Four years ago, a young Egyptian man taken with the enthusiasm of the post-revolution period, took to his camera and started filming a Youtube show with the name “Meen Dah?” (Who’s That?). What this guy started didn’t end with the wave of satirical shows that eventually vanished though. Mohamed Mamdouh, the 23 year old host of “Meen Dah?” whose show (which recently started its third season) came to wide recognition in the past few years met with us and this is how it went.
Why did you start this show?
Well for starters, I have always been frustrated about the content being presented by the media in Egypt. It all goes in one direction and it’s not a good one. And I studied mass communication so being a TV presenter has always been part of my plan, so I decided to use this to do as our new slogan says: “We will clean the media.”
And how did you start that?
I gathered a group of my friends, and the moment we decided to go through with it I turned a room in my parents’ unused apartment into a studio and we took off from there. It was a humble beginning and I sponsored it on my own.
How has the show developed over the years?
We were able to enhance our technical abilities for one, and the team has reached 20 members now. It hit me how much viewership the show had achieved when on my recent trip to Beirut some people recognized me there. Honestly, that was a boost.
So every comedian has their influencers or idols. Who are yours?
My ultimate idol is Stephen Colbert, host of the Late Show. And ever since I began, I’ve been influenced by some our great satirists like Bassem Youssef and Mohamed Andeel, who have become very close and dear friends of mine. These two offered me a lot of knowledge and motivation.
What is your vision for that show?
I thrive to make this show one of the top satire hits around the world, and I want to make the alternative voices gain the same media resources and strength as those of the mainstream media outlets. Lately there’s been a vast void, since most of us don’t trust the current face of the media.
How do you work for that?
I have a vision in mind and up until today I’ve been taking steps that I think were quite effective despite some difficulties. We as a team take our time and never compromise with the richness of our content, and as for me, I’m always trying to educate myself by reading about every single detail in the satire production process, from content creation to enhancing my skills as a presenter. Either I’ll succeed or else.. (laughingly) let’s see how it goes.
WE SAID THIS: For more of Meen Dah?, click here.