In 1977, Laugh Factory founder Jamie Masada arrived in the USA at age 14. He worked multiple jobs in Hollywood to support his family back home, while also performing on the comedy circuit to build his stand-up career. Despite the fact that he was living in a garage and barely spoke English, he combined Persian & Hebrew and soon was working with professional comedians like Richard Pryor, David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Redd Foxx. Masada’s father told him, “Making people laugh is the greatest Mitzvah of all.” In 1979, after a dispute over club owners refusing to pay comedians, Masada decided to open a new venue for comedians to perform. After obtaining a loan of $10,000, he opened the Laugh Factory in a building formerly belonging to Groucho Marx. Richard Pryor was the 1st comedian to perform at the club.
Laugh Factory
In 1977, Laugh Factory founder Jamie Masada arrived in the USA at age 14. He worked multiple jobs in Hollywood to support his family back home, while also performing on the comedy circuit to build his stand-up career. Despite the fact that he was living in a garage and barely spoke English, he combined Persian & Hebrew and soon was working with professional comedians like Richard Pryor, David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Redd Foxx. Masada’s father told him, “Making people laugh is the greatest Mitzvah of all.” In 1979, after a dispute over club owners refusing to pay comedians, Masada decided to open a new venue for comedians to perform. After obtaining a loan of $10,000, he opened the Laugh Factory in a building formerly belonging to Groucho Marx. Richard Pryor was the 1st comedian to perform at the club.