On the surface, Neema (Naz) Nazeri very much embodies a what you see is what you get persona. Widely popular for his vast comedic repertoire of skits and impressions, it’s not hard to see the evident passion for humor and comedy.
Son to Iranian refugees, Neema dropped out of the University of Toronto, where he studied Kineseology, to pursue life as a comic. Certainly not the easiest conversation for a son to have with immigrant parents who left everything behind to give their kids a better life.
It also hasn’t been the smoothest of rides either. Neema’s turbulent start to life as a comic has been, and continues to be, his most humbling reminder to go all in. Open and unfiltered, Neema and I had the opportunity to chat through a variety of things that have altered and shaped his blooming career.
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“All I cared about was what I was eating next. Obviously, I developed an addiction to food.”
Neema Nazeri on his relationship with food
Comedic Timing
Unsure what he was doing or where he was headed, like so many are in university, Neema notes he was mentally checked out. “I thought university would be a great experience but I was never invested from the beginning”. Unmotivated and looking to escape his disinterest in studies, he spent countless hours on Youtube watching pranks, skits, and standup comedy. “I got more and more invested into comedy and I thought man I wish I could do this”.
Like many things in life, timing is everything. Call it fate or call it random luck, but whatever it was, the moment Neema walked into a Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto was the day a spark was lit. “It’s a Tuesday night and not even ten people are in the audience for a Humber Night comedy show”. He was hooked. That same night, he searched up the program and described it as falling in love.
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A few days later, he told his parents his newfound plan and dropped out of University. His father’s response? “If you’re going to go all in, then do it.”
The Critic
A good comedian can take any situation that happens to them, good or bad, and turn it into a bit. But the underlying truth is that like the rest of us, they are not immune to the battles with depression, struggles with addiction and of course, the never-ending self-criticism. One of Neema’s biggest personal struggles, and one he talks about openly, has been his relationship with food.
Never seeing himself as fit or skinny, he personified what he calls, the “fat-guy” character. He notes a sense of comfort came with at least knowing who he was, as painful as that ultimately was. Unfortunately, this led to significant weight gain. He hit 250lbs in high school before eventually topping out at 370lbs. “All I could think about was food. Where is my next meal coming from and how much can I eat”. He notes the vicious cycle that came with having an addiction to food was fuelled by emotional swings. If he was sad, he ate. If he was happy, he also ate, with no regards for the consequences.
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“I was ashamed eating out because I felt like everyone was staring at me. I totally forgot about comedy for that year. I would eat in hiding.”
Neema Nazeri on his physical insecurities
The Punchline
Think of your favorite comedian and a punchline comes to mind. In Neema’s case, the punchline came in the way of a Facebook status. One that initially started as a joke but quickly became a mission statement. The post read “I’m going to lose 150lbs in one year”. It was a hit and to his surprise, full of support and encouragement. People he hadn’t spoken to in years were reaching out. The response was so overwhelming that he had no choice but to follow through.
With a goal in mind, it took discipline and dedication. Neema made significant changes to his diet. Iranian food can be a carb heavy cuisine so it’s no small task cutting out carbs and sugars. He also decided it was time to hit the gym. Making it a point to schedule some form of fitness anywhere from 5-6 times a week. Went ‘all in.’ Incredibly…within a year, he had lost 97lbs. The work didn’t stop there however. Neema moved back home and decided he needed to go full time into content creation mode.
With the pandemic keeping everyone inside and social media being their escape, Neema took advantage. He used various platforms to create skits and impression videos and soon began to grow in popularity. His videos went viral with one Tik Tok hitting over 8.2M views and counting. He established a following of over 250K followers on Tik Tok and over 100K followers on Instagram. As opposed to taking his foot off the gas, he works harder. He has a regular podcast called the ‘Straight & Curly Podcast’ and also pursues acting in addition to his standup work. All of this represents an incredible turnaround that came as a result of a lot of hard work and dedication to his craft and his personal aspirations.
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None of this however takes away from his ongoing goals of getting fit and staying healthy. So with so much going on, how does he keep all of this in focus? Gary Vee’s ‘micro speed – macro patience’ philosophy. “It might not happen in 10 years, but when it does, you’ll never want to go back.”
