2008 Woodie Awards
Laugh Attack Series Presents Comedian and Musician Rob Paravonian to UWF
Lindsey Davies / Staff Writer
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Comedy Central's "Premium Blend," Comedy Central's "Hi Fi Party" and VH1's "Random Play." These are just a few places comedian and musician Rob Paravonian has made appearances.
Now, he can add the University of West Florida's University Commons Auditorium to his rapidly budding credentials.
Paravonian combines comedy and music to create an eclectic act consisting of original songs about topics ranging from the difficulties of relationships to why a kid should not want to bomb his school, which he accompanies with an acoustic guitar. His act also includes satirical analysis of well-known song lyrics and funny personal stories about ski trips and friends' weddings.
Paravonian was the first of five comedians during this fall 2005 semester to perform at UWF as part of the Catch a Rising Star's "Laugh Attack" series, which is one of four Campus Activities Board committees. Paravonian performed on Thursday to a packed audience at the University Commons Auditorium.
Corey Young, Catch a Rising Star chair, said this is the first time Paravonian has performed at the university.
Bob Alston, Campus Activities Board President, said he thought Paravonian would make a great addition to the "Laugh Attack" series after seeing a showcase of Paravonian's act put together and presented at the National Association for Campus Activities conference.
"We find out what the students want to see in entertainment and try to bring that to them," Alston said.
Paravonian easily could have passed for a UWF student, as he stood on stage Thursday night in jeans and a T-shirt with his guitar strapped over his shoulder, slightly geeky and innocent but still cool in appearance. That is part of his charm.
"I never was the class-clown type in high school, but I thought I was funny," Paravonian said after Thursday night's show.
Paravonian said he first got involved in comedy by writing a column in his high school newspaper his senior year. He continued to try out his comedic abilities by entering a stand-up comedy contest conducted at his college every year, but his first interest was music.
Paravonian grew up in the Chicago area and is the son of a first generation Armenian-American. His interest for music first was sparked when he started to learn how to play the cello at the age of 6.
While continuing to play the cello in the high school symphony, Paravonian taught himself to play the guitar and bass and began to play in bands. Although he still was underage, Paravonian, performed in bars in Chicago and Milwaukee.
He continued to play in the Los Angeles area, where he moved to attend the University of Southern California. This is when Paravonian started to pursue his passion for writing, which eventually evolved into a love for comedy.
Paravonian began by performing in cafes in the Los Angeles. After college, he returned to Chicago, where he studied improvisation and ensemble work at the legendary Second City Training Center.
After becoming a regular at the Improv and going on the road to perform at comedy clubs throughout the Midwest and colleges throughout the nation, Paravonian moved to New York, where his success has continued to grow. He said his most exciting career moments have been performing on "Premium Blend" and performing for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
"That was a great life experience," Paravonian said about his trip to Afghanistan.
Paravonian said, like most artists starting out, he has had to deal with the struggle of trying to support himself with a variety of odd jobs while pursuing his art. He said the comfort of a stable day job always is appealing, but he knows it would leave him little time to do what he loves.
Paravonian said his advice for anyone pursuing a career in a field of art is to "remember why you are doing it and try not to worry about what level you are at. Or, you'll go nuts trying to figure out why some people succeed more and some people don't."
The next Catch a Rising Star "Laugh Attack" series guest to perform at UWF will be Kevin Bozeman. He is scheduled to perform at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the University Commons Auditorium.
If you would like to find out more about Rob Paravonian or download some of his work, visit his Web site at www.RobPRocks.com. If you have any questions or are interested in Catch a Rising Star events or any other Campus Activities Board events, visit its Web site at www.uwf.edu/CAB, call (850) 474-3186, or visit the Campus Activities Board at the University Commons, Building 22.