After 15 years in sales at companies like Yahoo! and Facebook, Paul Ollinger bailed on the corporate world to chase the comedy dream that has taken him all over North America, opening for top comics like Daniel Tosh, Dave Attell, and Chelsea Handler, and headlining clubs like Carolines on Broadway in New York City. He has also opened for major music acts, including Styx and Collective Soul. An official selection of the Asheville, BigPine, Limestone, and Laughing Skull Comedy Festivals, Paul was a finalist at the 2021 Boston Comedy Festival.
Paul is the host of the Crazy Money Podcast on which he explores the connection between money, work, and happiness in conversations with some of the world’s most interesting people. Previous guests include Judd Apatow, LL COOL J, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals.
Chicago based Comedian Farahvar delights audiences with his unique, quick witted dry humor, centered on being an aging bachelor and former litigator. After becoming a staple on the Chicago Comedy Scene for years, he began touring, first as a feature for headliners like Jen Kirkman, Demetri Martin and Gary Gulman, and later as a headliner. With no manager or agent, he managed to build a following in multiple cities, even selling out rooms in Chicago, Rockford, Denver, Milwaukee, Scottsdale, Sarasota and Tampa in the last two years.
He was runner up in the Chicago Reader for Best Stand up Comedian in 2021 and was voted “Top 40 Up and Coming Comedians” in 2017. Prior to being a comedian, Farahvar was a trial litigator, earning the “Top 40 under 40” honor in Illinois. His podcast SINGLES ONLY! (SWSW 2020) was voted Best Podcast in 2021 (Chicago Reader) and he was a regular guest host on WGN Radio. He played “Karam Haddad” on NBC’s “Chicago Med.” In 2024, he was one of only two non-Canadians invited to Halifax Comedy Festival. His Dry Bar special “Always a Groomsman” dropped in April, 2023 and his new special “Middlewestern, Middle Eastern” with Helium Comedy Studios dropped in April, 2024.
