We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emma a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emma, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I’m really happy as an artist. The only regular job I’d like would be in a writers room. And I suppose that wouldn’t be all that regular, it would just be in an office setting. Right now, I’m really enjoying working random jobs to pay rent and doing what I love for most of the time. They say do what you love and the money will follow, and I definitely think there’s truth to that. No one’s going to pay you to do something they haven’t seen you do. Get good, put in your hours and people will want to hire you.

Emma, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always loved standup comedy, and I had a moment last year where I decided to just give it a try. It was terrifying, but at that point in my life I didn’t really care if I’d be embarrassed in front of a bunch of strangers. I’ve been through much worse. And I figured, if I didn’t like it, at least I’d know. I didn’t want to look at my life one day and wonder what could’ve been.
It’s also a great way to bring my writing to life. With screenwriting, the chances of my work being realized are so slim. With standup, I can think of anything and perform it the next day. I’m forever glad I took that leap last year.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Every time I’m about to go on stage, I’m super nervous. When I’m on stage, I get this huge adrenaline rush. And every time, I feel amazing after. It’s a really rewarding feeling. You challenge yourself every time.

I’ve also started a new project called Cine Habibi, every month we screen an Arab film at the Babylon cinema in Berlin. There’s Baklava and tea after, and a discussion about the film. Being able to realize that project and contribute to my community has been incredibly rewarding.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I used to work as a camera assistant on film sets. I really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do as a career. At some point I got super burnt out, both mentally and physically. I took a step back and decided to focus on writing, which is what I really want to do. I’m glad I made that decision. The deeper I got into the camera world, the more people knew me just for that. But it’s not what I want to be. Even though I haven’t been hired as a writer, I’d rather write for no money and have a minimum wage job on the side, than to spend all my time doing something that doesn’t fulfill me and won’t get me anywhere.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://emmayounan.com
• Instagram: emmayounan
• Other: tiktok: @emma.is.a.joke
  second instagram: @emma.isajoke @cinehabibi

Image Credits

Title image at the Berlin New Standup Awards at Cosmic Comedy. Photo at Halunke Comedy by Aram Al Saed.