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Pardis Parker

Pardis Parker is a Canadian director, writer, actor, and comedian. He's the creator and star of Comedy Central's Mideast Minute, the co-creator of Uncivil, a new sitcom in development at NBC, and the creator of Free, a new comedic drama in development at Amazon Prime.

Career

Parker is the creator or co-creator of three series for TV and streaming.

Created by and starring Parker, Mideast Minute is a satirical news show distributed on Comedy Central's digital platform. The series satirizes U.S. propaganda efforts, particularly the Congress-funded Alhurra network, by trying to convince Middle Easterners that everything's OK in the Middle East.

In writing about the show, the Jerusalem Post said Parker had a "sharp, smart tone," Uproxx said Parker's "timing is impeccable," and Tubefilter said Parker was "both timely and funny — a combination that works."

Co-created by Parker, Uncivil is a single-cam comedy in development at NBC about a pair of friends – a prosecutor and public defender – who find that their personal squabbles spill into the courtroom and that their professional disputes follow them home. Parker executive produces with Hazy Mills Productions' Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner, as well as with Bradley Gardner and co-creator Rell Battle. Universal Television is the studio.

Free is a half hour comedic drama in development at Amazon Prime. Plan B Entertainment – led by partners Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner – is the production company.

Stand-up Comedy

A six-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee and a finalist for Canada's Next Top Comic and Bite TV's Stand Up and Bite Me, Parker won British star David Baddiel's international stand-up competition and previously became the first Canadian ever to book the CBS Comedy Showcase.

In reviews of his live show, the Kingston Herald said that "the skill with which Pardis Parker weaved the audience through his set was impressive," that Parker was "really relaxed on stage," and that "it felt as though you were just hanging out with a really funny friend," while Ottawa Life Magazine said that "his self-deprecating manner and friendly stage presence make him highly likeable." The Daily Star listed Parker as one of their "Stand-up Comedians That Need Your Attention," and said they "highly recommend" his act. Vulture, in selecting his stand-up clips as one of their "Best Comedy Videos of the Month" in March 2021 and December 2021, said that "it's amazing to see a funny comedian become a great comedian," and that Parker's "a performer who's found his comfort zone."

Parker has had multiple stand-up comedy performances broadcast on TV, radio, and the web, and he's a frequent performer at the Hollywood Improv, Hollywood Laugh Factory, and World Famous Comedy Store.

TED Talks

Parker has performed three times at TED, twice as a speaker and once as a special guest host.

He performed at the global TED Conference in Monterey, California, in August 2021. His TED Talk, "I'm Tired of People Telling Me to Grind", was released in January 2022. Moda Magazine listed it as one of their "Seven TED Talks to Get You Through the Day," and said Parker's performance was both "relatable" and "hilarious."

Parker performed for a second time at the global TED Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in April 2022. His talk, "I'm Terrified of Wanting to be a Billionaire", was released in October 2022. In reviews of the conference, Mats Lederhausen said Parker's performance was "truly funny," and Chris Duffy said Parker's set was "incredible."

Parker took the stage for a third time at the global TED Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in April 2023.

Acting

Parker has appeared in Life in Pieces on CBS, Combat Hospital on ABC, Little Mosque on the Prairie on CBC, Single White Spenny and Moderation Town on Showcase, Really Me on The Family Channel, and in indie drama Snow.

His acting work has received acclaim from the National Screen Institute of Canada, which remarked that his "timing and body language in The Dance was exceptional," from Indiewire, which complimented his "light comedic touch," and from Radio Canada, which said that "he's a kind of Seth MacFarlane, someone extremely multi-talented who can write, direct, and act, and who's very convincing in his roles."

Writing

Parker's writing has been published by The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Los Angeles Review of Books, the Chicago Sun-Times, The New Quarterly, Weekly Humorist, Literary Hub, Electric Literature, and McSweeney's. His first piece of short fiction, "Good Person," was named runner-up for the Peter Hinchcliffe Short Fiction Award, and his humor piece, "I am the NY Times Connections Puzzle and I am the Reason Everyone is Angry," was named Electric Literature's Most Popular Post of 2025.

Bibliography

Filmmaking

Parker's films and music videos, including The Dance, Afghan, and Two Men, Two Cows, Two Guns, have screened at over 150 film festivals worldwide and received over 80 awards and nominations.

The Playlist called him an "up and coming talent on the Canadian film scene," Film School Rejects said his work was "riotously funny, with a narrative flair that makes one hope he has a feature coming soon," and CinemaSinema lauded his ability to "squeeze more heart from an 11 minute short film than many Hollywood directors can muster from feature length pictures."

Filmography

Accolades

References

Further reading

External links