Comedian, Camille Solari, Can Do It All...
And So Can You!
By Sam Davidson
On a brisk Sunday night in West Hollywood, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to see comedian Camille Solari’s weekly show at the Comedy Store…Whores on Sundays! I entered the theatre about fifteen minutes before the show began, and Camille was already up on that stage. However she was not performing quite yet, she was having the audience members come up on stage to pose on the red carpet with the 
“Whores on Sundays” promotional backdrop. Now I have seen a lot of comedy shows, but I have never seen a comedian interact with the audience members like this, it was truly unique and got the audience excited, I know I was! Once the show began Camille introduced several opening acts that were all great. However once Camille got up to do her set, it was a whole new ballgame. Solari’s performance was hilarious, relatable, and very fun. Camille is not one of those comedians that talks AT audience…she talks TO the audience, making them feel like they are just as much a part of the show as she is.
When we think of comedians, many minds go straight to people like Dane Cook, Chris D’Elia, Tim Allen, etc. In terms of comedy, it seems as though men have always had the upper hand, and women seem to barely be acknowledged. But things are changing. Let me introduce you to Camille Solari.
As many of us know, there are many ways to get where you want to be in the entertainment indstury; the possibliities are endless. Solari is a great example of this. Originally from Boston, she went to the highly esteemed Emerson College, majoring in Shakespeare. Clearly, Solari had the acting bug. After college, she made her way to Hollywood.
As I said before, people in this industry take different paths to get to where they want to be, and this is exactly what Solari did. Solari, who is clearly an intelligent woman, started her career in Hollywood after spending her last semester in L.A. interning for Danny DeVito. She then went on to be Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s assistant, truly learning the lay of the land and making a plethora of great contacts. When she realized that this was not the route she wanted to take, Solari decided to leave the corporate entertainment world, and began producing and starring in her own productions.
She began creating sketch-comedy showcases, to which she would invite all of the people she connected with as an assistant, and then actors would pay her. Not only was Solari a talented actress and writer, but it was clear early on that she was a smart woman who knew how to make money and make the most out of her skills and contacts.
Solari’s extremely smart strategy of writing for the purpose of acting really worked, making her a quadruple threat. While producing, writing, directing, and starring in several of her own films, she was also doing stand-up comedy. (Busy woman, right?) Solari has written, produced, starred in, and sometimes directed, at least seven of her own feature films since 2005. Some of the titles include True, True,Lie, The Bliss, and Hookers, Inc.
Right now, Solari is very hot in the comedy world. However, as I said before, women don’t have it easy when it comes to comedy. When people think of female comedians, there are many preconceived notions that are hard to shake. Solari agrees that it is tougher to be a female comic, but with that said, she does not think she has the voice of an atypical female comic. There are certain female comedians who are really “chicky,” and Solari does not think she has that voice. She truly knows how to appeal to both audiences, reltaing to both men and women, which is a very hard trait to find in any comedian.
It seems as though Solari can do anything, but the lesson to be learned here is that so can you. Solari believed in herself and her skills enough to successfully brand herself as a comic, writer, actress, producer, and even director. Hopefully this outstanding woman is just the beginning of a new breed of females in the entertainment industry that can truly do it all. All it takes is hard work, skill, time, and truly faith in yourself. Don’t wait for things to happen―make them happen!
To learn more about Camille, visit her website
