Bubblespan
Indians have been shining at top positions in the world from a long time and now with Indian origin CEOs heading firms like Google, Microsoft and Adobe; this fact has become even more eminent. Be it the top technology firms or a top federal position in the government, Indian origin people are making a name everywhere, even in comedy.
Earlier, one could hardly hope to see an Indian amongst the top comedians of the world, but Russell Dominic Peters changed that scenario completely. Peters is today amongst the best stand up comedians of the world and is also the third-highest paid comedian in the world. Russell was born in Toronto, Canada after which his family moved to Brampton. Russell’s father was born in Mumbai where he worked as a federal meat inspector.
Russell began performing in 1989. In the year 1992, he met famous comedian George Carlin who has been a big influence for him. Carlin advised Peters to get on the stage whenever and wherever possible. Peters took that advice seriously and he attributes his success to that one motivational account with Carlin. By the year 2007, Russell became a dominant name in stand up comedy because of which he hosted one of Carlin’s last shows before his death in 2008.
Peters attributes his performance on the comedy show Comedy Now! in 2004 as a “turning point” in his life. His performance was uploaded on Youtube which went viral and helped him to rake in fans from not just Canada but other parts of the world as well. Today, Russell Peters has done myriad shows worldwide. He has also received numerous accolades and awards for his talent, the recent being the 2013 Trailblazer Award which was given by the Association of South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment (SAMMA).
Russell has been an inspiration for all our Indian friends out there who always think of doing something out of the league but refrain from doing it because of the stigma attached to it. All they need to do is grab the opportunity as it comes to them, just like Peters.
