, so I decided to give it a shot.”

Mr. Mamawala said that, at each college, contestants had five minutes to perform before being critiqued by judges from the festival. Those in the audience then had the opportunity to vote, and the top three favorites were invited to the finals, held at Monmouth University, in Long Branch.

At the finals, Mr. Mamawala said, the performers were judged by Mark Sinodinos, winner of the 2005 Canadian College Comedy Award; Michele Balan, a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing; and Barry Dougherty, editor of the Friar’s Club magazine.

“I tend to be pretty relaxed when I perform, but I was more nervous this time than usual simply because the stakes were so high and I wanted to win so badly,” Mr. Mamawala said. “More than anything, I was just really excited for the opportunity.”
The excitement paid off, as Mr. Mamawala walked away from the competition with not only the title, but also $1,000, a chance to open for a professional comedian at The Laugh Factory in New York City, a trip for two to Cancun during spring break and an opportunity to perform on MTV’s “Spring Break”.

“I learned from this competition that it’s good to be modest, but it doesn’t hurt to have high expectations, because occasionally something will work out exactly how you want it to,” he said.

Mr. Mamawala said that his enjoyment of stand-up comedy stems from his love of performing in front of a crowd and being onstage.

“I’ve always considered myself a pretty funny person, but the reason I enjoy stand-up comedy is that I love performing,” he said. “I perform as much as I can, but often that’s only about once a month, sometimes even less.”

Although he said he doesn’t have a specific routine to use when he performs, he was a little nervous about performing certain jokes during the competition with his family sitting in the audience.

“One of my housemates from school was there along with a few of my friends, and my parents were actually in attendance to see me perform,” he said. “It was kind of weird having my parents in the crowd, especially when I cursed or made jokes about my sister. However, it was still more exciting than anything else for them to have been in the crowd, and they’ve really been supportive throughout the whole process.”

In addition to his impressions and family jokes, Mr. Mamawala said his comedy is inspired by life experiences. He said he finds ideas in anything he sees happening around him.

“I get most of my ideas from events that have actually happened to me that I embellish upon, or funny things that I notice in my day to day life,” he said. “Most of my comedy is observational humor, in the same vein as people like Jerry Seinfeld and Mitch Hedberg.”

Despite his love of being onstage, Mr. Mamawala said he does not necessarily have any expectations about sticking with a comedy career in the future. As a communications major at TCNJ, he said he is hoping to pursue a career in public relations for a professional sports team, and is preparing to be an intern with the Trenton Thunder, the minor-league affiliate of the New York Yankees, during his spring semester.

“At this point, I’d like to continue to do stand-up comedy as a hobby, but I don’t have any unrealistic expectations,” he said. “That being said, if I can make some extra money performing or get noticed by the right people, you never know.”

Although he may not be ventur - The Hillsborough Beacon

Friday, May 01, 2009
BY LISA RICH
Special to the Times

Adam Mamawala never expected to find a niche in comedy.

Sure, his friends always said he was funny, but could he really be one of the nation's up-and-coming young comedians?

Yup. He's all that.

The 2007 winner of the New Jersey Comedy Festival, Mamawala certainly knows how to bring the funny -- scoring laughs with his observational humor that carries influences from comic giants such as Jerry Seinfeld, with a unique spin, of course.

"I was never the class clown growing up, but now, there's really nothing more satisfying than people coming up to me after a show and saying how funny I was," says Mamawala, a senior at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).

Monday night, he will perform (and headline) a comedy showcase at TCNJ.

It's true these columns typically focus on music, and are meant to give readers and insight into "good times" over the weekend.

But this Monday night performance indeed deserves recognition, as Mamawala has been dubbed the "New Jersey King of Campus Comedy" and won the "Catch a Rising Star" Comedy Challenge in 2006.

His shows are a bit quirky, and he's a bit of a prankster. But Mamawala is also a smart observer -- markedly astute -- and funny to boot.

So what can you expect at his show?

Well, first, you can expect a minimum $5 cover charge -- as the proceeds will benefit the charity group Parents Educating Parents, a program for parents of special needs children.

Second, you can expect a seamless 45-minute show of jokes that lack awkward pauses, the all-too-familiar "uhs" and "ums" of unseasoned comics, and genuinely funny bits about young adulthood, college life, and life in general.

He'll have some new material on hand as well.

Worried you may be too old for the show? Fear not.

"Certain things I mention are geared toward the younger generation, but the vast majority of my jokes are things all generations can relate to," he said. "That's something I've been conscious of from the beginning."

For a sample of his humor, check out the youtube.com clip at youtube.com/mamawalacomdy.

Online, he's scored more than 100,000 views - not too shabby for someone who started comedy less than four years ago at an open mic at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick.

"It's really snowballed since then," he said about the open mic. "That night went over really well and I thought, 'well, maybe this is something for me.'"

A communications major, Mamawala does anticipate graduating this spring. Will comedy be a source of income once he hits the real world?

Well, like any aspiring artist (musician, comedian or otherwise), that's the goal.

"It seems like a pipe dream because like anything else, athletics, acting and whatnot, it's really tough to break into the business," he said.

"I'm not naive about that," he continued. "There are literally thousands of comics who never get anywhere, but with the competition and youtube ratings, I know it's not a false possibility for me."

And hey, he's not stranger to big comic hot spots like New York City.

He's played at major venues including Caroline's in Manhattan, plus other clubs in the area and throughout Atlantic City.

"Comedy is definitely a passion, and it's not something I'm ever willing - nor should I - ignore," Mamawala said. "In an ideal world, I'll be able to get paid to make people laugh."

- The Trenton Times