Kambiz Hosseini

He created and hosted the successful and critically acclaimed TV show Parazit on Voice of America from 2009 to 2012.

• Name — Kambiz Hosseini • Born — 1 August 1975 • Birthplace — Rasht, Imperial State of Iran • Education — Azad University Portland State University • Known for — Parazit Five in the Afternoon Poletik Paradox (weekly podcasts) • Occupation — Playwright, television and radio host, political satirist

Hosseini grew up in the Iranian cities of Rasht and Mashhad. He studied dramatic literature and acting in Iran and the US. He has written, directed and acted in many stage plays and radio and TV shows in Iran and the US. Hosseini immigrated to the United States in 2000. He eventually settled in Washington D.C. and worked for Radio Free Europe and as an art critic for Voice of America before launching Parazit.

Parazit, which means "Static" in Persian (in reference to the government jamming satellite television in Iran) gained immediate popularity both in Iran and in the Diaspora. The Washington Post dubbed Parazit "The Iranian Daily Show" and referred to him as the "Jon Stewart of Iran." Hosseini himself made an appearance on Stewart's "The Daily Show" in 2011 and Jon Stewart said that Parazit is "like our show, but with real guts." Parazit quickly became one of the most popular shows on Voice of America. Among the high-profile guests Hosseini interviewed was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Parazit also had an extensive social media reach, numbers tallying to over 1,000,000 fans on Facebook and its videos posted online have over 1,000,000 hits. The popularity of such programs with the fear of wider spreadings of the darker sides of the regime between the youth had the Iranian regime to ban websites like Facebook alongside YouTube. Hosseini has been featured on CNN, FOX News, PBS, NPR, PRI, CBC, and many other media outlets around the world.

• Illustration — Hosseini speaking at PopTech 2011 Hosseini's weekly podcast Five in the Afternoon features news and developments on human rights in Iran in the Persian language. The podcast, which is sponsored and produced by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, was launched in January 2013 and airs every Friday at 5:00 p.m. Iran time. He received The Reporters Without Borders Award for Five in the Afternoon. The show features a summary of the week's news, satirical social commentary, and "the last word," in which Hosseini performs a monologue in a conversational style. "Five in the Afternoon" also includes interviews with prominent Iranian figures. Transcripts of the interviews are posted the following week on the Campaign's website. In every interview, Hosseini asks questions raised by his audience on his and the Campaign's Facebook page. Since Hosseini's first podcast has had over 150,000 downloads on SoundCloud.com, where the podcast is posted each week.

Following Parazit, Hosseini launched the New York-based satirical news show, Poletik.

Hosseini testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Affairs on May 11, 2011, where he delivered personal remarks advocating for human rights in Iran.