Shadi Alfons is an Egyptian TV and film actor, writer, and producer. He gained notoriety as a main cast member and senior writer on Bassem Youssef’s political satire show, ‘Al Bernameg’, Egypt’s version of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. Shadi is credited for writing and performing many of the comedic and controversial sociopolitical satire sketches, and viral parody songs that launched the show from an online production into the number one television show in the history of the MENA (Middle East & North Africa) region. Al Bernameg’s ratings boasted more than 30 million weekly viewers, followed only in ratings by the reruns of the show. Despite its popularity, the show was banned from Egyptian TV, and subsequently regional cable, in 2014, as a direct result of the political climate in Egypt. In 2015, Shadi became one of the founding members of the official Arabic version of Saturday Night Live in Egypt, SNL Arabia. He served as one of SNL’s senior writers, main cast, and parody news anchors of ‘The Weekend Update’ and is behind the creation of several viral sketches and parody songs. Throughout its four aired seasons, 52 episodes, SNL garnered millions of weekly viewers, region wide, until the show was ultimately banned by the Egyptian authorities in 2018. In 2018, he played a leading role in the 30-episode Egyptian action/drama TV series, ‘Fawq El Sahab’ (Above the Clouds). Shadi appears, as himself, alongside Jon Stewart and Bassem Youssef, in the Netflix documentary, Tickling Giants. He is also featured in the documentary, Die Laughing, by the Executive Producers of Live From New York, JL Pomeroy and Emmy Award winner, Tom Broecker. Shadi contributed creatively, co-produced and co-starred in the, feature films, ‘From A to B’, as well as, ‘Rashid and Rajab’. Both films were produced by Imagine Nation and twofour54, leading media and entertainment companies in the Middle East and North Africa, and co-producers of Hollywood blockbusters including Men in Black 3, Star Wars: Episode VII and The Fast and the Furious 7. When not onscreen, Shadi is a voice-over artist and freelance copywriter for various multinational advertising agencies including Impact BBDO, JWT and FP7. Shadi discovered and cultivated his fascination with the performing arts at an early age, when he began in the Theatre. As a young adult, he studied under officials at the London Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Performing and Visual Arts from the American University in Cairo. After living in BC, Canada for two years, he was inspired by the events of 2011 Egyptian Revolution, and, in many ways, his return to Egypt and career unfolded organically from this inspiration.